With SAG-AFTRA still on strike, time is ticking. Everyone is eager to have their favorite shows back on the air, but series that are dependent on the youth of their characters have all eyes on them. More specifically, everyone is wondering how the widely popular 80’s sci-fi series Stranger Things is going to keep their kids looking as young as their characters.

This conversation and concern among fans have been circling ever since the first pause was put on the production of the series during the height of the COVID pandemic when entertainment was put on pause. Now, with the fifth and final season yet to be filmed, and the actors continuing to be on strike, fans are continuing to wonder how the rag-tag crew of teenagers are still going to look like the kids audiences fell in love with all the way back during season one. That being said, fans should have no fear. In an interview with Variety, director and producer Shawn Levy (Night At The Museum, Cheaper By The Dozen) assured viewers that they will do everything in their power to ensure the kids stay looking as young as possible.

“We’ve already watched the cast of our show grow up in the public eye, and between 12 and 22, every human being changes profoundly,” he said in his interview. “That being said, our hair and makeup and wardrobe department are pretty exceptional, using costumes and wigs and makeup. The ’80s are also our friends in returning these young adult actors to their iconic Hawkins characters. So we’re going to use all the tools available to us. And I know our cast is as eager to get back to work as the rest of us.”

Stranger Things season one premiered in 2016 and was a huge hit. Following that, the second and third seasons premiered in 2017, and 2019, each of them gaining more and more popularity. The fourth season was delayed until 2022 due to the pandemic and now, until the SAG-AFTRA strike ends, the season five premiere date is so far unknown. 

The first four seasons of Stranger Things are available on Netflix.