Potential spoilers follow for Stranger Things season 5.
Netflix has unveiled a new behind-the-scenes look at Stranger Things season 5, and fans are eagerly analyzing it for any hints about the upcoming season. Released on the eighth anniversary of the series’ debut, the teaser offers the best glimpse yet at the final season of the show. The BTS trailer mainly features the series’ main cast and showrunners Ross and Matt Duffer sharing their thoughts and feelings about the show’s conclusion, with commentary over clips that do not reveal much about the plot.
Despite its lack of spoilers, the two-minute video provides some interesting details. It seems the fifth season will include a time jump, with fans noticing that Millie Bobby Brown’s Eleven has longer hair, and Joe Keery’s Steve is wearing footwear released in early 1987, a year after the events of season 4. The show’s young cast aging faster than their characters likely necessitates this time jump to accommodate their growth in both the show and real life.
The teaser confirms that season 5 will revisit favorite team-ups. The ‘core four’—Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Will (Noah Schnapp)—will reunite, and Nancy (Natalie Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) will pair up again, ensuring a return to the beloved group dynamics.
Additionally, Netflix announced new cast members alongside Terminator icon Linda Hamilton. Nell Fisher, Alex Breaux, and newcomer Jake Connelly have joined Stranger Things 5. Fisher, known from 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, is likely playing an older version of Holly Wheeler. In the teaser, Holly notices flickering lights in the Wheeler household and discovers an unsettling scene in the kitchen.
Breaux, from Waco: The Aftermath, might portray a secret agent or one of Colonel Sullivan’s military men investigating Hawkins or tracking down Eleven. Connelly appears to be a new companion for Erica Sinclair (played by Priah Ferguson), with speculation that his character might be named Derek, though this is unconfirmed by Netflix.
In August 2022, the Duffer brothers mentioned that season 5 would focus on the core cast, with new characters introduced only if they are integral to the narrative. This new trio, along with Hamilton’s character, seems to fit this criterion, suggesting they will play essential roles in the storyline. Fans hope these additions will enhance the narrative without detracting from the main cast.