We're heading back into the Upside Down for one last duel with the Demogorgon, and while Stranger Things season 5 promises to be the show's biggest yet, Netflix has just made a big change to the sci-fi spectacular.
Stranger Things has always toed that fine line between sci-fi and horror, with the Freddy Krueger-inspired Venca sure to give kids nightmares. We've watched the core cast of 'The Party' grow over the years, and with it, Stranger Things has veered toward being a series aimed at a more adult audience. Season 4 waved goodbye to Joseph Quinn's Eddie Munson and Matthew Modine's Dr. Martin Brenner in grisly style, but with a new rating, Stranger Things has teased even more gruesome goodbyes in its final run of episodes.
While the previous seasons of the Duffer Brothers' hit television series have been rated TV-14, Stranger Things season 5 has been slapped with a TV-MA rating.
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Looking at the placeholder page for season 5, Netflix has quietly confirmed the final eight episodes of Stranger Things will be TV-MA. Unsuitable for people under the age of 17, TV-MA typically contains one or more of the following: "Graphic violence (V), Explicit sexual activity (S), and Crude indecent language (L)."
Similar to R-rated movies in the cinema, TV-MA is as mature as you get. Considering R-rated movies include the likes of the foul-mouthed Deadpool & Wolverine, the trippy Longlegs, and the super-violent IT movies, it's hard to imagine Stranger Things getting anywhere near that kind of content - but you never know.
Still, as Netflix’s comedic Sex Education is TV-MA based on its sexual content alone, that doesn't mean Stranger Things will be a total bloodbath. We'll expect a little horror, and with leaked set photos showing Jamie Campbell Bower’s Vecna surrounded by dead bodies outside of the Upside Down, there should be quite the body count. Then again, what's new?
Shannon Purser's Barb was famously the show's first big death, and being as harrowing as it was unexpected, it led to those #JusticeforBarb campaigns. It's anyone's guess who will and won't be making it out of this one alive, but over the first four seasons, we've seen Bob, Billy, Chrissy, and more meet their maker in imaginative but horrifying ways.
Season 5 picks up with the fan-favorite Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) currently comatose with broken bones and blinded eyes, so it's no surprise we're getting a TV-MA rating.
What's on Netflix notes that this isn't the first time Stranger Things has dabbled with a more adult rating. Season 4 was originally listed at TV-MA (we're not surprised) before being switched back to TV-14.
For those who want to see a more mature Stranger Things to end the stories of those kids we first met all the way back in 2016, you're in luck. Just don't blame us if your favorite leaves in a body bag.