You’d better soak in that nostalgic Stranger Things season 3 teaser, as that’s likely all you’re getting for a while. Netflix programming exec Cindy Holland has revealed that the third installment of the Duffer brothers’ show is launching sometime in summer 2019. That’s a considerably longer wait than the 15 months between the first two seasons — you’re looking at a minimum of 18 months after season 2. There may be a good reason for the lengthier wait, though.
Both the Duffers and executive producer Shawn Levy know the “stakes are high,” according to Holland, and want to provide “bigger and better” material than in the second run. She added that there would be more special effects than before. While Holland didn’t directly acknowledge th mixed reactions to the second season, there’s little doubt that Netflix wants to attract people who weren’t completely enthralled in 2017.
It’s doubtful Netflix is too worried about Stranger Things’ extra development time when it has roughly 700 originals lined up for 2018, including the likes of Disenchantment and Narcos: Mexico. With that said, it can only afford to wait so long — its shows haven’t been attracting as many new viewers as it might have liked in recent months, and more Stranger Things could be crucial to keeping the company’s growth on track.
Appearing at this weekend’s Television Critics’ Association press event, Netflix talked about when we should expect to see more Stranger Things, and why the wait is so long.
According to Cindy Holland, Netflix’s VP of Original Content, the third season of Stranger Things, set in 1985, won’t be premiering until next summer, and for a good reason: the Duffer Brothers want it to be better, and larger, than the last one.
“Well, it’s a hand-crafted show,” Holland said, as reported by The Wrap. “You know, the Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy have worked really hard and they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so, they really want to take the time to get it right. I think it’s gonna be a fantastic season, it’s gonna be worth the wait.”
That’s disappointing news for the impatient, but a longer lead time on this sort of work is almost always good news for the cast and crew seeking to make a quality product. And since our own response to season 2 was a little mixed, here’s hoping this will give everyone involved the chance to put out a stronger final product.
“It’s a handcrafted show,” Holland said, according to EW. “The Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy–they understand the stakes are high. They want to deliver something bigger and better than last year. I think it’s going to be a fantastic season. It will be worth the wait.”
Ahoy! Something is coming… to Hawkins, Indiana! pic.twitter.com/BI4wFRVzvB
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) July 16, 2018
Holland added that Season 3 will have more special effects than the previous two. This is part of the reason why Stranger Things won’t be back until 2019. “It’s a really exciting season, just takes a little more time,” Holland explained.
Producer Shawn Levy recently revealed that Season 3 will be set in the summer of 1985, following the previous seasons which were set a year apart in ’83 and ’84 respectively. At least two new cast members are joining the show for Season 3, including Carey Elwes and Jake Busey. Busey will play Bruce, who is a “corrupt and sexist news reporter,” while Elwes is Mayor Kline, a “slick and self-serving politician.”
Season 3’s story emphasis is expected to shift away from Will. “We’re going to give Will a break,” Levy said previously. “We’re not going to put Will through hell for a third season in a row. He’ll be dealing with stuff, but he won’t be at rock bottom the way we forced the amazing Noah [Schnapp] to play.”