Stranger Things Finale Breaks the Internet, Leaving Netflix Crashing

 

After nearly a decade of Demogorgons, bike rides through Hawkins, and friendships forged in the Upside Down, Stranger Things has officially reached the end of its journey — and saying goodbye hasn’t been easy for anyone involved.

On a chilly Friday afternoon in December, creators Matt and Ross Duffer reunited with much of the beloved cast at New York City’s historic Paris Theatre for an emotional screening of the series finale, “The Rightside Up.” For most of the actors, it was the very first time seeing the two-hour-plus conclusion of the Netflix phenomenon that debuted back in 2016 and went on to change their lives forever.

Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Jamie Campbell Bower, Cara Buono, and more were all in attendance — a full-circle moment that Ross Duffer later described on Instagram as “emotional and cathartic.” He added simply, “While we’re finished telling this story, we are family now — forever.”

For Millie Bobby Brown, the ending hit especially close to home. She was just 11 years old when she first shaved her head to play Eleven. Now 21, married, and a new mother, Brown says the reality of the ending didn’t fully sink in until the very end. “It really has to be in my face for me to be like, ‘Oh my God! It’s happening,’” she shared. The table read, she added, was unexpectedly overwhelming. “I had to sit in my car for half an hour just to calm down before driving.”

Netflix has crashed following the release of the last ‘Stranger Things’ episode ever. pic.twitter.com/vlttuiNSL3

— Pop Base (@PopBase) January 1, 2026

Noah Schnapp echoed that sentiment, calling the hardest part “saying bye to everyone.” The day after filming wrapped, he admitted, was “devastating.” For many of the cast, it wasn’t the final shot that brought the tears — it was sitting together, reading the last chapter aloud as one.

Caleb McLaughlin realized the end was coming even earlier, during season four. “That was the last time we were looking forward to a new season,” he said. Gaten Matarazzo recalled the moment it hit him when a crew member casually mentioned how few weeks were left. “Suddenly, it was on the calendar — and not that far away.”

Despite the sadness, the cast also reflected on how far they’ve come. Sadie Sink, who joined the show as the “new kid” Max, has since earned a Tony nomination, starred in a Taylor Swift short film, and landed a Marvel role. Finn Wolfhard has stepped behind the camera as a director. And yet, they all agree Stranger Things will always be the bond that connects them.

“It feels like the end,” Wolfhard said, “but it also doesn’t. We’re still a family. That part lasts forever.”

As fans rushed to watch the finale on New Year’s Eve, the excitement was so intense that Netflix briefly crashed under the weight of viewers tuning in at once — a fittingly chaotic farewell for a show that routinely “broke the internet.” Social media erupted with frustration, jokes about the Upside Down invading Netflix’s servers, and heated debate over the fates of the characters.

Love it or hate it, the finale delivered answers, closure, and one last emotional ride through Hawkins. Most of the core characters survived, futures were imagined, relationships evolved, and the door was gently closed on a story that defined a generation of television.

As the cast looks ahead to what comes next — new roles, new risks, new chapters — they carry Stranger Things with them. As Sink put it, “It’s bittersweet. But I’m excited to grow more, to fail and succeed. We’ll see.”

The lights may be out in Hawkins, but the legacy of Stranger Things — and the family it created — is here to stay.