Stranger Things, Wednesday & More Major Netflix Shows That Won't Return Until 2025
"Stranger Things" will come to an end after the conclusion of Season 5, wrapping up what has remained one of Netflix's flagship series since its premiere in 2016. Although "Stranger Things" Season 5 may be coming sooner than fans might think, its production was impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 nevertheless, meaning the wait for the show's conclusion will be longer than the streaming service initially anticipated.
On February 1, Netflix revealed which of its existing shows will be returning for new seasons in 2024. Implicitly, this list also confirmed which new seasons of its major series can be expected to premiere in 2025 due to their absences. Unsurprisingly, "Stranger Things" is among these. Another mega-popular series in the same boat is "Wednesday." Also absent from Netflix's list are "One Piece," "Sweet Magnolias," "The Lincoln Lawyer," "Ginny & Georgia," "The Recruit," "The Watcher," "Virgin River," and "XO, Kitty."
Netflix has officially renewed each of these series, but the fact that none of them are included on the streaming service's official slate of shows returning in 2024 effectively confirms premiere dates in 2025.
Stranger Things and Wednesday have start dates, but will require plenty of time in production
Production for "Stranger Things" Season 5 kicked off near the start of January. The fact that it won't be ready for at least another year is not surprising. While Season 4 before it doesn't necessarily make for an apt comparison due to pandemic complications impacting its filming, Season 3 entered into production in April of 2018 and didn't premiere until July of the following year. Since Season 5 should be bigger in scope, it's entirely possible the time between its first day of filming and its Netflix drop will end up lasting even longer.
Production on "Wednesday" Season 2 is scheduled to kick off in April, so it's possible Jenna Ortega's now-beloved take on Wednesday Addams won't be back on Netflix until the latter half of 2025. Season 1, by comparison, started filming in September of 2021 and premiered in November of 2022.
Meanwhile, various extenuating circumstances can mean that even comparatively smaller-scale shows still take some time to complete. "Virgin River," for instance, films in Vancouver and its production is contingent on winter weather easing up. For now, Netflix subscribers can look forward to shows like "Squid Game," "Cobra Kai," and "Bridgerton" that are already confirmed for 2024.