The five-season saga of Stranger Things has come to an end, and fans with a Netflix subscription may have spent the first week of the 2026 TV schedule processing the finale in their own ways. Whether that means believing in the #ConformityGate theory of a secret extra episode,

With a giant evil spider monster, mysterious briefcase and a whole lot of teary characters bidding adieu, “Stranger Things” has now become a thing of the past.

It's been over a week since Stranger Things aired its two-hour season 5 finale, officially marking an end to the Netflix series after ten years. But if you've been left scratching your head over the conclusive episode, it turns out you're not alone.

The series finale of Stranger Things has shattered New Year's Day records for Netflix as Season 5 continues to blow past already high expectations.

We're talking about the Hawkins High School graduation speech made by Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), who took over the ceremony with a rousing tirade against the system that had his fellow students cheering and Principal Higgins (Bill Winkler) scrambling for the mic.

Yes, there are spoilers ahead for the final episode of Stranger Things .

Stranger Things’ delivers a dramatic ending with series finale “The Rightside Up,” leaving the final fate of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) ambiguous—but there are clues.

Netflix users spent 325.6 million hours watching season five last week — not counting those who went to movie theaters to watch the final episode on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. The finale made an estimated $20 million to $25 million in revenue for theater chains over those two days.

This is nothing new for Stranger Things, which has referenced all kinds of movies, shows, and other pop culture references over the course of its run, but the one I’m about to discuss left me feeling like Leonardo DiCaprio in that one hilarious movie meme (you know the one).

Spoilers follow for Stranger Things, up to and including the series finale.

The "Stranger Things" series finale failed to deliver the bloodbath that many fans expected. Instead, the show played it way too safe.