One of the creators of Stranger Things has debunked rumours that the fifth and final season of the show will have movie-length runtimes.
The hit Netflix series began with episodes that ran just under an hour, however by season four each episode was nearing the length of a movie. Most episodes in that season ranged between and hour and 20 minutes, with the final episode coming in at over two hours.
A supposedly leaked image has circulated online that the length of the forthcoming final season would run at around two hours an episode, with the finale coming in at three hours.
However, on co-creator Ross Duffer’s Instagram stories, he posted the image with the caption “lol not even close to accurate”. The story was captured and shared online as a rebuttal of the rumour.
Ross Duffer denies the length of Stranger Things 5 episodes of the leak of yestarday.
I mean, how can you hate him? 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/fYLa9Xu6gl— ǝlǝl || lele (@lele_love_el) July 18, 2025
Stranger Things 5 premieres on Netflix with Volume one (Episodes 1-4) on November 26, followed by Volume two (Episodes 5-7) on Christmas Day, and the Finale (Episode 8) on New Year’s Eve.
The official synopsis reads: “The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding”.
“As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time”.
In April, Ross Duffer promised an “emotional, thrilling” final season, saying: “The goal is to hit hard”. Last month, cast member Caleb McLoughlin talked about how he felt finishing the series. He confessed: “I was like, ‘I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry,’ and then ended up just bawling, man”.