"It's not the death of a beloved character that's caused such friction, though that will likely come by the time the series finale has aired on New Year's Eve. No, it's the excessive, and frankly tiresome, way in which the show has been drawn out, stretched a little too far to maintain narrative momentum. The pregnant pauses between seasons have overreached. Instead of increasing anticipation, they've lessened it, arguably breeding indifference among its once-loyal fandom."
"The first two seasons of the show followed a familiar format, with no midseason finales nor prolonged production cycles; it was a typical, albeit highly successful, show. There was a more notable gap between Seasons 2 and 3, but still, nothing out of the ordinary. The episode count each season never exceeds nine episodes; since Season 1, "Stranger Things" has followed an eight-episode season followed by a nine episode pattern."
Nearly a decade after its debut, the final season of Stranger Things arrives amid frustration over prolonged waits and stretched storytelling. The ending reads as more bitter than sweet because production pauses and prolonged gaps have reduced excitement and fostered indifference among former fans. The series shifted industry norms, with the Duffer Brothers' approach becoming a template for other shows. Early seasons followed a conventional format and shorter waits, but the interval between Seasons 3 and 4 stretched to three years. COVID-19 contributed but did not fully justify splitting eight episodes into two four-part releases and extended production timelines.
Read at IndieWire
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