Stranger Things Season 5 Officially Fell Victim to the Game of Thrones Curse

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When it first launched in 2016, the show quickly became a huge cultural hit. Its unique premise, authentic depiction of the 1980s, memorable characters, and captivating storyline made it Netflix’s most-watched series of all time.

After nearly ten years, the show concluded with its fifth season, and didn’t continue with new seasons each year. The long breaks between seasons built up a lot of excitement, but ultimately, the final season didn’t live up to expectations. Similar to what happened with Game of Thrones, the final season received the lowest ratings of the entire series on Rotten Tomatoes, despite promises from the show’s creators, the Duffer Brothers, that it would be great.

The final season of Game of Thrones was a letdown for many, especially considering how highly praised the show had been. For its first seven seasons, critics consistently gave it scores over 90%, a rating echoed by viewers. While season 7 still received a strong 81% audience score, all previous seasons had been rated above 90%.

However, Season 8 marked a turning point. The series finale left many questions unanswered and felt unsatisfying, resulting in poor reviews. Critics gave it a 55% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, while viewers were even less impressed, giving it just 30%.

As a big fan, I was really checking the reaction to the Stranger Things finale, and it was… interesting. Critics weren’t negative exactly, but the audience score was the first real dip in positivity – only 55% liked it. The critics’ scores were the lowest they’d been so far, at 86%, but honestly, it felt like opinions were all over the place. Because the reviews were so varied, it’s tough to get a true sense of how people really felt about it.

Viewers expressed disappointment with the show, with one saying they lost interest halfway through because they stopped connecting with the characters. Many felt the show was excessively produced and melodramatic, and were let down by the finale. Another viewer commented that the final season didn’t deliver enough, and lacked genuine tension or a sense of danger.

The show’s last season was released in three parts. The first part, which came out on November 26th, received generally positive reviews. While episode 4, “Sorcerer,” was briefly the lowest-rated episode, it’s now in third place. The second part, released on December 25th, featured the castle beginning to fall apart. Episode 7, “The Bridge,” became the lowest-rated episode with a score of 5.5 out of 10 based on 145,000 ratings, taking over from Episode 7 of Season 2, “The Lost Sister.” The series finale, “The Rightside Up,” is currently one of the five lowest-rated episodes, with a score of 7.9 out of 57,000 reviews.

Despite being an older show, Stranger Things remains incredibly popular and highly rated, ensuring its lasting impact. Critics and audiences alike largely approve of the series, with a 91% rating from critics and an 83% rating from viewers.

What’s Next for Stranger Things?

Even though the main story of Stranger Things concluded after five seasons, the show is expanding into a larger franchise. In addition to the stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow, there are new projects in development, including the animated series Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 and another, currently untitled, spin-off series.

He explained that the ending was designed to be definitive, meaning they weren’t planning any follow-ups. He said it wasn’t intended to leave viewers wondering about unresolved plot points or hoping for a continuation; they truly wanted to finish the story.

Stranger Things is streaming on Netflix. Game of Thrones is available to stream on HBO Max.

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2026-01-01 18:36