When did Stranger Things 4 take place? Season 5 time jump explained
NetflixThanks to a new Stranger Things video, we now know when Season 5 takes place, and there’s quite the time jump coming.
Stranger Things Day was yesterday, when Netflix dropped a video revealing the titles of all eight upcoming episodes of the final season.
So we know that one instalment will focus on the disappearance of a mystery character, and another episode will potentially connect to A Wrinkle in Time.
But thanks to that announcement video, we also now know when the events of Stranger Things Season 5 will play out. And it’s causing some confusion.
When does Stranger Things 5 take place?
Stranger Things Season 4 kicked off in March of 1986, and lasted into the Spring. Stranger Things Season 5 is set in the Fall of 1987, which means a time jump of more than a year.
That large gap could have something to do with the story being told. But it also helps explain the ageing of the young cast, as there was an even larger gap between production on Season 4 and Season 5.
“Ideally, we’d have shot [Seasons 4 and 5] back to back,” Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer told TV Line. “But there was just no feasible way to do that.”
The last season ended with portals from the Upside Down opening in our world, bringing hell with them. Which means fans have some questions about what’s been happening during the intervening months.
“You’re telling me they lived in 50% Hawkins 50% hell for over a year?” wrote one Redditor. “I refuse to believe anyone (except the main dudes) would stay there.”
“Maybe the army isolated Hawkins to try and keep it from spreading,” suggested another.
A third agreed, adding: “It seems so far-fetched. I guess they’re in a (metaphorical) glass dome like the Simpsons movie. But still, how would people not be rebelling?”
Whatever the circumstances, Stranger Things returns for its fifth and final season in 2025. While waiting, you can head here for Stranger Things 5 filming info, or here for details of the director who came out of retirement for Season 5.