Credit: NetflixFans are livid over the Stranger Things Season 5 trailer once again.
Netflix made waves late last year when it finally confirmed what fans had long been waiting to hear: updates on Stranger Things and Wednesday, two of the platform’s most successful original series. But as the holiday season rolled around, subscribers found themselves frustrated rather than festive.
The streaming giant spent much of 2023 navigating delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which disrupted production timelines across the industry. With Stranger Things entering its fifth and final season and Wednesday preparing for its highly anticipated return, viewers were hopeful that at least one of the shows would make its way onto screens in 2024.
That optimism faded as delays continued. Netflix eventually announced that both titles were now on track for a 2025 release, offering a clearer picture of what’s ahead for two of its crown jewel series.
To mark November 6, known by fans as Stranger Things Day—the date of Will Byers’ (Noah Schnapp) fateful disappearance—Netflix dropped a teaser that revealed the full list of episode titles for the show’s final season. The video gave a first glimpse at what the Duffer Brothers have planned as the story of Hawkins, Indiana, reaches its conclusion.
Season 5 will reunite fans with core characters like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Schnapp), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), all gearing up for one last confrontation with Henry Creel/One/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower).
The final stretch also features the return of familiar faces, including Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers), David Harbour (Jim Hopper), Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler), Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers), and Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield).
The eight episodes include previously revealed “The Crawl,” as well as “The Vanishing of…,” (thought to be “The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler,” Holly being Mike and Nancy’s younger sister), “The Turnbow Trap,” “Sorcerer,” “Shock Jock,” “Escape From Camazotz,” “The Bridge,” and a finale titled “The Rightside Up”—a poignant callback to the Season 1 episode “The Upside Down,” hinting at a thematic bookend to the saga.
Before the New Year rolled around, Netflix was laying the groundwork for its future slate.
“So looking into 2025, you’ve got new seasons of our biggest shows: Wednesday, Squid Game, Stranger Things,” the company noted in its Q3 earnings call. “On top of that, new shows from Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy, a Knives Out sequel from Rian Johnson, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, even the return of Happy Gilmore. We couldn’t be more excited about where we’re heading.”
While fans eagerly await a trailer or sneak peek from Stranger Things 5, Netflix’s latest 2025 sizzle reel left many disappointed. Despite being teased as one of the streamer’s tentpole releases, the series was only represented by a logo in the montage, no new footage included. Meanwhile, Wednesday and Squid Game both appeared with updated visuals, prompting outcry from the fandom.
Frustrations boiled over on social media. The account Stranger Things Updates (@Updates_SThings) posted the teaser on X (formerly Twitter), decrying the streamer for not providing any actual footage. More comments came in around this time, with fans jokingly stating that they would boycott the second season of Squid Game if a trailer for the supernatural series wasn’t dropped.
With a rumored fifth season start date of November 27, 2025, it only stands to reason that a trailer is imminent. Now, new information has come to light regarding the possible trailer reveal. Well-known entertainment insider Grace Randolph, AKA Beyond the Trailer on YouTube, where she shares movie updates and news to almost 1 million subscribers, has addressed the wait for Stranger Things Season 5.
“I know kind of when the release dates are, but I can’t tell you that,” Randolph said during her April 2025 “Ask Me Anything.” “I don’t know when the trailer’s dropping exactly, but I know it’s ready. I don’t know when it’s going to drop, but I heard it’s ready to go.”
The report that the trailer is ready to go comes amid a growing fan demand for new content, especially following a double Netflix update–one relating to Wednesday Season 2 and another to Eleven star Millie Bobby Brown herself.
In the last day, Netflix released the first poster for Wednesday Season 2, featuring Jenna Ortega as the titular character, as well as confirmed Enola Holmes 3 is in production, starring Brown in the eponymous role alongside Henry Cavill (Sherlock Holmes).
Fans were quick to tie these announcements back to the lack of updates for Stranger Things 5.
Responding to the unofficial What’s On Netflix (whatonnetflix) account on X, @drewmattsky wrote:
WE DONT CARE WE NEED TRAILER OF STRANGER THINGS 5 RIGHT NOW
WE DONT CARE WE NEED TRAILER OF STRANGER THINGS 5 RIGHT NOW
— matt spidey (@drewmattsky) April 21, 2025
Echoing that sentiment, @darklady_01 responded to the Wednesday Season 2 poster by saying:
Where is the poster and the teaser trailer of Stranger Things netflix?!
Where is the poster and the teaser trailer of Stranger Things netflix?! https://t.co/vI4m0kPaPT
— Dark Lady -38/-169 (@darklady_01) April 21, 2025
@KTekovic posted:
For the love of god give us a trailer for Stranger Things!!!! We’re dying here!!!
For the love of god give us a trailer for Stranger Things!!!! We’re dying here!!!
— Karlo Teković (@KTekovic) April 22, 2025
Last week, Netflix released some new Stranger Things content–but it wasn’t what fans were hoping for, at least when it comes to those anxiously awaiting the fifth season. Ahead of its official Broadway debut, fans were able to go behind the scenes of the Stranger Things: The First Shadow production in London to take a look at how the Henry Creel prequel story came to life on stage.
Until Netflix actually drops the trailer for Season 5, fans are left to speculate what lies ahead for Hawkins’ final stand.
Meanwhile, it looks like promotion for Wednesday Season 2 is ramping up. The Jenna Ortega-led supernatural dramedy became a cultural phenomenon upon its 2022 premiere, even dethroning Stranger Things as Netflix’s most-watched English-language series in a single week. (Squid Game, which returned for Season 2 on December 26, still holds the all-time title.)
With Tim Burton back at the helm and Ortega’s Emmy-nominated performance continuing to lead the charge, Wednesday has firmly established itself as a key franchise for Netflix. Season 2 will explore more of Nevermore Academy and introduce new faces, including Joanna Lumley, Haley Joel Osment, Christopher Lloyd, Thandiwe Newton, and Lady Gaga.
The second season is also set to follow Stranger Things’ lead with feature-length episodes. Ortega has even described the upcoming chapter as feeling more like a collection of films.
As Netflix gears up for what’s shaping up to be a blockbuster 2025, its subscriber base—now over 280 million strong—remains the largest in the streaming world. With Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Squid Game leading the charge, the platform appears poised for another massive year.
How are you feeling about the lack of new Stranger Things content? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!