Release Schedule
Netflix has not officially announced a release date, but we can make some educated guesses based on the show’s filming schedule and its coronavirus disruptions. The show began filming in January of 2020 and then shut down when the pandemic hit. It was not able to resume until October of 2020. Filming was estimated to take about seven months, though of course, the hiatus could have thrown that estimate out the window.
With all that in mind, plus the fact that Netflix hasn’t even hinted at a year or a quarter for the show to come out, it seems safe to assume that Stranger Things Season 4 will not premiere until 2022.
Filming Complete
We can make more guesses about the release based on when filming for the series will end. In a recent interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Stranger Things star David Harbour said: “we should be done in, like, August.” If that’s the case, a report by Collider estimates that post-production on Stranger Things typically takes around 4 months, so the show would be finished around December or January.
Still, Netflix is not likely to rush the new season onto its catalog as soon as it’s done. The streamer may wait for a holiday weekend or other prime occasion to release the show once it’s finished. That means some weekend in January, February or even March will be completely given over to binge-watching.
From Russia With Love
The first teaser for the new season came out in February of 2020, before filming was brought to a halt. It shows almost a minute of dramatic footage in Russia, where Hopper “David Harbour” is stranded.
Teaser 2
The second teaser for the new season came out on Thursday, May 6. It shows a research facility full of children in hospital gowns before slowly panning to a room where Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is apparently being held.
Episode Titles
The most concrete clue about the season we have after that is the first episode title — “Chapter One: The Hellfire Club.” This is a reference to the main characters’ Dungeons and Dragons club, hinting that the game will come into play somehow. Beyond that, everything else is speculation.
Plot Details
Obviously, the plot of Stranger Things Season 4 will remain a mystery until it premieres, though some details have slipped out. The official Netflix synopsis tells us that it will pick up with Hopper imprisoned in Kamchatka, Russia, where “he will face dangers both human… and other.” In addition, according to Collider the Duffer Brothers have confirmed that the new season will explore beyond Hawkins, Indiana, as hinted by Eleven moving out of the town with the Byers family at the end of Season 3.