It might have been three years since we last saw Eleven, Mike and the rest of the Hawkins gang, but judging by the length of the upcoming episodes in Stranger Things season 4, the show is about to make up for lost time.
While the first three seasons consisted of either eight or nine episodes, season 4 will be released in two volumes.
The first volume, featuring the first seven episodes of the season, will land on Netflix on 27th May, while the final two episodes will follow in July.
And that’s not the only change. While the first three seasons were made up of episodes with runtimes mostly under an hour, the episodes for the forthcoming season have much heftier runtimes (to say the least!).
The first eight episodes in Stranger Things season 4 all exceed the hour-long mark, while the finale – at two-and-a-half hours long – is basically the ideal length for a blockbuster movie.
Speaking about the upcoming season, Joe Keery – who plays Steve Harrington on the show – previously told RadioTimes.com and other press that there’s “definitely more than an hour for each episode”.
“Personally, I feel like it’s one story,” he said. “That’s how we all read it, I think. But I think just because of the scope of the show is so large, it makes sense that this season is split into two different parts.”
Meanwhile, new cast member Joseph Quinn, who plays Eddie Munson in season 4, added: “The scale of the whole thing [is massive].
“I think, conceptually, I’m looking forward to people seeing it. It’s just so much bigger and darker, and I think that people aren’t really going to expect it.”
Check out the episode runtimes for Stranger Things season 4 below.
Stranger Things season 4 part 1 episode lengths
Here are the final episode runtimes for Stranger Things season 4 part 1:
Episode 1 – 1 hour 16 minutes
Episode 2 – 1 hour 15 minutes
Episode 3 – 1 hour 3 minutes
Episode 4 – 1 hour 17 minutes
Episode 5 – 1 hour 14 minutes
Episode 6 – 1 hour 13 minutes
Episode 7 – 1 hour 38 minutes
Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer previously compared season 4 to Game of Thrones in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, seemingly alluding both to the darkness of the next chapter as well as the extra-long episodes.
But with a runtime of 82 minutes, even the longest episode in Game of Thrones’ eighth season– titled The Long Night – fails to rival some of the upcoming instalments in Stranger Things season 4.
Stranger Things season 4 part 2 episode lengths
While part 1 is made up of 7 episodes, part 2 only features 2 episodes.
Having said that, the finale is longer than most movies, so fans don’t need to worry about missing out.
Episode 8 – 1 hour 25 minutes
Episode 9 – 2hr 30 minutes
Stranger Things 4 part 1 is released on Netflix on Friday 27th May, with more coming on July 1st. Stranger Things seasons 1-3 are now available on Netflix.
Check out our guides to the best series on Netflix and the best movies on Netflix. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide.
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