It's hard to believe, but "Stranger Things" will soon be over. Finally, after a long three-year wait, "Stranger Things" season 5 is about to give the Duffer brothers' beloved Netflix horror saga (and one of the best Netflix shows you can stream) what is sure to be a huge send-off.
Given the hit show's been away for quite awhile you're probably due for a rewatch, and if you're reading this article on the day of publication (October 23), now is the perfect time to do so. In total, there are 34 episodes of "Stranger Things" to work through; if you start watching one a day right now, you'll be all caught up on everything that's gone down so far (not counting the Broadway show) in perfect time for the show's big comeback.
Every season of 'Stranger Things,' ranked
4. 'Stranger Things' season 2
I don't think any of the four seasons so far have been "bad," but something had to occupy the bottom spot on this list, and for me, that's "Stranger Things" season 2. As much as it definitely has stuff going for it, I just don't find it too compelling as a follow-up, precisely because I think it feels like too much of a retread of what came before.
Furthermore, the big threats (the mind-flayer shadow monster, the demodogs) don't really work for me nearly as well as either Vecna or the singular terror of the one demogorgon menacing Hawkins, it doesn't necessarily introduce its new characters very well, and it's hard to ignore that this season also contains one of the most divisive episodes of the show to date ("The Lost Sister").
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
3. 'Stranger Things' season 3
Season 3 marginally edges out the show's second season, for me. I know not everyone's a fan of how the third chapter leans quite so heavily into the '80s aesthetic, and some viewers didn't like the underground Russian base shenanigans or that more over-the-top vibe, but I definitely have a soft spot for the third installment.
I like the body snatcher "flayed" plot, and that nasty monster, I think Robin makes for a great addition (the Scoops Ahoy squad might be my fave group of the bunch), and I'm a big fan of the whole finale at Starcourt Mall. I get that it stands out as the show at its most "different," but I definitely found it a blast to revisit.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 89%
2. 'Stranger Things' season 4
The penultimate season of "Stranger Things" took the show to its grimmest places yet and offered grisly shocks, more answers, a major villain, and some of the biggest and best moments from the show to date; I can easily see some viewers ranking season 4 as their favorite chapter of the show to date.
The thing that keeps it from the top spot, for me, is a kind of bloated feeling. Thirteen hours of show split across just seven episodes simply feels like too much, and I really think "Stranger Things" season 4 suffers in the pacing department.
Those movie-length episodes can be a drag, in places, and several storylines (Hopper's most of all) could have been trimmed down to keep the momentum up. On the whole, though? This hugely ambitious series certainly sets the stage for an explosive finale, but it's not my favorite batch of episodes.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
1. 'Stranger Things' season 1
I think what impressed me most of all during my rewatch was just how strongly "Stranger Things" comes out of the gate.
This first season is a real winner: a suspenseful horror/mystery series that's packed full of intrigue and boasts a huge ensemble of well-written and well-performed characters we've come to root for so fiercely over the decade it's been on our screens. Sure, it's smaller in scope than successive seasons, and some scenes may not look as impressive as they once did, but for me, it still feels like the tightest of the bunch. Seeing as the show arrives fully-formed and just hooks you in so easily, it remains my favorite season, to date.
Whether or not "Stranger Things" season 5 can top it remains to be seen, but after this rewatch, I'm more than ready to see whether it's up to the task.
Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%
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