Why Stranger Things Season 4’s Split Release Strategy Will Work
Stranger Things season 4 will be released in two parts in late May and early July, which is a dangerous tactic for Netflix, but there is a purpose behind it. Stranger Things fans have been waiting years for a new season, and in summer 2022, two will come at once. Stranger Things season 4 will be published in two halves, one with a five-episode half-season and the other with a four-episode half-season a few months apart, as the streaming service has decided to deliver it.
Stranger Things season 4 episodes 1–5 will premiere on Netflix on May 27, followed by episodes 6–9 on July 1. This will be the first time Netflix has divided a season of Stranger Things, which had previously been one of the streaming service’s most binge-watched shows. However, the choice is astute and will benefit the series since its foundation can be found in the show’s changing tone.
Stranger Things has evolved significantly from the first season. Stranger Things season 3 brought broad character humor and a much quicker pace into the proceedings when the program had previously been a dark drama with some supernatural undertones. Stranger Things’ scope has shifted with each season, and Netflix’s distribution method is a creative way of recognizing this. While some viewers were dissatisfied by Stranger Things season 3 because they chose to binge-watch the full season, season 4 will urge fans to take their time with the program and dissuade them from being annoyed with subplots. Stranger Things season 4’s distribution method will enable the program to be more controlled and precise in its narrative since Season 3 built up too many plot threads and unavoidably left them hanging for episodes at a time.
Stranger Things Was Previously Ideal For Binge-Watching
Stranger Things was a very slow-paced program in seasons 1 and 2 (especially season 1, which was plain melancholy at points, as seen by the sad discovery of Will’s dead corpse). Stranger Things season 1 required viewers to binge-watch the program due to how slowly the series drip-fed its tale, as viewers would have become weary of the sluggish pace and grim tone if the whole project couldn’t be seen in one sitting. Stranger Things, on the other hand, grew in scope as the series progressed, and it started to add more and more supporting characters to its ever-expanding ensemble. With each season, the tone grew much lighter, never reverting to the somber and ponderous narrative of season one in favor of faster-paced stories.
Season 3 of Stranger Things changed the tone of the show.
Stranger Things season 3 seemed more like a standard serialized TV program with plenty of subplots on the go and numerous plates spinning at any one moment, whereas season 2 retained some of the gloom featured in its predecessor and delivered its tale rather slowly. While this resulted in a faster-paced episode with a lot more action and humor, fans who binge-watched season 3 were likely to acquire a headache from all of the subplots and tales they had to keep up with. Stranger Things season 3 moved quickly from Billy becoming a body-snatching Mind Flayer conduit to Mike and El breaking up, Dustin and Steve (and later Robin and Erica) discovering a secret Soviet base beneath the Starcourt Mall, Hopper evading an assassin, Joyce and Hopper uncovering the corrupt Mayor Kline’s shady land dealings, Jonathan and Nancy’s work at the Hawkins Post, and so on. Even if today’s TV viewers are very sophisticated and capable of following intricate narratives, that’s still a lot of story for a single eight-episode season.
The Release Dates For Stranger Things Season 4 Force Viewers To Slow Down
While Season 3 was not a total disaster, it did demonstrate that Stranger Things was capable of doing too much, too quickly, and leaving viewers disappointed. The distribution mechanism, on the other hand, was a big part of what made the tale feel endlessly cluttered. In the space of a few hours, viewers may binge-watch the whole third season, meeting new characters such as Alexei, Mayor Kline, Robin, Grigori, and Bruce Lowe. This, however, will not be a problem in the next season of the successful program. By dividing the Stranger Things season 4 release into two parts, Netflix ensures that fans won’t be able to binge-watch the whole season and feel as if it’s as packed and disastrous as season 3. This is especially crucial since, according to promotional materials, Season 4 will introduce a host of new characters and keep the main cast apart for most of the duration, making it more vital than ever that its subplots can work as independent storylines.
The story of Stranger Things Season 4 can afford to move at a faster pace.
It was always going to be difficult to cram the tales of the still-alive Hopper being sent to Siberia, Will and El living in California, the group in Hawkins, Jonathan and Nancy’s connection, Dr. Brenner’s return, and Mike and El’s relationship into one short season. Splitting Stranger Things season 4 into two parts, on the other hand, gives the show more time to focus on each of these plots as standalone stories, which means there should be fewer long gaps like there were in season 3 when one cliffhanger was left unresolved as the story moved on to a new subplot. Stranger Things season 3 viewers were urged to overlook for lengthy periods of time that scores of Hawkins citizens were being swallowed by the horrific Mind Flayer in order to concentrate on Joyce and Hopper’s disastrous date or a fight between Robin and Steve.
Season 4, on the other hand, has the potential to expand on Stranger Things’ proven model of pairing up unlikely individuals and pushing them to work together. The show’s initial five-episode run may separate its main characters and give viewers an update on where they’ve been since season 3, giving fans a reason to tune in again. The heroes may then be reunited for a larger adventure in the second half of Season 4 after their separate subplots have come to a satisfactory finish. By removing the possibility of binge-watching, Netflix has ensured that Stranger Things season 4 will be able to tell a larger, more ambitious tale with more moving parts—as long as the actors and writers are up to the task.
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