- - A New 'Stranger Things' Netflix Release Is Coming, But Fans Say It’s Too Late

Liz DeclanFebruary 11, 2026 at 3:32 AM

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Photo by Dave Benett on Getty Images

Stranger Thingscame to a controversial end with the Season 5 finale on New Year's Eve, and several weeks later, online discourse is still heated when it comes to the decisions theDuffer Brothers made in wrapping up the show. Yet, the franchise is clearly moving forward regardless, as not only an animated spinoff show, Stranger Things: Tales From '85, but also another new release are both coming to Netflix.

As reported by Collider, the Stranger Things prequel play The First Shadowwill be released on Netflix at some point in the future, although the exact release date hasn't yet been announced. This play, which centers on Henry Creel (played by Jamie Campbell Bowerin the show but not in the play), is set decades before the events of Stranger Things.

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Like the finale, The First Shadow sparked controversy, particularly when it came to Season 5. Although the play had established Henry as effectively a victim of the Mind Flayer, under its control just as Will Byers had once been, Stranger Things Season 5 made some adjustments to that narrative and, ultimately, had Henry declare that it never controlled him (which, even within the show, was not true, making Henry an unreliable narrator in that sense).

Even prior to the final season's release, there was some pushback from fans who felt it was unfair that the play had such limited accessibility—it had runs in New York City and London only—and would theoretically be important background heading into the final season. For that reason, many had hoped the play would be released on Netflix before Season 5.

The Duffers assured audiences that The First Shadow wasn't a prerequisite for enjoying and understanding Season 5, and it was full steam ahead. However, the comments on Collider's Instagram post are full of fans expressing that this release, whenever it comes to Netflix, will be too late.

One commenter wrote, "Should have released it before the finale," and another said, "Oh you don’t say. Only 6 months too late." Comments that expressed a bit more frustration include, "should have put it on netflix while we were waiting for literal years, no?" and "Would have been a great idea to actually include it in the last season instead of making us guess everything, bravo duffers."

Yet, there are also plenty of comments celebrating this decision. It will be interesting to see how access to the play might affect viewers' opinions of the finale in retrospect, positive or negative, but it isn't yet clear when that release and the subsequent fan response will occur.

This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 11, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”