Critics and fans are divided on Stranger Things 5 following the release of review scores online. Netflix's beloved sci-fi series has officially kicked off its fifth and final run on the streamer, finally bringing to an end the epic otherworldly tale of a small Indiana town and its connection to an extra-dimensional hellscape known as The Upside Down. While the series has been one of the most celebrated in Netflix history, things are off to an interesting start with Season 5.
Early reviews for Stranger Things 5's first four episodes have revealed a growing rift between critics and fans watching at home. The fifth season of the beloved streaming series has earned the lowest critics' score of the show so far on Rotten Tomatoes at 84%.
Meanwhile, the audience score on the same batch of episodes is sitting at 92%. This marks an 8% disparity between the two metrics.
For comparison, the most significant gap between critics' and audience scores on a Stranger Things season so far was Season 2, which had a critics' score four percent higher than its audience score. This is also the first time ever that a season of the Netflix series has had a higher audience score than that of critics.
Below is a complete list of the Stranger Things seasons to this point and their critics/audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes:
- Season 1 - Critics: 97% / Audience: 96%
- Season 2 - Critics: 94% / Audience: 90%
- Season 3 - Critics: 89% / Audience: 86%
- Season 4 - Critics: 89% / Audience: 89%
- Season 5 (after four episodes) - Critics: 84% / 92%
Stranger Things Season 5 continues with the next three episodes dropping on Netflix on Thursday, December 25. The show's grand finale will then arrive a week later, on December 31. The acclaimed Stephen King-esque streaming adventure comes to an end with the residents of Hawkins, Indiana, going to war with the devious Vecna and the denizens of the underworldly Upside Down.
Why Are The Strange Things 5 Reviews Scores So Low?
This gap between critics and fan scores on Stranger Things 5 reviews may be confusing for those who have watched the series and enjoyed it.
The biggest criticism critics seem to have for the show's first four episodes has to do with just how much has been jammed into this volume. Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 had a lot of table setting to do for the rest of this final season, and that, to some, made the first four episodes feel a bit overstuffed.
In just Episodes 1 through 4, Team Hawkins has had to deal with the breach between their small Midwest town and the hellscape that is The Upside Down, one fan-favorite main character showing his true nature, and several big names getting stolen away by the villainous Vecna. It's a lot.
Hopefully, now that the foundation has been laid, Stranger Things 5 can lay off the exposition and bring forth a final few episodes that both critics and audiences can agree on.
