Endings have quickly become the bane of every genre TV show that manages to become a breakout hit. Game of Thrones will forever be the most infamous example, as the whole world was forced to watch a show crash and burn at nearly every level, both onscreen and behind the scenes. Netflix’s Stranger Things may have pulled off a better final season than GoT, but since the finale aired, the criticisms have been piling up.
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Fans haven’t appreciated the disjointed continuity between the main show and Stranger Things spinoffs like The First Shadow stage play, or the recent animated series Tales from ’85. Then there are the nitpicks with the production on the Final Season, as well as the performances; those complaints from fans are suddenly looking a whole lot more valid, now that the 2026 Emmy nominations have arrived.
Stranger Things Season 5 Breaks a 9-Year Emmys Streak
Stranger Things Season 5 did not receive a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Drama Series”. This is the first time in the show’s entire run (5 seasons, over the course of 9 years) that it has not been nominated in that category. The final season did earn 7 total nominations in creative and technical categories, including Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program, Prosthetic Makeup, Music Supervision, Sound Editing & Mixing for Drama Series, and Special Visual Effects in a Season. Still, being shut out of all the major Emmys categories is yet another strike against Stranger Things‘ Final Season, and one of the most public snubs we’ve ever seen the show get hit with.
The nominees for the Outstanding Drama Series at the 2026 Emmys are Netflix’s The Diplomat, HBO’s The Gilded Age, Game of Thrones spinoff A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Hulu’s Paradise, HBO Max’s The Pitt, and the Apple TV series Pluribus, Slow Horses, and Your Friends & Neighbors. Most of them were not only critical darlings, but also major “water-cooler” shows that generated significant word-of-mouth, as well as the new treasured metric of social media hype. Stranger Things 5 didn’t have to fight to grab a moment of the pop-culture zeitgeist: it was the moment, making this Emmy snub all the more surprising.
Stranger Things 5 Risked It All for Big Numbers
Netflix and The Duffer Brothers boldly chose to premiere the final season over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Eve 2025; it was almost like getting a new blockbuster movie (or several) released at home, and millions of viewers certainly tuned in. Since it was the epic finale to one of the biggest shows of the 2020s, Netflix kept everything shrouded in secrecy, including any reactions from critics and influencers.
While that may have helped avoid any negative hype beforehand, it’s also left the door open for critical and fan consensus to mount over time, after the release. Maybe Netflix thought the modern zeitgeist would move too fast for the negativity to ever get a foothold in popular opinion, or that Stranger Things‘ legacy and reputation would guarantee awards and acclaim, despite any backlash. But clearly, that “strategy” has backfired, and now the entire industry sees it. Yikes.
You can stream Stranger Things on Netflix. The Primetime Emmys will air at 8 pm ET on Monday, September 14th. Discuss TV with us on the ComicBook Forum!
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Courtesy of 20th Television Animation -
Courtesy of 20th Television Animation
Forum Conversation: Shout out Widow's Bay
Go to ForumHacks could win everything it’s nominated for since it’s a favorite and it was the last season, but I will be quietly rooting for Widow’s Bay.
Widow’s Bay got a bunch of Emmys noms, but curious to see how it’s going to stack in the comedy category. There’s a lot of competition especially from Hacks, and even Apple’s other great recent hit that also got a lot of noms, Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Curious to see how it works out.