Those of you currently doodling in your notebooks and daydreaming about Stranger Things sprawling out into a multi-decade saga should adjust your expectations: The show isn’t even going to make it into the ’90s. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, series creators Matt and Ross Duffer discuss the future of their Netflix hit heading into season two, indicating that they’ve got a four or five season arc in mind for the show. As Matt puts it, “I want it to have a really finite ending. I don’t want it to be one of those shows that runs out of gas and they lose it because they’re losing interest. You want to end when you’re on top.”
So, assuming the show doesn’t jump forward in time and keeps setting seasons one year apart, that would place the finale of Stranger Things in either 1986 or 1987. But while we might not get to see a college-age Will get his first cell phone or the boys dial up AOL for the first time, we can also rest assured that the people running the show are conscious of not overstaying their welcome.
This news comes as Netflix releases a bunch of new stills teasing the events of season two; you can see those above and below, and hopefully buy yourself a little time until Stranger Things returns to Netflix this Halloween.