Stanger Things
Stranger Things 3 – Netflix
Stranger Things season 3 is finally back on Netflix after a long wait. If you’re looking for what you need to know about Stranger Things 3 before diving in, we’re here to give you the ultimate guide in everything we know including casting, plot, what to expect and even beyond Stranger Things season 3.
Stranger Things is Netflix Original Sci-Fi series created by the Duffer Brothers. The series was the sleeper smash hit of 2016 for Netflix and its popularity exploded into pop culture.
Hitting the right chord between nostalgia and drama, Stanger Things has been one of the most entertaining series on Netflix to date. After the release of the second season, the show solidified its place as one of Netflix’s flagship titles.
Before we dive into what to expect from Stranger Things season 3, here’s the final trailer that gives you the best indication of what we can expect from the third outing.
Everything to know about Stranger Things Season 3
When is Stranger Things 3 releasing on Netflix?
Let’s start with the most important date. Stranger Things 3 is due to release on Netflix around the world on July 4th, 2019. Unlike most Netflix Originals which release on Friday, Netflix has opted to release on a Thursday to coincide with the American holiday.
Of course, if you add the title to your list, you’ll get notified instantly when the new season becomes available. Expect to get bombarded with other marketing material by Netflix about it too.
What time will it release on Netflix? That depends where you live and we’ll have a full time-zone guide close to release but it’ll be available at 00:01 AM PST which is roughly 03:01 AM EST and 08:01 AM GMT.
Recap for Season 1 & 2 of Stranger Things
We’re going to be producing an in-depth character recap for both seasons 1 & 2 of Stranger Things but for now, Netflix has you covered with a full 15-minute recap from the cast of the show.
What’s the plot for Stranger Things 3?
Season 3 of Stranger Things is set the following summer after the events of season 2. Summer is in full swing in Hawkins, Indiana.
A new mall has just opened up in the town and the funfair is in full swing and all of our heroes are now approaching adulthood. As the trailer also suggests and been confirmed by members of the cast, the season is going to be darker while also feature plenty of romance.
The portal to the upside down was supposedly closed off by Eleven but something still lingers in our reality and finds a new host to operate in which at this point in time, looks to be Billy Hargrove.
Cast for Stranger Things season 3
Cast members confirmed to return
All the core cast members are set to return for season 3! The following core cast members are as follows:
| Role | Actor/Actress | Where have I seen/heard before? |
|---|---|---|
| Jane ‘ Eleven’ | Millie Bobby Brown | Godzilla: King of the Monsters, NCIS, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland |
| Mike Wheeler | Finn Wolfhard | It, Carmen Sandiego, Spendtime Palace: Sonora |
| Dustin Henderson | Gaten Matarazzo | The Blacklist |
| Lucas Sinclair | Caleb McLaughlin | The New Edition Story, Spy vs. Guy, Forever |
| Will Byers | Noah Schnapp | Snoopy and Charlie Brown, Bridge of Spies, Abe |
| Max Mayfield | Sadie Sink | The Glass Castle, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Odyessy |
| Nancy Wheeler | Natalia Dyer | Velvet Buzzsaw, Hannah Montana: The Movie, I Believe in Unicorns |
| Joyce Byers | Winona Ryder | Little Women, Edward Scissorhands, Heathers |
| Jim Hopper | David Harbour | Suicide Squad, A Walking Among the Tombstones, The Green Hornet |
| Steve Harrington | Joe Keery | Molly’s Game, Slice, After Everything |
| Jonathan Byers | Charlie Heaton | The New Mutants, Shut In, The Secret of Marrowbone |
| Billy Hargrove | Dacre Montgomery | Power Rangers, Better Watch Out, A Few Less Men |
New cast members for season three
There are 4 new cast members for season 3 of Stranger Things:
| Role | Actor/Actress | Character Description |
|---|---|---|
| Robin | Maya Hawke | An ‘Alternative Girl’ bored with her job until she stumbles onto one of the secrets of Hawkins |
| Heather | Francesca Reale | A popular lifeguard at the Hawkins Community Pool who becomes the centerpiece of a dark mystery |
| Mayor Kline | Cary Elwes | A politician concerned with his own image rather than the people of Hawkins |
| Bruce | Jake Busey | A journalist for ‘The Hawkins Poat’ with questionable morals and a sick sense of humor |
Production Timeline for Stranger Things Season 3
Here’s a complete timeline view of season 3 so far including its season 2 release, renewal, production start, trailer drops and more.
- Season 2 released on October 27th, 2017
- Season 3 officially announced December 2017
- Production began officially on 27th April 2018
- The first teaser trailer released 16th July 2018
- Production wrapped up on Stranger Thing S3 in November 2018
- Title tease released 9th December 2018
- Season 3 date announced 31st December 2018
Episode names & episode count for Stranger Things season 3
The third season will have 8 episodes to which all 8 episodes will be available to stream from the day of release.
Netflix has already released the titles of each episode. There’s no need to worry there are no spoilers from the episode titles.
| Overall Episode Number | Number In Season | Episode Title |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | 1 | Suzie, Do You Copy? |
| 19 | 2 | The Mall Rats |
| 20 | 3 | The Case of the Missing Lifeguard |
| 21 | 4 | The Sauna Test |
| 22 | 5 | The Source |
| 23 | 6 | The Birthday |
| 24 | 7 | The Bite |
| 25 | 8 | The Battle of Starcourt |
Every trailer for season 3 of Stranger Things
There has been plenty of teasers and trailers for Stranger Things so let’s take you back into a chronological order of when each tease was announced and shown off.
The very first video on Stranger Things 3 was a short 1 minute and 30-second video announcing that the show had started production.
The first teaser came a full year before season 3 would even release on Netflix. Back in July 2018, Netflix dropped the first trailer that teases the aforementioned new mall that’s coming to town.
The next tease came in December 2018 roughly a month after filming had wrapped on the shows third season. As akin to the previous seasons we were given a video look at the titles of each episode which also then confirmed the episode count for season 3.
Just a few weeks later as the clocks struck midnight and made way for 2019, we were then given the official release date for Stranger Things 3.
It was then five months later we got the first proper look at the next season in May 2019 in the form of its first trailer and an extended look at the pool scene featuring Billy.
Then, just a few weeks out from its full season 3 release we got the full “final trailer” for season 3 of Stranger Things.
Photos for Stranger Things season 3
Check out the latest images from the upcoming third season:
Are The Duffer Brothers still involved with Stranger Things?
Yes, absolutely. Despite ongoing legal troubles with the show, they’re still actively involved in the production of Stranger Things.
The Duffer Brothers are currently solely focusing on their efforts on Stranger Things given how intensive the show is. The pair were involved in Fox’s Wayward Pines during the first season of that show but given the show is currently on hiatus and their non-existent involvement in season 2, it looks as though they won’t be returning for writing duties there.
The Duffer Brothers – Photo Credit: Maarten de Boer
Shawn Levy, one of the other key executives working on the show is currently involved in the production of several other movies and working on this Netflix series. This year he’s had credits in Fist Fight and Table 19. Next year is the scheduled release of the movie The Darkest Minds and titles such as Atlantis 7, Cubed and Uncharted also has Shawn involved.
Is Stranger Things season 3 the final season
As you may now know, season 3 isn’t currently planned to be the final season. The show is scheduled to have four seasons although it’s been cited that it could extend to five.
One of the points Ross Duffer was key to point out is that he didn’t want the series to ‘linger on’ possibly referring to shows in the same genre such as American Horror Story which has lost its edge in later seasons. Ross was keen to point out that they want to tell the story they have to tell and simply get out afterward.
The cast has remained tight-lipped on season 4 of Stranger Things but some have suggested that production may have already started with some theorizing that season 4 could have even concluded filming.
1/ For all the @Netflix/#StrangerThings fans, I’m about to reveal a dirty secret for you:
You are currently missing out on watching 4-8 episodes of Season 3, right now! There is about a 98% chance that the first half of the next season is shot, edited and post-produced.
— The Entertainment Strategy Guy (@EntStrategyGuy) June 17, 2019
Potential spin-offs for Stranger Things season 3
As of right now, there are no planned spinoffs. Ross Duffer in an interview stated it was ‘about focussing on this story’ and to ‘tell this story and tell it right’. The good news there, of course, is that the pair haven’t ruled out the possibility of a spinoff show and it’d be interesting to see what kind of direction it’d take.
Possible spin-offs could be:
- A prequel series that follows the beginning of the experiments that take place at the Hawkins National Laboratory.
- A series that follows Kali ‘008’ and her band of vigilantes.
- Further survivors from the experiments (If any).
- A prequel series that takes place when Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper were at school.
Are you excited for Stranger Things season 3? Let us know in the comments below!