Stranger Things final season to roll out in three parts this holiday

Netflix will roll out the fifth and final season of Stranger Things in three parts this holiday season, premiering Nov. 26, Dec. 25 and Dec. 31, 2025, the streamer announced, while a Demogorgon-shaped popcorn bucket tied to the finale will be sold exclusively at Target beginning Oct. 5, CultureFly said. The staggered release spans Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve and marks the conclusion of the Duffer Brothers’ flagship series.

Netflix’s schedule places the first volume of four episodes on Nov. 26, followed by a three-episode second volume on Dec. 25 and a single-episode finale on Dec. 31, with each release arriving at 8 p.m. Eastern, according to the announcement. The platform has also released a featurette that previews the season’s scale and stakes, depicting explosions, chases and ominous red energy from the Upside Down.

The final season picks up in the fall of 1987, more than a year after Season 4, with Hawkins still scarred by the rifts opened by Vecna and under military quarantine, the featurette and promotional materials say. The government’s intensified hunt for Eleven has forced her into hiding and the central group of characters is described as united in...