Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) looking alarmed in Stranger Things season 5©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
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Matthew Rudoy
Published 59 minutes ago
Matthew Rudoy is one of ScreenRant's Movie & TV News Editors. He covers the latest in movie & TV news, with a focus on major franchises like Star Wars, The Boys, and Game of Thrones. He wrote lists for ScreenRant from 2017-2022, became a news writer in 2023, a senior staff writer in 2024, and an editor in 2025.
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Stranger Things season 5 debuts with the lowest critical Rotten Tomatoes score in the show's history. Expectations for the final season of the hit Netflix series have been incredibly high, especially with more than three years passing since the release of the Stranger Things season 4 finale in 2022.
Following the debut of season 5's first four episodes, the new season has debuted with an 85% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. Compared to season 1's 97%, season 2's 94%, and 89% for seasons 3 and 4, this is the lowest score in the show's run, but only by 4%.
The 85% debut is based on 47 reviews and will likely fluctuate as more are added, after episodes 5-7 are released on December 25, and after the series finale comes out on December 31.
As for the season 5 audience score, it is at 90%, which is the same as season 2, and higher than season 3's 86% and season 4's 89%. The audience score will likely fluctuate as more Netflix subscribers watch the first batch of new episodes and after the final episodes are released in late December.
Stranger Things Season
Critical RT Score
Audience RT Score
Season 1
97%
96%
Season 2
94%
90%
Season 3
89%
86%
Season 4
89%
89%
Season 5
85% (as of November 26)
90% (as of November 26)
In ScreenRant's Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1 review, Kara Hedash praises "the Duffer Brothers for taking risks instead of playing it safe as Stranger Things nears the end." She also notes that "the scope of Stranger Things has become so big, with its added world-building and lore, that these split narratives make the show feel too convoluted."
Polygon's review by Samantha Nelson emphasizes that it is "refreshing" for the characters to be reunited in Hawkins after many of them were separated in season 4, and that the story is better because of this change.
NPR's Eric Deggans gives the Duffers credit for maintaining a swift pace that keeps the story engaging as it bounces between characters. The show does this well enough that "many may not notice how much these new dangers feel like old storylines."
On the more critical side, Variety's review by Alison Herman discusses how these episodes feel as though they are "stretched thin" as the series expands its scale more than ever before while "declining to enrich its characters as they age."
While the critical reception is slightly less positive than in previous Stranger Things seasons, this is unlikely to have any kind of negative effect on the series. As indicated by the audience's 90% score, general audiences are still tuning in and loving what they see, and the new season is all but guaranteed to have record-breaking viewership after years of anticipation.
It is also difficult to fully assess the quality of Stranger Things season 5 based on only half the episodes. The ultimate fates of the characters, how the show's biggest mysteries are answered, and whether the conclusion is satisfying will be what ends up defining how strong season 5 ends up being.
517
9.2/10
8/10
Stranger Things
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Mystery Horror Science Fiction Release Date 2016 - 2025-00-00 Network Netflix Showrunner Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Directors Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Andrew Stanton, Frank Darabont, Nimród Antal, Uta Briesewitz Writers Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock
7 Images
Eleven looking into an opening of the Upside Down with pink light in Stranger Things season 1
Jim Hopper (David Harbour) grabbing Jonathan's (Charlie Heaton) shoulders in Stranger Things season 1©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection
Eleven with cables all over her head in Stranger Things season 4
Vecna looking towards Will in the trailer for Stranger Things season 5 (2025)
Max and Eleven in Stranger ThingsNetflix
Stranger Things season 2, episode 2 "Trick or Treat, Freak".MovieStillsDB
The Upside Down in Stranger Things season 5Courtesy of Netflix Close
Cast
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Millie Bobby Brown
Jane 'Eleven' Hopper
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Mike Wheeler
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