Key Takeaways
- Stranger Things Season 5 is likely set in 1987, fan theories suggest. Year-long time jump predicted.
- Duffer Brothers hint at a time jump necessity due to aging cast members. Fans anticipate signature 80s vibes.
- Expect a time jump in Stranger Things Season 5 to avoid excessive exposition. 1987 backdrop promises pop culture fun.
If Stranger Things season 4 and season 5 were released around one year apart, a time jump wouldn't be necessary. The first episode of season 5 could pick up where the season 4 finale left off: with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) planning to ruin Hawkins, Indiana and the main characters terrified but gearing up for what's next. But since season 4 began streaming in 2022 and the final season of the hit Netflix series won't be released until 2025, it doesn't seem possible not to have some type of time jump.
Although a fan theory says there could be a unique time jump that some might not be expecting, some fans think they've figured out the exactly year Stranger Things season 5 will take place in.
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What Year Do Fans Think Stranger Things Season 5 Will Take Place In?
Stranger Things fans think that the new episodes (Season 5) will take place in 1987. Since Stranger Things season 4 starts in March 1986, this would be a time jump of one year. Redditor @Comfortable-Teach125 started a Reddit thread and wrote:
"new video of millie in costume shows that el's hair has grown a lot in season 5. this means that there is at least a year long time jump, if not longer... this would make stranger things 5 set in late 1987 or 1988."
While a few fans think that Stranger Things season 5 could be set in the 1990s, a few think 1987 makes sense. Redditor Owl_Resident agrees that "The 1987 seems the most likely and fits with the show’s MO of going up another year." They continued:
"Anecdotal evidence from the other photos seems to support the jump to 1987 too... The Party will be roughly 16 to 16.5 to possibly even close to 17."
A one-year time jump could be the best of both worlds. It would easily explain why the actors look older than they did in the haunting season 4 finale. However, it wouldn't be so far in the future that too much exposition would be necessary. Since every moment of Stranger Things season 5 is crucial, and there should be zero filler, this is particularly important.
1987 was also a great year pop culture-wise, and Stranger Things season 5 could have some fun songs and references. Some of the most popular movies released that year include Fatal Attraction and Predator. Bon Jovi's song "Livin' on a Prayer" was also a hit single, which could be a fun reference since Millie Bobby Brown married his son Jake Bongiovi in May 2024, according to People.
What Clues Have The Duffer Brothers Given About Stranger Things Season 5's Timeline?
The Duffer Brothers have talked about the Stranger Things Season 5 time jump in a few interviews. In 2022, Ross Duffer told TV Line that there was no way around a time jump. Given the fact that season 4 was released in the spring and summer of 2022 and season 5 will be out in 2025, the problem of the cast members getting older can't be avoided. Ross said:
“I’m sure we will do a time jump. Ideally, we’d have shot [Seasons 4 and 5] back to back, but there was just no feasible way to do that."
While fans have been thinking about this time jump since 2022 and not everyone is on board, it could be a cool way to end the series. At the very least, this will ensure that Stranger Things season 5 will look distinct from the fourth season, and the hair and clothing trends of the late '80s or early '90s could be explored.
Back in 2017, when Stranger Things was renewed for a second season, Ross and Matt Duffer told Entertainment Weekly that they considered having a time jump earlier in the show. Ross said:
“I don’t think we ever thought anthology. I think we talked like a larger time jump where the kids are older now and it’s a different decade. That’s something we batted around from the very beginning. But for us, there’s still more story here [in the 1980s], there’s still things that are unresolved."
Whether there is a large time jump in Stranger Things season 5, or a smaller one than fans are anticipating, viewers are on pins and needles waiting to see what Hawkins will be like when the show finally returns to Netflix.
Stranger Things
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Supernatural
Drama
- Release Date
- July 15, 2016
- Seasons
- 4
- Number of Episodes
- 34
- Streaming Service(s)
- Netflix
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