Netflix crashes as 'Stranger Things 5' finale premieres
What's the story
Netflix experienced a major service disruption as the series finale of Stranger Things premiered. The eighth and final episode of ST Season 5 dropped on December 31, 2025, at 8:00pm ET/5:00pm PT, which was January 1, 2026, at 6:30am IST. The streaming platform, which has faced technical issues in the past during high-demand releases, saw users encounter error messages and buffering problems. This is the second time this season that Stranger Things has put a strain on Netflix's infrastructure.
User experience
'Something went wrong,' Netflix's error message read
The disruption lasted for several minutes, according to user reports, and was resolved after refreshing the page a few times. Users who encountered the error were greeted with an image from Nailed It! and a message that read, "Something went wrong. Sorry, we're having trouble with your request. You'll find lots to explore on the home page." The same error message was displayed during a similar incident in November when Volume 1 of Season 5 was released.
Record-breaking release
'Stranger Things' finale drew massive viewership
The finale of Stranger Things Season 5 was released on New Year's Eve in select theaters. It was a record-breaking release for Netflix, with the fifth and final season racking up 34.5 million views between December 22-28. This was the second-best weekly total for the season after its debut with 59.6 million views in November, marking Netflix's biggest opening week for an English-language title to date.
Franchise growth
'Stranger Things' franchise continues to expand
The Stranger Things franchise has continued to grow since its debut on Netflix in July 2016. The show returned for Seasons 2 and 3 in 2017 and 2019, respectively, and Season 4 was released in two volumes in 2022. The final season followed the same format with a split-release strategy. Beyond television, the franchise also expanded into theater with Stranger Things: First Shadow, which premiered in London's West End in 2023 and is currently running on Broadway.