Stranger Things Season 4 Episode Count Revealed

After Stranger Things 3 ended on a massive cliffhanger leaving the town of Hawkins and its surly sheriff in some questionable places, everyone is wondering about the future of the series as it heads toward the endgame. With the struggle between the youngsters and the Upside Down now turning into an international affair, there are questions over what the upcoming season will actually entail. But now the first details about the popular series Stranger Things have finally been released, and fans can look forward to the next nostalgic adventure taking place on Netflix.

The series does not yet have a release date, but TVLine is reporting that Stranger Things 4 will consist of 8 episodes, much like the first and third seasons of the series. This seems to be the standard for the show, as only Season 2 went longer with 9 episodes of Stranger Things, which included the detour episode about Eleven's adventures outside of Hawkins that received mixed reactions among fans.

The outlet also reports that Stranger Things 4 will begin filming in January and will continue until August 2020, which means that a premiere next year seems unlikely. Given the post-production work that takes place on the series, it likely won't be available for streaming until 2021 at the earliest.

After the end of Season 3, many fans were left speculating over the fate of Sheriff Hopper who seemingly sacrificed himself, though his body was never found. The post-credits scene for the finale also indicated that Russian military forces also had someone imprisoned whom they referred to as "the American," leading fans to believe that Hopper had somehow been transported to Russia.

Actor David Harbour teased that fans will have to wait to find out the ultimate fate of his character, but the fact that he even addressed it hints that he'll be back to film new footage for Stranger Things 4.

"What can I tell you? What can't I tell you? I mean I don't really know but we will have to see together," Harbour says. "It's a pretty serious situation that he gets himself into there at the end and it's a pretty moving arc in terms of the way this all plays out. So I think we'll sort of leave it at that and see if there is a life beyond, but I'm not sure yet."

The final season of Stranger Things does not yet have a release date, but the first three seasons are now available to stream on Netflix.