On Nov. 28, 2023, the Disney fan blog Inside The Magic published an article with a headline claiming that Netflix had cancelled Season 5 of its hit show "Stranger Things." The article began:
‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 'Canceled,' Fate Confirmed
The Netflix hit television series Stranger Things has become an iconic flagship for the streaming service, but it still has faced its fair share of challenges. If you haven’t taken time to watch Netflix’s hit television series Stranger Things, now is the time. Created by the Duffer Brothers, this sci-fi horror show has captured the hearts of millions with its nostalgic homage to 1980s pop culture and its thrilling supernatural storyline.
However, the body of the story made no mention of the show's supposed cancellation. Instead, it discussed the already-known fact that Season 5 would be the show's final season, planned for an early-2025 release. On Feb. 17, 2022, the official Stranger Things account on X (known as Twitter at the time of the post) shared a letter from the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, that explained the two-volume release schedule for the show's fourth season and mentioned that the fifth season would be the show's last.
uoos noʎ ǝǝs pic.twitter.com/pJ71dRgmo1
— Stranger Things (@Stranger_Things) February 17, 2022
The closest the viral article got to describing any kind of cancellation was two paragraphs referencing a potential controversy about one of the show's stars, Noah Schnapp. Schnapp, who plays Will Byers on the show, was recorded laughing as two people standing next to him held up stickers saying "Zionism is sexy" and "Hamas is ISIS" in mid-November.
An article in Teen Vogue described the fallout he received on social media, with some fans calling for a boycott, or his removal from the show. However, an article from The Streamr claimed that Schnapp will be one of the main characters in Season 5 of "Stranger Things," and that Netflix had no plans to fire him. Because the Streamr article only cited anonymous sources, Snopes could not independently verify those claims.
Given the massive success of "Stranger Things" as a franchise (it was the most streamed show of 2022, for instance), something major would have to happen to cancel the long-awaited final season. Plus, as of this writing, Netflix had not released a statement claiming that Season 5 was cancelled.
This viral headline was nothing more than clickbait: Fans of "Stranger Things" can rest comfortably knowing that the final season was still planned for early 2025.