'Stranger Things' Season 4 Unlikely To Premiere Until After Summer 2020

If you were hoping Stranger Things season 4 would arrive in time for next summer, we have some bad news. It looks like the fourth season of Netflix's big hit won't wrap until the end of summer 2020, which means we'll have to wait until fall – or likely even longer – to lay eyes on it. In all likelihood, we might not be returning to the Upside Down until 2021.

We already know that Stranger Things season 4 is a go at Netflix, but when will we see it? According to TV Line, the Stranger Things season 4 premiere won't be happening anytime soon. They report that the series is "slated to begin shooting in January and will likely wrap in August." That means there's no way in hell we'll be getting season 4 in the summer of 2020. What about fall then? We got season 2 around Halloween, after all.

Fall also seems unlikely, unless the show has the quickest post-production turnaround in TV history. With this knowledge in mind, it's likely that Stranger Things 4 is destined for a 2021 release. Beyond that, TV Line learned that season 4 will have eight episodes. Both seasons 1 and 3 had eight episodes as well, but season 2 had nine. Season 2 was also considered by many (myself included) to be a disappointment, so perhaps sticking with eight episodes is for the best.

At one point, Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers indicated that the fourth season of Stranger Things would also be the last. But there's been no confirmation as to whether or not that's really happening, and I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix backed a dump truck of money up to the Duffers' homes to make sure they make a few more seasons. Stranger Things is a big deal for the streaming service – it's a full-blown cultural phenomenon, featuring plenty of tie-in merch. Netflix is unlikely to be in a hurry to let it go. Producer Shawn Levy has already indicated the show will probably go beyond four seasons, saying: "there's very much the possibility of a fifth." However, he also added: "Beyond that, it becomes I think very unlikely."

Plot details for season 4 remain shrouded in secrecy. Season 3 ended with the possible death of David Harbour's Hopper, but of course, we all know there's no way he's really dead. Instead, he's likely locked up somewhere in Russia. The teaser for season 4 ended with that tag: "We're Not In Hawkins Anymore", indicating that at least some of the characters would be venturing beyond the town where the show is set to places unknown. Like Russia, perhaps.