Stranger Things’ Co-Creators Explains Why They Don’t Prefer TV Shows Releasing New Seasons Yearly, And I Respectfully Disagree

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Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of the popular series *Stranger Things*, are starting a new chapter. They recently signed a deal with Paramount Pictures, moving their production work away from Netflix. The brothers have been open about this decision and their views on the entertainment industry. Matt Duffer recently explained why he doesn’t favor releasing new seasons of shows every year, and I have a different opinion.

Why Don’t The Duffers Like TV Shows Dropping New Seasons Every Year?

The Duffer Brothers, creators of the popular show, recently spoke at a Variety event about their new deal with Paramount Pictures. A key part of this deal is that they’ll be developing movies for release in theaters. While they’ll also be working on TV shows, they indicated these seasons will likely be shorter and won’t come out every year. Matt Duffer explained their thinking behind this approach.

Long TV seasons with many episodes really wear me out. When we were growing up, we weren’t into TV at all – we only ever watched movies. It’s funny, actually, that we ended up working in television, since we had almost no interest in it before. I think releasing new TV shows every year cheapens the experience. I prefer when there’s a longer wait and a real sense of anticipation.

The creators of *Stranger Things*, the Duffers, prefer to tell stories in self-contained seasons, often called ‘event series.’ This means each season has a focused plot with a limited number of episodes, and seasons aren’t necessarily released every year. This approach is quite different from traditional network television, which usually features much longer seasons of 22 to 24 episodes annually.

The Duffer brothers, Ross and Matt, have said their upcoming shows for Paramount will each have seasons of eight to ten episodes. Like ‘Stranger Things,’ these new shows will likely have extended breaks between seasons. Given their past success with this approach and their understanding of television production, it’s a sensible way for them to work. However, I’m not thrilled about the idea of not releasing new seasons every year.

Why Do I Disagree With The Comments Matt Duffer Shared?

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I’m not entirely sure what Matt Duffer means by a “diminishing return” for yearly TV seasons. But it sounded like he believes constantly releasing new episodes could cause viewers to lose interest. I disagree – I think regularly releasing episodes actually keeps people engaged, particularly with streaming shows. In fact, I believe long gaps – two or three years – between seasons can be damaging, as viewers might lose interest or simply forget about the show with so much other content available.

Despite the long wait, excitement for *Stranger Things* Season 5 remains high. The show has been consistently popular on Netflix since 2016, and it’s rare for a series to have such a strong impact on pop culture. Considering how ambitious the show is, it makes sense that it takes time to produce. Still, it’s surprising to think that after nine years, *Stranger Things* will conclude after just five seasons and 42 episodes.

Maybe I’m just used to the old way of doing things, but some people don’t mind waiting a long time for new seasons of shows they love. I personally think streaming shows would be better if they released new seasons every year. I also like how traditional TV networks used to release shows in the fall and run them until spring, then start a new season again.

Regardless of what anyone thinks about the Duffer brothers’ recent comments, I’m still looking forward to their future projects, whether they’re with Paramount or Netflix. They currently have several things in development at Netflix, including more from *Stranger Things*, a show called *The Boroughs* with a supernatural theme, and a horror series titled *Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen*. However, everyone is most excited for the fifth season of *Stranger Things*. The first part will be released on November 26th, followed by the second part on December 25th, and the final episodes will premiere on December 31st.

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2025-09-28 00:37