It’s official: Netflix has decided to renew its 80s-nostalgic sci-fi hit Stranger Things for a third season, Variety reports. Rumors of third season were already being discussed back in August when show creators Matt and Ross Duffer suggested Netflix had prompted them to form story plans for the series’ next installment. But this week, the streaming service came out with the formal announcement that Stranger Things will, in fact, have a third season.
The announcement comes with little to no surprise. Stranger Things is among Netflix’s most successful shows, and in the wake of House of Cards’ unexpected early cancellation after the Kevin Spacey scandal Netflix needed to keep its line-up steady. This, combined with season 2’s huge ratings, made a renewal for the Duffer Brothers’ series virtually guaranteed.
Unfortunately, the Duffer Brother’s don’t anticipate their series running for too much longer. In an interview conducted this past summer, the two filmmakers revealed that they expect Stranger Things to end with four seasons. Ross Duffer said, “We’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out,” with brother Matt going on to joke that, “I don’t know if we can justify something bad happening to [the kids] once a year.”
Fans weren’t sure how the Duffer Brothers would be able to top season 1, but many were thrilled with the show’s sophomore season and were impressed with the show’s ever-expanding scope and intensity. If the brothers can maintain Stranger Things’ momentum with season 3, the series will remain a force to be reckoned with.
All episodes of Stranger Things season 2 are streaming now on Netflix.