‘Stranger Things’: Go Behind the Scenes of Season 5 & the Early Years (PHOTOS)
Exclusive
It’s almost time to return to the Upside Down for one last battle, but before the war against Vecna rages on in Stranger Things Season 5, we’re looking back on the good old days.
Set in the fall of 1987, Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts in Stranger Things‘ final season, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower). But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s (Noah Schnapp) disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.
It’s going to get heavy. Before the danger sets in, look back on the good times with the Stranger Things cast in the gallery below, which includes BTS photos from the final season.
For an extended celebration of Stranger Things, from a Season 5 preview to must-see photos and more, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Stranger Things: The Final Chapter special issue, available for pre-order online now and on newsstands now.
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 1, Premiere, November 26, 2025, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Volume 2, Premiere, December 25, 2025, Netflix
Stranger Things, Season 5 Finale, Premiere, December 31, 2025, Netflix and Select Theaters
Seasons 1 & 2
From left: Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) in Season 2 as the Ghostbusters. Executive producer Shawn Levy in Beyond Stranger Things said: “[We] wanted Season 2 to be more cinematic…but always stay true to these characters.”
Winona Ryder (Joyce) gets notes from series creators the Duffer Brothers, Matt and Ross, in Season 1. “Joyce is always a bright light,” Ross (left) tells us.
Wolfhard and Matarazzo in Season 2’s finale scenes at the Snow Ball. The segment reportedly shot for two whole days in a hot gymnasium with loads of extras — who, according to Wolfhard, clapped after Mike and El’s (Millie Bobby Brown) kiss. Eek!
Season 3
Brown’s Eleven gets a colorful fashion makeover with bold prints in Season 3, further developing El’s identity as she grows up. “It felt really well deserved for Eleven to choose the person that she wants to be and how she wants to dress,” Brown told EW at the time.
Wolfhard chats with costars Charlie Heaton (center, who plays Jonathan, Will’s older brother) and Natalia Dyer (Nancy, Mike’s older sister) while shooting the harrowing hospital scenes of Season 3. They’re all smiles, so clearly it’s before the Mind Flayer’s human flesh monster comes to attack, right?
Shooting in Eleven’s mindscape, the Void, requires specialized lighting and camera techniques to achieve the surreal, darkened look. And a small pool of water to walk in.
Season 4
Is something funny? Sadie Sink as Max and Jamie Campbell Bower in full Vecna attire share a laugh on the set of Vecna’s Mind Lair. “The set was pretty impressive,” Sink admitted on Netflix’s official YouTube channel. “It was like a full-on platform that was built on a soundstage.” Plenty of the space was built out, with visual effects added later. Levy noted: “The more you can practically build, the more you’re helping your actor do their job, but you’re also helping the audience with kind of an on-ramp to believability.”
Wolfhard, Brown, and Noah Schnapp (Will) at Rink-O-Mania, shot at Roller King in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Brown reportedly taught extras how to skate backwards between takes on the fun filming day.
Lucas gains popularity in Season 4. And here, McLaughlin shows off some impressive handstand skills.
“When I signed on for Stranger Things, I didn’t know that Eddie was going to die,” admitted actor Joseph Quinn (above) to Tudum. His Eddie Munson died as a hero to the gang while in the Upside Down and became a fan-favorite character overnight, sprouting his own hit song on TikTok (“Chrissy Wake Up”) and plenty of adoring fans.
Brown shoots a close-up emotional scene. And though Eleven’s head is shaved yet again in the fourth installment, Brown did not buzz her hair in real life. Yes, that’s a wig under those wires! Fun fact: The makeup team also needs to fill in Brown’s ear piercings every time she’s onscreen.
Season 5
Maya Hawke (Robin), Joe Keery (Steve) and Wolfhard on set in the final season. Wolfhard spoke to Variety earlier this year about his last moments on camera, saying: “When I walked out from doing the scene, it was just one of the greatest moments in my entire life.”
David Harbour‘s Jim with — is that you, Joyce?! The banter-filled relationship between the two really ramped up in Season 3 and will hopefully continue into Season 5. We ranked the duo as our No. 1 Stranger Things couple, but the close offscreen friendship between Harbour and Ryder is also admirable, as evidenced by this sweet candid.
From left: Matarazzo, Dyer, Heaton and Keery in a tight car scene. It’s not the Toddfather convertible from Season 3 (license plate TODFTHR), but it’s still nice to see Steve behind the wheel again.
Get Inside the Upside Down
Get absolutely everything about Stranger Things in your inbox!
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services