From 2016 to 2019, I joined millions of others in becoming a big fan of the Stranger Things series on Netflix.
However, in my opinion, the storyline ended with Season 3 (actually, more like Season 2, when Eleven finally closed the gate between dimensions; but Season 3 tied in nicely, with the Russians attempting to re-open the gate, and Joyce & Hopper blowing up the machine, to the demise of Hopper…so I’ll include S3 as viable).
However, not only did they go in a different direction with Season 4 (which I didn’t find as engaging as seasons 1 thru 3), they have also delayed the release of Season 5 for 3 years now, speculating release sometime in 2025—and there’s even word now that it may no be released until 2026, FOUR YEARS since Season 4 aired!
After such a long delay, who would still be interested?
UPDATE 7/17/25:
Netflix has finally released a Stranger Things Season 5 trailer, with release dates listed in Nov & Dec of 2025. And, after watching the trailer (wait—is that Linda Hamilton??)…well, now I suppose I’m gonna have to watch the final season after all!
Take a look:
UPDATE Jan 2026: So Season 5 was finally released in Nov/Dec of 2025, and after watching it (meh), I still stand by my assessment of the entire series: The original storyline of Stranger Things ended with Season 3, Season 4 seemed to go in a different direction altogether, and Season 5, in my always humble opinion, seemed to be grasping for some way to bring it all together and end it coherently—at which it barely succeeded. And frankly, I found much of it cringe-worthy, especially in the first half of the season. So I’m exceedingly happy to have all 3 seasons of the original Stranger Things storyline on DVD, in the vintage “throw-back” VHS cases, as detailed below:
Okay, so here’s the thing: Stranger Things seasons 1 & 2 were released on DVD in a vintage or “throw-back” VHS case, which you open and it contains the DVDs instead of a VHS cassette. I thought this was especially cool, as I managed a video store for a large chain in Indianapolis, back before DVDs were a thing, when everything was VHS (I know, I know, showing my age…)
So I purchased the first two seasons in this special edition packaging, and eagerly awaited the release of Season 3…which never happened. (Again, I’m only interested in the first 3 seasons, and wanted to complete the DVD collection in the VHS cases for my collection). So, I kept waiting and searching and waiting and searching, but it has yet to be released in the VHS packaging.
Well, the Season 2 case has a clear cover on it, which accepts a “slip cover” under it, so the cover can be changed to whatever you want. (This was how we labeled the VHS cases at the store I managed, printed the names/info of the movies on blank white covers and slipped them into the case covers, then changed them out as old movies were sold off and new movies added for rent).
Finally, tired of waiting for the special edition release of Season 3 (that may never come), I decide to make my own!
So I set out to design my own cover for Season 3 (it’s kinda what I do), purchased a used Season 2 VHS package on eBay, then replaced the cover with my own cover, and voilà! I now have my own Stranger Things Season 3 DVD set in the vintage, “throw-back” VHS case—the only one in the world!
Then I found a set of Stranger Things Season 3 FYC DVDs (For Your Consideration, similar to an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in the book industry, a pre-release DVD sent out for review/promotion prior to official release), and replaced the Season 2 DVDs with the Season 3 FYC DVDs:
Also, I had to replace the internal Season 2 VHS cassette label with my custom-designed Season 3 label…
Anyway, just a fun little project I enjoyed, and wanted to share, for what it’s worth…now I have a matching set!
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