The day has arrived. After a long wait, Stranger Things Season 5, Part 1 is finally on Netflix. It was a long road to get here. The last half of the show's fourth season came out three years ago, leaving behind a lot of unanswered questions. Since then, fans have been eagerly anticipating the release of the final chapters of the horror-sci-fi series.
Netflix was prepared for the wave of fan excitement about to hit the service due to the series... or so it thought. As pointed out by The Hollywood Reporter, Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer posted the following message on his Instagram Stories: "Netflix increased bandwidth by 30 percent to avoid a crash."
Unfortunately for Netflix, that turned out to not be the solution, because the number of viewers longing for more Stranger Things was larger and more powerful than any bandwidth increase set up by a multi-billion dollar company. The new season arrived on Netflix on Wednesday, November 26 at 5:00 p.m. PT. Upon its arrival, the streamer crashed.
Upon that happening, multiple users took to social media to share their disappointment at being unable to watch the show:
Following the crash, Ross Duffer posted the news on an Instagram Story, telling fans: "Love you guys."
Hilariously, Netflix responded to the backlash by retweeting the following post from a fan: "STRANGER THINGS IS BACK EVERYONE STFU."
The company also released a statement addressing the technical issues (via THR). Netflix said the the crashes had been contained to users streaming on their televisions, and that the problem had only lasted five minutes: "Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes."
But folks, that's not where the story ended, because just a few hours later, Netflix crashed once again. Users also took to social media to share the news:
Netflix has struggled to find shows that are able to capture the cultural zeitgeist. The streamer releases series on a regular basis, but many of them are unable to catch lightning in a bottle in the same way Stranger Things did.
The cultural impact of Stranger Things has been such, that the creatives behind it have become powerful figures in the industry. In August, it was revealed the Duffer Brothers had signed a four-year deal with Paramount Skydance for "large-scale theatrical films," TV shows and streaming endeavors.
Meanwhile, director and executive producer Shawn Levy—despite having found success prior to his involvement with the show—has become a reliable blockbuster director. Levy has helmed crowd-pleasers like The Adam Project and Deadpool & Wolverine, and he's directing the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter.
Stranger Things Season 5 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix. Part 2, which will consist of three episodes, will come out on December 25, 2025. The last episode will then hit the platform on December 31, 2025.
Have you watched Stranger Things Season 5? How do you feel about the show crashing Netflix? Drop your thoughts in the comments!