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The creators of Stranger Things have revealed that the fifth season will break from one of the show’s longstanding narrative traditions.
At the beginning of each new season, the hit Netflix sci-fi series has made a habit of introducing new characters to the mix.
Among the popular additions to the roster have been Maya Hawke’s Robin Buckley, Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers, and Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington.
Season four saw Joseph Quinn join the cast as Eddie Munson.
However, Stranger Things creators Ross and Matt Duffer have revealed that the forthcoming fifth and final season will not be shifting focus to new characters.
“Whenever we introduce a new character, we want to make sure that they’re going to be an integral part of the narrative,” Ross Duffer told IndieWire.
“But every time we do that, we’re nervous, because you go, ‘We’ve got a great cast of characters here, and actors, and any moment we’re spending with a new character, we’re taking time away from one of the other actors.’ So we’re just very, very careful about who we’re introducing.”
“I just like shaking it up, so we shake it up by changing the plot or adding in a new monster,” added Matt.
“We’re doing our best to resist [adding new characters] for Season 5. We’re trying not to do that so we can focus on the OG characters, I guess.”
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Click here for a breakdown of everything we know about Stranger Things’ forthcoming fifth and final season.
Elsewhere, some of Stranger Things’s stars have been making one request of the forthcoming fifth season following some complaints over the latest batch of episodes.
The complaint has even prompted a response from the series’ creators, Matt and Ross Duffer.