“Stranger Things” Season 5 Receives Lowest Rating from Critics in Series History — Viewers Were More Favorable

Expectations for the final season of “Stranger Things” were high, but the first four episodes failed to meet them for some critics.

On November 27, the fifth season of “Stranger Things” premiered on Netflix — the final chapter in the nearly decade-long story of the fight against monsters from a parallel world. Ahead of the release, the Duffer brothers emphasized that they had learned a lot over ten years, taken past mistakes into account, and were ready to offer an “ideal” finale to the saga. All of this raised expectations to the maximum, but the first reviews showed that the season was not an unqualified success for all critics.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the fifth season currently has a rating of 87% based on early reviews. The figure remains high, but this is the lowest result in the history of the series: the first season had 97%, the second — 94%, the third and fourth — 89% each.

Despite the decline, many critics note that the new chapter still looks like a worthy end to the story. Reviews praise the large-scale production scenes, unexpected twists, and expressive acting.

At the same time, there is also a more restrained reaction: the season is reproached for excessive gloom and a decrease in originality. It is worth remembering that the creators warned about the darker tone of the finale even before the premiere, and conversations about the excessive number of references and homages to the cinema of the 80s have accompanied the series since the very first season.

Viewers, on the contrary, received the sequel more warmly. On Rotten Tomatoes, the user rating is 92%, and this is the second result for the entire existence of the show — higher only for the first season with its 96%.

The final season rating may still change, as only the first half has been published. The remaining episodes will be released on December 26 and January 1, 2026.