When Every ‘Stranger Things’ Season Takes Place Because The Timeline’s Not As Weird As You Think

Thanks to the recent hiatus, it has been six years since Stranger Things first dropped on Netflix and became a pop culture phenomenon. And despite a few awkward growth spurts, the coming-of-age story that has spanned four seasons is not totally making us pretend that the young actors haven’t aged. Time has passed in the world of Stranger Things as well. How much time, exactly? Let’s break it down.

Season 1 (2016)

First of all, the majority of Season 1 takes place in November, 1983. We begin in the early 80s. The Christmas season played a big role in the first spooky adventure that our young Hawkins heroes embarked upon.

Season 2 (2017)

Next, the second season picks up almost a year later in October of 1984. Because of that, we see characters mourning the anniversary of Barb’s death and disappearance. This is triggering for survivors of the Upside Down like Will, and Eleven.

Season 3 (2019)

After that it’s summer 1985, June to be specific, in the third season. The finale takes place on July 4. The change of season was key to Season 3. It meant that we could finally go to the pool and see some of the older teens get summer jobs. It also allowed Stranger Things to pay homage to summer blockbusters from the 80s, not just horror and science fiction flicks.

Season 4 (2022)

Finally, according to Netflix’s official plot description of the upcoming season, it takes place six months after the Battle of Harcourt Mall. That places the first part of the fourth season in January 1986.

So, in total, twenty-six months have passed in storytime — just under three years. (This does not include flashbacks.) The kids are growing up. They may even be growing apart. We’re also well into the 80s now.

Season 4 will drop two batches of episodes in 2022, and Stranger Things has already been renewed for a fifth and final season. Season 5 will probably take place in 1987 at this rate … but who knows? Maybe it’ll make it to the 90s.

(image: Netflix)

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Leah Marilla Thomas

Leah Marilla Thomas (she/her) is a contributor at The Mary Sue. She has been working in digital entertainment journalism since 2013, covering primarily television as well as film and live theatre. She's been on the Marvel beat professionally since Daredevil was a Netflix series. (You might recognize her voice from the Newcomers: Marvel podcast). Outside of journalism, she is 50% Southerner, 50% New Englander, and 100% fangirl over everything from Lord of the Rings to stage lighting and comics about teenagers. She lives in New York City and can often be found in a park. She used to test toys for Hasbro. True story!