Ross Duffer, co-creator of Stranger Things, has finally given fans clarity on how long the episodes of the fifth and final season will be. After months of speculation that every episode would be feature-length, Duffer has officially revealed the runtimes for the first four episodes of Stranger Things Season 5 in a video shared on Instagram.

Episode Runtimes for Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1

According to Duffer, here’s how long each of the first four episodes will run:

• Episode 1 — “The Crawl”: 1 hour and 8 minutes

• Episode 2 — “The Vanishing of _____”: 54 minutes

• Episode 3 — “The Turnbow Trap”: 1 hour and 6 minutes

• Episode 4 — “Sorcerer”: 1 hour and 23 minutes

Duffer described The Crawl as his “favorite” and “most eventful first episode since Season 1.” He also teased that Episode 2 features “the craziest cold open we’ve ever done — one of the sequences we’re most proud of this season.”

Meanwhile, The Turnbow Trap is what Duffer called “the most classic Stranger Things-y episode of the season,” and it features a special surprise: legendary filmmaker Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Mist) came out of retirement to direct it.

As for Episode 4, Sorcerer, Duffer revealed it’s “MASSIVE — as big as any finale we’ve ever done, and the most logistically insane shoot of our lives.”

Stranger Things Season 5 Release Schedule

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things will include eight episodes total, arriving in three separate parts:

• Volume 1: November 26, 2025

• Volume 2: December 25, 2025

• Final Episode: December 31, 2025

The season will once again be produced by the Duffer Brothers, along with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen, promising an emotional and cinematic conclusion to one of Netflix’s biggest shows.

Stranger Things Returning Cast and New Additions

Nearly all the core cast members will return, including Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Brett Gelman, and Jamie Campbell Bower.

Amybeth McNulty, who had a brief appearance last season, has been promoted to the main cast, while Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) joins as a major new character.

Stranger Things What to Expect from the Final Season

The story picks up in fall 1987, one year after the Season 4 finale. The group returns to Hawkins, determined to find and destroy Vecna once and for all after the rifts opened across town.

Their mission becomes even more dangerous when the U.S. military arrives in Hawkins and begins hunting Eleven. As the anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance approaches, the gang faces a final, deadly confrontation that could decide the fate of their world.

Why Stranger Things 5 Will Be the Most Ambitious Yet

The Duffer Brothers have described Season 5 as their most emotional and visually ambitious chapter. With longer episodes, high-stakes storytelling, and a cinematic finale spread across three releases, this final season aims to give fans the epic conclusion they’ve been waiting for.

Stranger Things may be coming to an end, but if Ross Duffer’s words are any indication, it’s going out bigger than ever.

Less than 24 hours after HBO released the first trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, fans already have new details about the highly anticipated Game of Thrones spinoff. The series, which premieres on HBO Max on January 18, will follow Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) as they travel across Westeros during the waning years of the Targaryen dynasty, when dragons still lingered in memory.

The cast also includes Sam Spruell, Daniel Ings, Finn Bennett, and Henry Ashton, adding depth to this more intimate look at Westeros’ past.

How Many Episodes Are in Season 1?

During an interview with Collider’s Perri Nemiroff at New York Comic-Con, series creator and showrunner Ira Parker discussed how A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms took shape and how the final version compares to his early vision.

“Being a huge Game of Thrones fan and a writer on House of the Dragon, I assumed this was going to be 10 hour-long episodes per season,” Parker admitted. “But the novellas are much shorter, so I thought we’d need to combine them or include elements of the Blackfyre Rebellion early on.”

However, HBO opted for a shorter, six-episode format, tying it with Game of Thrones Season 8 as the shortest season in the franchise.

Parker said the decision to keep things concise actually made creative sense:

“When I heard it was going to be six episodes and shorter runtimes, I was like, ‘Great.’ That means we can do one novella per season. We can start properly, follow Dunk’s journey, and keep the story grounded and intimate.”

This smaller structure allows the show to focus on character-driven storytelling rather than sprawling political drama.

How Many ‘Dunk and Egg’ Stories Exist?

Author George R.R. Martin has written three novellas in the Tales of Dunk and Egg collection:

• The Hedge Knight

• The Sworn Sword

• The Mystery Knight

Originally, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms carried The Hedge Knight subtitle, but HBO later dropped it for a simpler title.

If Parker’s plan to adapt one novella per season holds true, fans can expect the series to span three seasons total, provided the first performs well on HBO Max.

What Fans Can Expect from the Series

Set roughly a century before Game of Thrones and a hundred years after House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will explore a new era of Westeros largely untouched by television. Parker describes it as “smaller, slower, and more personal,” centered on Dunk’s coming-of-age story and Egg’s secret royal lineage.

Rather than the political chaos of the main saga, this series promises a blend of humor, heart, and adventure, focusing on friendship, loyalty, and moral choices.

Why the Three-Season Plan Makes Sense for HBO

If each season adapts a single novella, HBO can maintain a tighter narrative focus while preserving the charm and pacing of Martin’s original stories. This approach mirrors the contained arcs of The Last of Us and House of the Dragon, balancing rich world-building with character intimacy.

For longtime fans, it’s a fresh yet familiar way to revisit Westeros — and for newcomers, an accessible entry point into George R.R. Martin’s world.

Marvel’s Daredevil: Born Again has quickly established itself as one of the most acclaimed series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, blending crime drama, emotional depth, and superhero grit. Following its successful debut on Disney+ in March 2025, the series continues to expand its universe — and according to writer and producer Jesse Wigutow, Season 3 will chart an entirely new course.

Recapping Daredevil: Born Again’s Journey So Far

The first season premiered on March 4, 2025, with nine episodes that reintroduced fans to Matt Murdock and his world. Critics praised the show for its grounded storytelling, sharp performances, and the way it reconnected to the original Netflix series while setting up fresh narratives within the MCU.

Season 2, set to premiere in March 2026, will feature eight episodes and promise even higher stakes. Returning cast members include Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock, Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page, and Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle (The Punisher).

The season will also bring back Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, further linking the Defenders universe to Marvel’s Disney+ slate. Additionally, a special Punisher presentation is planned for 2026 under the Marvel Studios Special Presentations banner.

Jesse Wigutow on Expanding the Story

In a recent interview with Collider, Jesse Wigutow shared insight into the creative process behind the show’s expanding scope. He described Season 2 as an “ambitious story of crime and politics in New York,” building toward a climactic showdown between Matt Murdock and Mayor Wilson Fisk.

“We told this really big story, it got very wide, and then we kind of drive it in the finale to really what matters most… these two characters and the conflict that they’re in,” Wigutow said.

That confrontation sets the stage for a dramatic and more introspective third season.

What to Expect from Season 3

Despite early confusion when Charlie Cox referred to the “final season,” Marvel Television has officially confirmed that Season 3 is moving forward and is currently in development. The next installment is scheduled for a March 2027 release as part of Phase Six of the MCU.

Wigutow teased that the upcoming season won’t just continue the story — it will reinvent it.

“It is a continuation, but it is a new direction, and it is leaving a lot of what was built in [Seasons] 1 and 2 behind,” he revealed.

This suggests a creative reset that could bring in new visual styles, supporting characters, and moral challenges for Murdock as he redefines his purpose in a changing New York.

Daredevil’s Future in the MCU

With production still in early stages, the Daredevil: Born Again writers’ room is expected to reconvene soon, and filming will likely begin in 2026. The shift in direction may also align with Marvel’s larger storytelling goals, positioning Daredevil as a key figure in the grounded corner of the MCU alongside The Punisher and Jessica Jones.

Why This New Direction Matters for Marvel

The upcoming season marks an opportunity for Daredevil: Born Again to evolve beyond its earlier tone while staying true to the emotional weight and moral complexity that define the character. If executed well, this shift could make Daredevil the MCU’s benchmark for mature, character-driven storytelling — a balance few superhero series achieve.

With Jesse Wigutow leading the charge, fans can expect a reinvention that respects the past while boldly embracing the future.