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Credit: NetflixStranger Things (2016) has been a worldwide phenomenon since it first emerged from the Upside Down in 2016. So far it has enjoyed four seasons, with the latest season, Stranger Things 4, being an enormous success for Netflix.
Not only has Stranger Things 4 broken records for the streaming service, it also broke servers, with millions tuning in at the same time to watch their favorite characters take on “dark wizard” Vecna/Henry Creel/One (Jamie Campbell-Bower).
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However, one of the show’s leading stars, David Harbour, who plays hardened Hawkins detective Jim Hopper, has revealed that, upon filming the first season, he thought the show would become Netflix’s first failed project. In a recent interview on BBC’s The One Show (via Insider), he said:
“I remember when we were shooting the first season. We were down in Atlanta, Netflix had given us a budget of about $20. Halfway through I remember my hair person coming up to me, like about episode four we were shooting, and she was like, ‘I don’t think it’s gonna work’.”
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The 47-year-old Black Widow (2021) actor, who lost 80 lbs for his role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things 4, continued:
“By the time we finished, we wrapped, I thought we wouldn’t get a second season, we’d be the first Netflix show kind of ever to never get a second season. We thought no one would watch it, it was going to be a disaster.”
But how wrong he was – Stranger Things went on to become one of Netflix’s biggest series ever. It has also become their biggest English-language series, while the latest season alone has tallied over a jaw-dropping 188.19 million viewed hours in total.
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The series also appears to have helped slow the loss of subscribers on the streaming service. Earlier this year, Netflix predicted a loss of two million in Q2 of 2022, however, a report now reveals that it lost just under half of that, which Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has attributed to Stranger Things.
In fact, the fourth season was so popular that Stranger Things 4 Part 2 actually caused Netflix’s servers to crash. Stranger Things 4 was split into two parts, with only a month between the first and the second. However, this was clearly enough time for fans to become very excited for the epic finale.
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Unlike previous seasons, the episodes in Stranger Things 4 are around double in length, with the first eight episodes clocking in at 1 hour 20 minutes, and the final episode a whopping 2 hours 30 minutes.
The latest season has been met with critical acclaim, and has even brought renewed attention to music icon Kate Bush’ ‘80s hit “Running Up That Hill”, which reached the top three on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the charts in eight countries as a result of its use in Stranger Things 4.
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Stranger Things 5 is currently in the works, however there is no release date as yet. As per the Netflix website, here’s the official synopsis for Stranger Things 4:
It’s been six months since the Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time – and navigating the complexities of high school hasn’t made things any easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery that, if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down.
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Stranger Things 4 stars Joe Keery (Steve Harrington), Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler), Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven/Jane Hopper), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson), Paul Reisner (Dr Sam Owens), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Matthew Modine (Papa/Martin Brenner), Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield), Noah Schnapp (Will Byers), and Jamie Campbell-Bower (Vecna/One/Henry Creel).
Stranger Things 4 is currently streaming on Netflix. The show will also be getting a spin-off series.
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Are you looking forward to Stranger Things 5? Let us know in the comments down below!