Netflix makes big change to Stranger Things age rating before Season 5

If you thought Stranger Things Season 4 was too brutal, you’re out of luck: the Netflix series has just confirmed its new age rating, and Season 5 may be the scariest chapter yet.

Stranger Things is a bit like Stand by Me sprinkled with the DNA of The Thing, Poltergeist, and other ’80s horror and sci-fi movies; in other words, it’s a gateway series for kids that’s just as scary and emotionally effective for adults.

It’s full of frightening moments (Barb’s infamous death, Will’s exorcism, Bob’s fate at the slimy hands of a Demogorgon), but Season 4 really turned up the horror. Chrissy’s death in front of Eddie is arguably its most horrifying scene to date, and Vecna is a terrifying villain.

Stranger Things Season 5 will bring the show to a close, and going by the show’s new age rating, it could be a dark and bloody finale.

Stranger Things is now TV-MA on Netflix

If you search Stranger Things on US Netflix, you’ll notice that it’s now rated TV-MA, bumped up from its past TV-14 age rating.

Netflix

What does this mean? Well, it’s actually a bit complicated. TV-14 is just slightly above PG-13, while TV-MA is the small screen’s equivalent of an R rating, with Netflix’s support page warning: “Restricted. May be inappropriate for ages under 17.”

As detailed by What’s on Netflix, Stranger Things’ rating has flip-flopped a lot over the past few years. For example, just before Season 4 dropped on the streaming service, the show’s rating changed from TV-14 to TV-MA, before switching back to its original rating.

However, TV-MA makes sense going into Season 5. We know Vecna is coming back, and an earlier leak showed him surrounded by dead bodies. Even if it maintains Season 4’s level of violence, TV-MA seems like the most appropriate rating.

A Netflix support agent also explained to the outlet that it “often applies a global rating to an entire show based on its overall content, but the individual episodes may have different ratings depending on the specific content in each episode.”

“In the case of Stranger Things, the show might be listed as TV-MA to reflect some of the more mature themes across all episodes (like violence, language, and intense scenes). However, the individual episodes could be rated TV-14 based on the content of those specific episodes,” they added.

While you wait for its release, read more about Stranger Things Season 5’s episode titles, find out exactly where Season 5 has been filmed, and check out our list of the best TV shows of 2024.