Stranger Things Creators Already Working on Season 3

The creators of Stranger Things, Matt and Ross Duffer, confirm they’ve started writing season 3 of the Netflix original series. The first season of Stranger Things hit the streaming service last summer and became one of the most talked-about series of 2016. As such, the Duffer brothers had a great deal of hype to live up to with season 2 of Stranger Things, which debuted today on Netflix. While season 1 followed the disappearance of Will Byers, the appearance of Eleven, and the mysterious goings on of Hawkins Lab, season 2 continued to develop all the main characters in addition to introducing some new Hawkins residents.


Season 2 of Stranger Things was a long time coming – or, at least, it felt that way for many fans, since the sophomore outing of the Netflix series was released 15 months after the show initially debuted. Plus, despite the immense popularity of the show’s first season, Netflix waited more than a month to renew Stranger Things for season 2 after it first hit the streaming service. Though fans may now be used to Netflix and the Duffer brothers keeping them waiting for more Stranger Things, the show creators have offered new insight into the progress of season 3.


In an interview with Deadline to coincide with the release of Stranger Things season 2, Matt and Ross Duffer discussed the process of structuring and writing a season to make sure the various storylines line up. In the interview, Ross Duffer revealed they’ve begun working on Stranger Things season 3:

The hardest thing with this story is that we were tracking these multiple storylines and having them sort of build about at the same pace as to crescendo at the same time. It’s always the hardest part as we move into writing.


Like we’re starting on season 3 now, it’s always the most difficult thing just to get those to build simultaneously. It’s always a challenge, and so we’re still learning. I mean, we’re trying to do this eight-hour, nine-hour movie so to get that pacing just right, you know, it’s always hard.


Of course, the Stranger Things creators confirmed season 3 was in development earlier this year – following series star David Harbour accidentally letting it slip – despite Netflix not yet officially announcing the show’s renewal. Still, given the popularity of Stranger Things, and comments made by the Duffer brothers as well as the show’s producers concerning their long-term plan for four or five seasons, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that the streaming service would want to return to Hawkins for many more seasons.


According to reports that surfaced earlier this year, Netflix wanted the Duffers to film seasons 3 and 4 of Stranger Things back-to-back in order to avoid the actors aging out of their characters. However, the Duffer brothers and producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen want to avoid that kind of production schedule so they can craft more well developed seasons. Considering how long it took the Duffers to write, film, and edit season 2 – which they started working on before season 1 hit Netflix – it’s no wonder the streaming service is worried about the creators’ timetable. Certainly, Netflix wants to keep people talking about and invested in Stranger Things.


Still, viewers will no doubt appreciate the Duffer brothers focusing on getting the story and characters of their series right since it will lead to a much better show. Perhaps with the Duffer brothers already working on season 3, they’ll be able to produce it a little quicker. But if that’s not the case, as fans have shown with the anticipation for season 2, viewers will be excited about more Stranger Things no matter how long between seasons.