Though a Wednesday report claimed that the Duffer Brothers wanted “Stranger Things 5” to release weekly on Netflix, the series creators quickly shut this rumor down.
On Wednesday, The Ankler reported that the Duffer Brothers pitched to send their ’80s-set sci-fi/fantasy show out with a bang, breaking the traditional Netflix model by releasing new episodes on a weekly basis.
“It’s noteworthy that all the alternate release ideas discussed flew in the face of the all-at-once binge model, given co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ long-held belief that audiences are served better that way,” the article reads. The full breakdown is included in a subscribers-only column.
The Duffer Brothers, however, wasted no time in denying this report in the public forum. Ross Duffer went on Instagram Wednesday to post a Discussing Film screenshot about the weekly release report on his story.
“Nope that was never pitched or discussed ✌️,” Ross said.
A weekly release for “Stranger Things 5” would be a bold move, one that goes against every traditional rollout strategy employed by the streaming giant. The binge model popularized by Netflix has long been questioned for its inability to maintain months-long interest in the same way as weekly models. While a weekly release of “Stranger Things 5” would generate eight weeks of conversation, binge models can often sequester conversation to smaller windows of time.
Netflix has, however, begun tooling around with middle grounds in the past few years, often employing two-part release strategies for their biggest titles. For “Stranger Things 5,” the company is taking things even further to give what is arguably their biggest show a three-part release: four episodes the day before Thanksgiving, three on Christmas and the finale on New Year’s Eve.
The Duffer Brothers may not have asked for a weekly release for their “Stranger Things” finale, but they are still getting something a bit more protracted than a single-day hit.
