Noah Schnapp in Season 5 of Stranger ThingsImage via Netflix
By
Jake Hodges
Published 25 minutes ago
In over three years at Collider, senior author Jake has now penned over 2500 articles covering a wide range of TV and film for the resources, lists, utilities, news, and interview teams. Alongside interviewing stars such as Selin Hizli, Rose Ayling-Ellis, and Chelsea Peretti, Jake was lucky enough to visit the set of Aardman and Netflix's Wallace and Gromit: A Vengeance Most Fowl in 2024, getting the chance to chat with four-time Academy Award winner Nick Park and Merlin Crossingham. Jake has also worked for other publications, including Agents of Fandom.
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Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
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It's been less than a week since Stranger Things 5, the hotly anticipated final season of the acclaimed sci-fi series, made its debut worldwide on Netflix, and, unsurprisingly, the streaming charts have been turned Upside Down. After weeks that saw a range of titles reign supreme across the globe, with a variety of genres and styles proving popular in different territories, almost every country has now united in its love for and intense viewing of the first part of Stranger Things' final season. Given that Netflix literally crashed as soon as Season 5 Vol. 1 debuted, you can imagine a lot of people were tuning in, and we now know how many logged into Netflix in the first week to watch the show. The streamer confirmed that over 59.6 million people watched the fifth season in its first week, making it the second-biggest TV series season debut in Netflix history, behind only Squid Game Season 2.
Officially, at the time of writing, only two countries in the world where Netflix is available don't have Stranger Things as their most-watched show. If it weren't for South Korea and Japan, which have Taxi Driver and One Punch Man as their most-watched, respectively, The Duffer Brothers would have a perfect record across the world. Nevertheless, that leaves 91/93 possible countries with Stranger Things atop their streaming charts, a success rate of 98% for the sci-fi series, which looks likely to remain relatively high with another two parts in Season 5 still to come.
In the U.S., the series has blown its competition out of the water, dominating discourse and the streaming charts. Despite the gap between seasons proving frustratingly large, this incredibly successful return to screens for Stranger Things confirms the sci-fi series' status as not just one of the biggest shows currently on streaming, but one of the most popular shows of all time.
Is 'Stranger Things 5' a Hit With Critics?
The series' immense popularity is one thing, but has the first part of Stranger Things 5 lived up to the incredibly high bar set by previous installments? On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Season 5 currently holds the worst critics and audience scores of the entire series. However, these scores are still wonderfully positive at 84% and 85%. Robert Brian Taylor awarded the fifth season's first part an 8/10 in his review, saying:
"These four episodes make a statement that the Duffers are ending their series on their own terms, even while they serve as a culmination of everything that has come before. That's a good thing, and if Stranger Things can maintain that balance the rest of the way, the back half of the final season should be able to deliver the type of remarkable ending the residents of Hawkins and the viewers watching at home all deserve."
Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Stranger Things
Like TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
7 Images
Eleven looking into an opening of the Upside Down with pink light in Stranger Things season 1
Jim Hopper (David Harbour) grabbing Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) shoulders in Stranger Things season 1©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Eleven with cables all over her head in Stranger Things season 4
Vecna looking towards Will in the trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (2025)
Max and Eleven in Stranger ThingsNetflix
Stranger Things season 2, episode 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak".MovieStillsDB
The Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5Courtesy of Netflix Close
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Millie Bobby Brown
Jane 'Eleven' Hopper
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