Mandatory TV: Have ‘Stranger Things’ Fans Outgrown the Once-Wildly Popular Series?

Out of all the Netflix original series that have come to pass, Stranger Things has undoubtedly the largest cultural footprint. The series was an immediate hit, instantly becoming a massive piece of IP for the streaming giant. As a result, this has led to a disappointing second season and a third two years later.

It may be hard to believe, but the previous season of Stranger Things was released almost three years ago. Unlike something such as the Harry Potter franchise where the age progression feels natural, the young cast of Stranger Things has grown up before our eyes. While the kids were barely even teenagers when the show began, many of them are now in their late teens or early 20s. 

In true Hollywood fashion, however, that hasn’t stopped the producers of the series from just pretending that the cast is supposed to be in the 9th grade when they’re clearly much older. Honestly speaking, they’ve taken so freakin’ long to release Season 4 of Stranger Things that many fans are now adults themselves. It’s like that weird Wet Hot American Summer prequel where the actors are 40-year-olds pretending to be teenagers.

With only one more season left, the increasing gap between each season can only lead one to believe that most of the “teenage” castmembers will be well into their 20s and early 30s by the time Stranger Things finally concludes. Naturally, this raises an interesting question: are fans beginning to outgrow the series?

If the word on the street (aka Twitter) is to believed, it seems that the answer to said question is… most likely not. People are still very excited about this series, even if it means that they have to wait five years for the final installment. If anything, the biggest disservice that Netflix has done to Stranger Things is to release an entire season all at once. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Now that the first part of the fourth season has officially been released on Netflix, the internet has again done what it does best by making light of the growing age gap between the actors and their characters. While we eagerly await the second installment of Stranger Things 4, here are some of the funniest reactions to the age gap in the new season.

Cover Photo: Netflix

NOBODY:

THE SEASON 4 STRANGER THINGS KIDS: pic.twitter.com/CYyFicBgId

— Jesse McLaren (@McJesse) May 28, 2022

Me watching season 1 as a kid vs me watching season 4 as an adult. #StrangerThings pic.twitter.com/5kXfNwvktx

— MK200034 (@MN456782) May 27, 2022

the stranger things kids through the years pic.twitter.com/2flMAsAydb

— krys (@hoppcer) May 19, 2022

People keep mentioning how much the Stranger Things kids have aged since last season but I don’t think it’s that noticeable pic.twitter.com/EBX78PsTVP

— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) May 23, 2022