Stranger Things is preparing to close its curtains for the final time.
The Netflix series, long considered the platform’s most-iconic original show and its flagship production, returns on November 26 with the beginning of its fifth and final season. It will roll out in three parts, with the last installment—a feature-length finale—scheduled for New Year’s Eve.
Since its debut as an overnight success in 2016, the series has transformed Netflix into a streaming powerhouse, delivering a blend of 1980s nostalgia, supernatural horror, and character-driven drama. It redefined how television was made and consumed, inspiring similar genre-focused shows across platform. Above all, it launched a cast of unknown child actors into global stardom.
The series’ last season was split into two parts, releasing on May 27 and July 1, 2022, respectively. It boasts 140.7 million views and 1.8 billion hours watched, breaking records at the time. Stranger Things has traversed from TV show to cultural phenomenon, inspiring Halloween costumes, watch parties, a musical theater adaptation, and a renewed love for 80s media and film tropes from The Goonies to Stephen King’s novels.
Above all, the show—praised for having some of the best on-screen chemistry seen in years—has always relied heavily on its talented cast, which, for the most part of filming, were children.
With the show’s conclusion on its way, we take a look at the careers the series helped its cast build.
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven)
Brown joined the series at just 12 years old, as the mysterious, telekinetic girl known only as Eleven.
Her performance earned early Emmy nominations and led to further lead roles in Enola Holmes, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and The Electric State.
Beyond acting, Brown has launched a successful beauty and lifestyle line, Florence by Mills, and her own production company. She has also written a novel.
Brown has more than 64 million followers on Instagram alone at the time of writing.
Now 21, Brown is married to the 23-year-old son of rock musician Jon Bon Jovi, Jake Bongiovi. Together, they have adopted a daughter.
Noah Schnapp (Will Byers)
Schnapp’s portrayal of the sensitive and haunted Will Byers made him one of the emotional anchors of the show.
He has appeared in films such as Abe and Waiting for Anya, and pursued business interests, including launching a sustainable snack company, TBH (To Be Honest).
A student at the University of Pennsylvania, Schnapp has balanced his large public profile with his academic pursuits.
He came out as gay in 2023, noting in his video, “I guess I’m more similar to Will [Byers] than I thought,” in reference to his character Will also being gay.
Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler)
Wolfhard, who played the earnest and determined Mike Wheeler, quickly became a frequent figure in Hollywood. He starred in It and its sequel, The Goldfinch, and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
He has been a member of the indie rock band The Aubreys since 2020 and has directed one short and one feature-length film, positioning himself as a multitalented creative voice.
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson)
Matarazzo has brought comedic relief and heart to the role of Dustin Henderson.
After the series took off, he returned to Broadway in Dear Evan Hansen and Sweeney Todd.
Diagnosed with cleidocranial dysplasia, he became a visible advocate for awareness and inclusivity around rare conditions, frequently using his platform to promote visibility and research funding.
Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair)
McLaughlin’s Lucas Sinclair was the skeptical realist of the group, and his grounded performances gained widespread praise—especially following the high-stakes scenes he shot during Season 4.
McLaughlin appeared in the Netflix film Concrete Cowboy alongside Hollywood star Idris Elba, voiced characters in animated shows, and built a brand around empowerment and positivity.
He made waves with the social-media campaigns #EmbraceYourFace and #BeYourBiggestFan, which promote healthy body image, positivity, and self-esteem.
David Harbour (Jim Hopper)
Harbour’s role as the gruff but noble police chief Jim Hopper relaunched his career in middling and supporting roles, leading to leading roles in Black Widow, Hellboy, and Violent Night.
He earned acclaim on stage and screen and became a fixture in big-budget Hollywood productions.
The 50-year-old Harbour was recently embroiled in drama with fellow cast member, Millie Bobby Brown.
It had been reported that Brown had filed a harassment and bullying claim against him before they started shooting the last season. However, the pair were spotted being warm and affectionate toward each other at the Season 5 premier on November 6.
Harbour faced backlash following the release of his ex-wife Lily Allen’s new album, which implied he had cheated on her and treated her and other women poorly.
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers)
Ryder, who played the anxious but fearless Joyce Byers, brought her 1990s stardom into a new era when the show unexpectedly took off.
Once the face of films like Heathers, Edward Scissorhands, and Girl, Interrupted, she returned to prominence with Stranger Things after several years out of the spotlight, becoming, in many ways, the bridge between the show’s nostalgic influences and its younger viewers
Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield)
Joining the cast in Season 2, Sink’s character Max gave the ensemble both edge and vulnerability.
Her performance in Season 4, especially in the episode “Dear Billy,” was a standout.
Outside of the show, she starred in The Whale with Brendan Fraser and played lead roles in Fear Street and various indie dramas. Sink, from Texas, has also become a fixture at high-end fashion events and boasts over 24 million followers on Instagram.
Despite being just 23 years old, Sink has advocated for vegan and vegetarian diets, animal rescue shelters and anxiety support through her social-media presence and interviews. She identifies as a feminist.
Natalia Dyer (Nancy Wheeler)
Dyer’s performance as the curious and courageous elder sister of Mike Wheeler offered the show an investigative thread.
Since Stranger Things, she has taken on indie projects like Yes, God, Yes and Things Heard & Seen, continuing to choose thoughtful and often complex characters.
Her longtime off-screen relationship with co-star Charlie Heaton has also drawn public interest.
Charlie Heaton (Jonathan Byers)
Heaton, from Yorkshire, England, portrayed Will’s older brother, Jonathan Byers, despite having very little acting experience at the time of casting.
He impressed in the role as the awkward and quiet photographer and went on to appear in The New Mutants and other dramatic features.
While keeping a relatively low public profile, he has been consistent in indie and character-driven roles.
In October 2017, he was detained at LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California, for possessing small amounts of cocaine. He was not charged, instead being sent back to London.
He was later allowed to return to the U.S.
Joe Keery (Steve Harrington)
Initially introduced as a minor antagonist that was supposed to be booted off after Season 1, Keery’s Steve Harrington evolved into one of the show’s most-beloved characters, with one of the series’ most-talked-about character arcs.
Keery has used that platform to star in Spree, Free Guy, and other features. In 2023, he starred in the Italian period drama, Finalmente l’alba, alongside Lily James.
As a musician under the name Djo, he has released multiple albums, earning praise for his psychedelic and alternative sound.
Before finding international fame with Stranger Things, Keery had featured in KFC commercials.
Maya Hawke (Robin Buckley)
27-year-old Hawke joined in Season 3 as Robin Buckley, a fan favorite for her sharp wit, easy charisma and friendship with longtime fan favorite, Steve.
Off-screen, she has released folk albums and acted in films including Netflix’s Do Revenge and Asteroid City.
Daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, she has carved her own creative identity across music and film and has been praised by fans online as being a more-likable “nepo baby,” who is deserving of her acting flowers.
Other Cast Members and Legacy Characters
Joseph Quinn became a viral sensation as Eddie Munson in Season 4, though his character died by the finale.
The relatively unknown British actor swiftly joined the cast of Gladiator 2, following the success of his Stranger Things role, and has been cast in major studio blockbusters. He has also been cast as George Harrison in Sam Mendes’s hotly anticipated four-part biopic about the Beatles.
Sean Astin, known for The Goonies and The Lord of the Rings, appeared in Season 2 as the lovable Bob. The 54-year-old’s appearance became a full circle moment for Stranger Things‘ atmospheric ode to 1980s media, through its inclusion of an actor who lived it. His brief stint on the show introduced his on-screen charisma to younger generations.
Paul Reiser returned to his 1980s sci-fi roots from Aliens as Dr. Owens and is confirmed for the final season.
Brett Gelman, as the zany Murray, became a fan-favorite recurring character, while Cara Buono continued her role as Mike Wheeler’s likable but smothering mom, Karen Wheeler.
Jamie Campbell Bower, who played Vecna, has become the show’s defining villain. His work in Season 4 drew attention for both performance and makeup transformation. He returns in Season 5, in which the heroes will inevitably try to take his character on.
Priah Ferguson, playing Lucas’ younger sister Erica Sinclair, stole scenes with her sharp-tongued wit. She is part of the final ensemble and has voiced characters in animated series and appeared in youth-centered features. Her young character mainly provides comic relief amid tense scenes and is likely to emerge unscathed from any violence set to occur in the show’s fictional setting, Hawkins, Indiana.
The final season marks not just the end of a show, but the end of a television era.
The Duffer Brothers, who began the series as relatively unknown creators, have spent a decade guiding the series and its cast. With a reported budget reaching $60 million per episode, Season 5 will be the most ambitious yet, concluding a story that began in a basement in Hawkins and expanded into a worldwide phenomenon.
Newsweek reached out to Netflix for more information via email.
