‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Breaks an Unflattering Record, a First in the Show’s History

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The latest season of Stranger Things, which is also the show’s last, is receiving surprisingly negative feedback. It’s the first time the series has earned a ‘rotten’ rating from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

Based on over 5,000 user ratings, the Popcornmeter currently stands at 57%. This change occurred after the new episodes – Volume 2 of the season – became available on Christmas Day.

A lot of viewers feel the later episodes significantly altered their opinion of the season. The first part of the season received a lot of positive feedback and was considered a good beginning, but the second part caused many to react negatively.

Many viewers felt the show lost its way by focusing less on the characters who originally made it successful. They were annoyed that newer or younger characters received too much attention, while beloved, established characters were sidelined.

One of the biggest criticisms of the show involved Will Byers’ storyline about coming to terms with his sexuality. Many viewers were upset by it, and that anger was a clear factor in some of the negative reviews.

Some viewers weren’t bothered by what was shown, but how and when it happened. One fan felt the scene came across as hurried and didn’t fit the dramatic peak of the story. Another explained that the show paused its rising suspense to deliver a message, rather than continuing the storyline.

Viewers also criticized the writing, pointing out repetitive locations and side stories that felt dull and didn’t add much to the plot. Many felt key characters were unrealistically spared from danger, diminishing the tension. Overall, some felt the season moved too quickly and didn’t have the same emotional impact as previous ones.

Many reviewers shared similar worries. Forbes was particularly critical of Volume 2, describing it as “truly awful Netflix content.” They felt the show’s plot and characters were poorly developed, and that it had strayed from the elements that made it successful in the first place.

Even though opinions are divided, Stranger Things is still moving forward with a big conclusion. The final episode will have a special showing in select theaters across the United States and Canada, and will be available to watch there until January 1, 2026.

Initially, it was reported the finale would only be available on Netflix. However, more recent information shows that a theatrical release had been under consideration for a while.

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2025-12-28 21:46