After three long years, Stranger Things has officially returned to our lives, with Volume 1 of the fourth season hitting our screens on Friday 27th May 2022. Following on from season three, which dropped back in July 2019, it's safe to say that fans have been desperate for the highly-anticipated release!
As the first instalment of the fourth season officially lands on Netflix - with Volume 2 heading our way in July - it's time to get up-to-date with this fantastic record-breaking series. BE WARNED, there are plenty of spoilers below...
Stranger Things season one: Plot summary
So much has happened in Stranger Things! But here is a quick overview of the first three seasons...
In Stranger Things season one, we were introduced to a group of young boys who live in a small, fictional town called Hawkins in Indiana. Set in the 1980s - with many cultural references to the decade - the first season centres around a young boy called Will Byers who goes missing.
Will finds himself in an alternative dimension, nicknamed the Upside Down by his friends who search for him, along with his Mum Joyce, and local police chief Jim Hopper.
At the same time as Will's strange disappearance, a young girl, named Eleven by the young boys thanks to her mysterious tattoo, appears in Hawkins. Eleven escaped from the laboratory nearby and helps the boys in their search for their friend - who is thankfully returned to his family... But he's not 100% himself...
Stranger Things season two: Plot summary
In the second season, set in October 1984, Will has finally been rescued - however, not many details are known about the events at the beginning; something we learn about as the series continues. His friends soon realise that Will is still being influenced by the creatures in the Upside Down.
Meanwhile, Eleven leaves the small town to find out more about her powers and her past, to try and discover who she really is. After meeting her catatonic mother, who shares similar powers to herself, Eleven meets another girl who was tortured in the same facility and they bond - but Eleven decides to return home to her newfound family, and heads back to Hawkins.
And yes, Eleven and Mike become boyfriend and girlfriend!
Stranger Things season three: Plot summary
The third season began with a completely different feel to the previous ones - where series one and two had been dark, spooky and mysterious, series three was much more upbeat and light-hearted, with the group all hanging out at the new Starcourt Mall.
But of course, it wouldn't be Stranger Things if someone wasn't being possessed by a terrifying creature - and this time, it was the turn of Billy Hargrove (played by Dacre Montgomery), who was attacked by the Mind Flayer and used to enact revenge.
There was also the odd goings-on at the mall, with Steve and Dustin teaming up once again - this time taking on Soviet spies with the help of their new friends, Robin and Erica, Lucas' sister.
More heartbreaking deaths were brought on by the events that unfolded - with show bosses leading viewers to think that beloved police chief Hopper had been killed too... But in the post-credits scenes, fans became convinced he was alive.
The official Netflix synopsis for ST3 reads, 'It's 1985 in Hawkins, Indiana, and summer's heating up. School's out, there's a brand new mall in town, and the Hawkins crew are on the cusp of adulthood. Romance blossoms and complicates the group's dynamic, and they'll have to figure out how to grow up without growing apart. Meanwhile, danger looms.
'When the town's threatened by enemies old and new, Eleven and her friends are reminded that evil never ends; it evolves. Now they'll have to band together to survive, and remember that friendship is always stronger than fear.'
The first season dropped in July 2016 and second in October 2017. Initial predictions said the third season would come at the end of 2018, but Netflix Vice President of Original Content Cindy Holland confirmed the Stranger Things third season release date as summer 2019.
Earlier this year, Netflix released a teaser trailer revealing the episode titles for the series. Set in the summer of 1985, the title are Suzie, Do You Copy?, The Mall Rats, The Case of the Missing Lifeguard, The Sauna Test, The Source, The Birthday, The Bite, and The Battle of Star Court.
Is there going to be a Stranger Things season 5?
Yes, there most definitely will! Following the unbelievable success of the 80s Netflix original, co-creators the Duffer Brothers confirmed they are working on more seasons. With season four dropping in two Volumes, we now have the first, and Volume 2 will be out on 1st July 2022. The brothers have confirmed a fifth season, however it will be the last.
Speaking to EW back in September 2017 executive producer Shawn Levy also said: "Hearts were heard breaking in Netflix's headquarters when the brothers made four seasons sound like an official end, and I was suddenly getting phone calls from our actors' agents."
David Harbour previously praised the writers, telling Variety: "Those guys work so hard. I mean, they just sit in their apartment and write for 12, 14 hours a day," and Sadie Sink AKA Max Mayfield spoke about how the events of season three would impact her character in the future.
Prior to the release of season four, fans started to become convinced that Eleven could be the show's villain, something Millie Bobby Brown has also spoken out about. After binging Volume 1, we'd be lying if we didn't say there was a split second where we thought Eleven could be temped to the dark side, but thankfully, for now (we hope), El remains on the good side!
Stranger Things soundtrack
As fans of the show will know, Stranger Things season four Volume 1 has some pretty iconic tracks playing throughout the show. From classic bops such as 'California Dreamin'' by The Mamas & The Papas playing in the background, there is of course one song that's got everybody talking - 'Rolling Up That Hill' by Kate Bush.
First featuring in a scene that sees Max Mayfield walking around with her walkman headphones on, the song later features in a very dramatic scene that is being dubbed 'the greatest scene in Netflix history' by fans.
Check out everything you need to know about the Stranger Things season four soundtrack here.
Stranger Things cast: Who stars in the show?
Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder and David Harbour in lead roles along with Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Sadie Sink, Noah Schnapp and Joe Keery. Here's how much the Stranger Things cast get paid.
HEAT Stranger Things cast stacked
1 of 14Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
Joyce is the mum of Will and Jonathan Byers, she is divorced and in the second season starts to date her old high school classmate Bob, played by Sean Astin.
2 of 14David Harbour as Jim Hopper
Jim is the chief at the local police station, he is divorced and had a young daughter who died of cancer. He has a connection with Joyce, and adopted Eleven at the end of season two.
3 of 14Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
Mike is one of Will's friends, the brother to Nancy and Holly, and son of Karen and Ted. He later develops feelings for Eleven and they become boyfriend and girlfriend. Aww.
4 of 14Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
When Eleven first appears in the series she has just escaped from Hawkins Laboratory, she has a shaven head and is very scared, however it's clear she has some sort of unusual powers. It is later revealed that her real name is Jane and she meets her mother, who was left catatonic by the scientists at the lab. She is adopted by Hopper.
5 of 14Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
Dustin is another of Will's friends. He is has leidocranial dysplasia which causes him to lisp, however in the second season he is very proud of the two front teeth he developed. Dustin causes havoc in season two after adopting one of the Demogorgon creatures as a pet.
6 of 14Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
Lucas is also a friend of Will's. When he first meets Eleven he is very skeptical, but later starts to trust her. He later develops a relationship with Max.
7 of 14Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
Will is Jonathan's younger brother and Joyce's other son. At the beginning of the first season he is captured and ends up disappearing into the Upside Down. Thankfully, he's rescued, but he has to face even worse problems in the second season as he becomes possessed by the creatures.
8 of 14Sadie Sink as Maxine 'Max' Mayfield
Max was a new character for season two, initially joining the friendship group at the invitation of Lucas and Dustin, but Mike rejects her as he's missing Eleven, who has disappeared. She's also bullied relentlessly by her cruel step-brother, Billy. By the end of the season, they're all friends and Max begins a relationship with Lucas.
9 of 14Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
Nancy is Mike and Holly's older sister. In the first season she becomes Steve Harrington's girlfriend, but by the season season they have split up and she starts going out with Jonathan Byers, and the pair work together to try and expose Hawkins Laboratory.
10 of 14Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
Jonthan is Will's older brother and Joyce's son. He is a quiet teenager and not part of the popular group, however in season 2 he starts to date Nancy.
11 of 14Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
Steve started off as something of a baddie in the first season after he took Nancy's rejection quite hard. However, he was the hero of the second season, looking after the younger group and being a mentor to Dustin.
12 of 14Dacre Montgomery as Billy Hargrove
Billy joined the cast in season 2 with his step-sister Max. Billy is something of a villain on the show as he is constantly bullying Max, and even comes to blows with Nancy, Jonathan and Steve. By the end of the series, we realise that he's the way he is because he's bullied by his father.
13 of 14Matthew Modine as Dr Martin Brenner
In season 1, Martin is the lead scientist at Hawkins Laboratory who is searching for Eleven, he briefly appears again throughout season 2.
14 of 14Maya Hawke as Robin
Maya Hawke - daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman - will be joining the cast of Stranger Things in season 3 as someone who works with Steve at his summer job.
Season 3 sees Cary Elwes join the cast as Mayor Larry Kline and Jake Busey as a journalist named Bruce. Other recurring characters include Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman, Paul Reiser as Dr. Sam Owens, Priah Ferguson as Lucas' sister Erica Sinclair and Francesca Reale as Heather.
The show's co-creator Matt Duffer, told Yahoo! about how Erica would be playing a bigger part, "I love Erica. She was just a local hire we made in Atlanta. Erica wasn't even supposed to be in season two as much as she was. We fell in love with this girl. I thought she's very GIF-able, if that's a word."
Matt's brother, and the show's other co-creator, Ross Duffer continued, “There will definitely be more Erica in season three. That is the fun thing about the show — you discover stuff as you’re filming.
"We were able to integrate more of her in, but not as much you want because the story [was] already going. We got to use more Erica", he continued, "that was one of the first things we said in the writers' room."
What year is Stranger Things Season 3 set in?
Co-creators the Duffer Brothers confirmed that there will be a year's jump between seasons, meaning Stranger Things 3 will be set in the autumn of 1985. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Matt Duffer said, "Even if we wanted to hop into the action faster, we couldn't. Our kids are aging.
"We can only write and produce the show so fast. They're going to be almost a year older by the time we start shooting season three. It provides certain challenges. You can't start right after season two ended. It forces you to do a time jump. But what I like is that it makes you evolve the show."
Actor Noah Schnapp previously spoke about season 3 being set in the summer, saying it's, "Very different...because it's in the summer". He continued, "It's great because it has a lot of the dark parts from season two and a lot of the light, playful parts from season one."
Eleven in Stranger Things season 3
Actress Millie Bobby Brown recently revealed some details about her character Eleven in the third season for Stranger Things. Speaking to Variety, Millie said, "It's a beautiful storyline for Eleven this season. It's really a coming of age for her and understanding what being a normal teenage girl is."
The young actress added, "I found another side of my acting that I didn't know about." She went on to tell the publication about how she found a different technique for acting, "I found techniques on how to cry and how to get angry, and I learned so much from Eleven.
"From those episodes of being isolated, that when I'm back in season three, things happen – stranger things happen. I'm just saying I use that style of acting now and my method of acting for season three."
Who will star in future seasons of Stranger Things?
Since the success of the first season the stars of the show have been snapped up left, right and centre for films and TV roles, but it looks like the main surviving cast will return for future seasons.
Millie Bobby Brown has also been announced as the youngest person to be included in the Time 100 influential people list.
Stranger Things trailers: Season three
In 2017 fans were treated to the first trailer for Stranger Things season 2 during the Super Bowl in February. Unfortunately we didn't see a Stranger Things season 3 trailer during this year's Super Bowl, however a few weeks later Netflix released a video for Stranger Things 3 entitled Now In Production.
What do we know about Stranger Things 4 and beyond?
Where do we start?! There are many theories circulating online, here are just a few.
The Duffer Brothers have said, "They’ve shut the door on the Mind Flayer, but not only is it still there in the Upside Down, it’s very much aware of the kids, and particularly Eleven."
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter Ross Duffer said, "There's no way [the kids] can ever truly fully understand this place. We have our Upside Down document which describes its rules and its mythology in quite a bit of detail, but I think we're just going to slowly parse that out, and maybe not even fully use all of it.
"Our favourite thing to do on this show is that these characters, especially the kids, are able to make these leaps about the Mind Flayer and how it operates and what it wants, but they're just basing this off of games that they've played. They don't really know for sure."
The Huffington Post have also spoken to the Duffer Brothers who said, “We have an end goal; we know where we want to go. We’re not quite sure how long it will take to get there, but we do have a plan."
Recently Noah Schapp (Will Byers) revealed that Chester the Byers's family dog dies. At Chicago's Stranger Con he said, “I think he died, didn’t he? He did. You can tell, I guess. Like, in this season, there’s a grave for him that you see.”
Poor Chester!
Show star Sadie Sink, who plays Max Mayfied, opened up about season four ahead of its release, revealing that it is the "most bizarre" season yet, however due to her character Max dealing with the loss of her brother Billy, it felt "more human".
Are there any famous Stranger Things fans?
Yes, a number of celebrities are fans of Stranger Things, with One Direction member Niall Horan revealing, shortly after the release of Stranger Things 3, that he loved it and had watched the first four episodes of the new season! His band mate Louis Tomlinson even offered to watch the programme with him, and is now a huge fan himself!
If you're a fan of Stranger Things then take a look at these 22 facts that you probably didn't know about the Netflix series.
Stranger Things seasons 1-3, as well as Volume 1 of season 4, are available to stream on Netflix now.