Charlotte Minter
Published December 3, 2025 11:44am
Updated December 3, 2025 11:45am
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Previous viewing figures have been turned upside down, and the new ones are breaking records (Picture: Netflix)
Key Points
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- Stranger Things 5 broke Netflix viewership records with 59.6 million views in its first five days.
- Fans eagerly awaited the season after a three-year gap, leading to high demand and even a brief Netflix crash.
- All four previous Stranger Things seasons also entered Netflix’s top 10, a first for any series on the platform.
A returning sci-fi series has become Netflix’s biggest English-language debut ever, and the third biggest overall.
The only other show to have achieved higher viewership figures on the platform is seasons 2 and 3 of Squid Game.
So what’s the TV programme in question? Well, we are, of course, talking about Stranger Things season 5.
In the first five days since it landed on Netflix, Stranger Things’ fifth outing achieved 59.6million views – breaking records for the streaming service.
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The figures, as reported by Variety, would suggest that this latest chapter is doing better than season 4, which opened with 287million hours of viewing. This was how Netflix measured viewership at the time (in stream time), and translates to about 22million views, according to the publication.
It represents an increase of around 171%. However, it’s worth noting that the season 4 figures counted only three days, as opposed to five for season 5.
The ending of season five, volume one, shocked viewers (Picture: Netflix)
@metroentertainmentWait what?? 🤯 @strangerthings season 5 drops tonight on @netflix. The first season debuted back in 2016 and since then ALOT has happened in the world of television. Belly even decided if she’s team Conrad or Jeremiah while we waited for season 5 💀 🎥 @catrionawalshx #strangerthings #You #thesummeriturnedpretty #thecrown #tvnews #celebritynews
♬ Stranger Things – Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein
Demand was high for the fifth season. Despite Netflix taking steps to increase its bandwidth by 30% ahead of the release (according to Ross Duffer’s Instagram story last week), the site still crashed momentarily as Stranger Things 5 premiered.
The huge appetite from fans was partly due to the wait between seasons four and five being over three years (!), which some deemed too long.
With such a big gap between series, there were viewers going back and rewatching the show to brush up on the plot.
The Duffer Brothers even recommended some key episodes to The Hollywood Reporter, which would help with understanding volume one of the fifth season.
All of this appears to have worked in the show’s favour, possibly helping to break records before the fifth season even premiered.
With three years passing since the last series premiered, fans worried the characters would have grown up too much (Picture: Netflix)
The Duffer Brothers said it’s been hard filming the last series, and saying goodbye to characters (Picture: Netflix)
Last week, all four previous seasons of the hit sci-fi show were in Netflix’s top 10, which is a first – never before has a series had four different seasons on the chart.
The first volume of Stranger Things 5 sees the return of the series’ iconic cast, including Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), and Max (Sadie Sink).
What did Metro think of Stranger Things season 5 volume 1?
Find out what TV Editor Sabrina Barr thought in her five-star review:
‘This isn’t just any old TV show. This finale is a TV moment that will be remembered for years to come.
Especially if the sensational first four episodes of the season are anything to go by, which we were granted access to watch before their release today.
‘Without going into any significant story spoilers, I can say that the final moments of episode 4 gave me full-body chills and honestly had me on the verge of screaming. Stranger Things season five, volume one, is epic, and will remind you why you fell in love with TV in the first place.’
To read more, click here.
We’re back with them in mid-80s Indiana as they work together to face more challenges threatening to break apart their small town, Hawkins.
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It’s been hailed as the best season yet by some fans, and there’s even more to come. The worldwide sensation returns to Netflix later this month, with volume two dropping on December 26 in the UK and the finale coming on New Year’s Day.
Questions are expected to be answered about Will’s new powers and his connection to Vecna, as viewers hold their breath with anticipation to see if the Upside Down can be sealed once and for all.
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Stranger Things is available to stream now on Netflix. In the UK, volume two drops on Boxing Day, and the finale will air on New Year’s Day.
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