Stranger Things Season 3 Sets Episode Count & Filming Start Frame

Stranger Things season 3 will be composed of eight episodes, with filming set to begin this upcoming spring. While season 2 wrapped up around the end of 1984, Stranger Things 3 will include a time jump in order to keep up with its aging young cast by the time the season premieres on Netflix in 2019. As such, it remains to be seen exactly which year (and what time of year) the third season takes place during.


There were a number of plot thread left dangling at the end of Stranger Things season 2 that offer a clue as to where season 3 is headed. The introduction of Eleven’s “sister” Eight in season 2 confirmed the there are other kids with super-powers in the show’s universe, and it’s possible that one or more of them will make an appearance during the third season. Eight aka. Kali is expected to return in Stranger Things season 3 as well, and she could help to pave the way to Eleven meeting more of her “siblings” in the episodes ahead. Speaking of, it looks like the show is returning to the episode count of season 1 for its third go around the bend.


TV Line is reporting that Stranger Things season 3 will be eight episodes long, with production set to get underway in mid-April this year. Season 2 was nine episodes long by comparison, but the additional episode wound up being devoted to exploring Eleven and Kali’s budding relationship – resulting in “The Lost Sister”, Stranger Thing 2‘s most controversial episode by far, but also its most ambitious and widely-discussed.


Along with the possibility of more augmented children, Stranger Things season 3 will feature a new villain – though thankfully for poor Will, one that is not directly affecting the younger of the Byers brothers. At the same time, Will’s connection to the Upside Down and the latest big bad is sure to play a role, especially seeing as the Mind Flayer is still alive and well. Hopefully though, season 3 will grant Will something of a reprieve after the tumultuous events of seasons 1 and 2.


Now that it’s been all but officially confirmed that Strange Things 3 starts filming this spring, additional casting updates should begin arriving over the next couple of months. While the first look footage for the season might not be ready for San Diego Comic-Con this summer, it should be by the time that Halloween and New York Comic-Con 2018 roll around in the fall. Stranger Things season 2 had a lot to live up to after the hype of the first season, but it managed to deliver another captivating collection of episodes. With at least a couple more years of the show planned, season 3 could be the start of even bigger things for Stranger Things.