Season 5 of Stranger Things marked the end of an era for Netflix, as its first breakout hit would go on to become one of its most successful projects of all time. That all led to the three-part fifth season that captivated the attention of fans all around the world, but now the show has come to a close, and the attention moves to the next project to take that prestigious spot in Netflix’s lineup, though Netflix has already confirmed which project will be Stranger Things’ replacement.
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Netflix recently released its second half of 2025 statistics, which provided a detailed snapshot of which shows resonated with viewers over that 6-month period. While Stranger Things season 5 was the second most-watched show of that period with 94 million views, there was a clear winner in that department, and it was Wednesday season 2, which brought in a stellar 124 million views during the same period.
Adding to that impressive viewership is that Wednesday season 1 managed to bring in 47 million views during the same period, which was enough to earn it the number 8 spot on the Top 10 Most-Watched Shows chart. That will likely happen again when Season 3 hits and fans go back and watch the first two, either for the first time or to catch up ahead of the new season.
Wednesday Is Positioned To Be Netflix’s Next Stranger Things Franchise
The numbers are impressive in themselves, and they are only bolstered by the fact that critics and audiences actually flipped in their reactions to season 2 and season 1. On Rotten Tomatoes, Wednesday season 1 has a 73% critics rating and an 86% audience score, but in season 2, the two sides flipped. Season 2 has an 87% critics score and a 76% audience score, though it also feels as if season 2 was a bit more divisive in terms of online discussion and debate overall.
The good news is that we aren’t likely going to have to wait an absurdly long time for season 3 to hit, as work had already begun when season 2 was premiering. There’s also a concerted effort from the team behind the show to turn things around far more quickly, and as of right now, 2027 seems to be a likely spot for a season 3 debut.
One area Netflix could change things up in (and learn a lesson from Stranger Things at the same time) is to build out the story sooner rather than later so that it can better fill the gaps between main seasons. A solo spinoff or a side story featuring one or two characters might be a great way to keep the franchise on screens and retain more momentum moving forward.
Fans often criticized Stranger Things for its long gaps of time between seasons, and Wednesday would be wise to try to fix that issue to keep it from becoming a common refrain from fans. Season 2 certainly left things off in compelling fashion, and season 3 has the chance to really shake up the series in a major way, so hopefully we’ll get more details on the next season soon.
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