Stranger Things criticised after Millie Bobby Brown makes point about her age

With the final season of Stranger Things on the horizon, there is massive anticipation for the conclusion of the hit Netflix show.

The latest season (four) released in 2022 is the second-most-viewed series on the streaming giant with over 140,700,000 views.

Plus, there is an award-winning stage production based on the show and plans for different spin-offs which are in the works.

So there are certainly big expectations for how the popular TV show is going to end - especially since the five seasons have taken over a decade to be made.

The length of time the show has been in production has been specifically highlighted by actor Millie Bobby Brown who rose to fame playing the popular character Eleven who was born with special psychokinetic abilities.

"So I started when I was ten. I’m now turning 20 years old," she said in behind-the-scenes footage that was recently released.

It's a topic that viewers have also widely discussed on social media, as one person wrote: "The nineties being the era that today’s kids/teens are tapping for trend revivals is funny because it means ‘stranger things’ has taken so long to put out five seasons, the 30-year nostalgia cycle has moved on to the decade AFTER the one that the show pulled on for its aesthetic."

"They’re definitely gonna have to start season 5 of Stranger Things off with a time jump. Those kids are gonna be damn near 30 paying bills by the time it comes out," another person said.

Someone else added: "It’s kinda wild how most shows with a younger cast will try and make the show quickly in order to keep the cast looking like the ages they’re meant to be in the show. Meanwhile, Stranger Things is like what if we took nearly 10 years to bring out 5 seasons?"

Much of the main cast has grown up on the show similar to Brown since they were all children in the first series.

Currently, Brown is 20, Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler) and Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin Henderson) are both 21, Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) are 22 years old and Noah Schnapp (Will Byers) is the youngest of the cast at 19 years old.

While in the actual storyline, just a few years have gone by for the characters that live in Hawkins who are around 16-17 years old.

This is something one of the Stranger Things executive producers Shawn Levy has acknowledged and shared how they bridge this age gap with makeup and wardrobe.

“We've already watched the cast of our show grow up in the public eye, and between 12 and 22, every human being changes profoundly," he told Variety last year.

“This passage of time is definitely not helping. That being said, our hair and makeup and wardrobe department are pretty exceptional, using costumes and wigs and makeup.

“The ’80s are also our friends in returning these young adult actors to their iconic Hawkins characters.

He added: “So we’re going to use all the all the tools available to us. And I know our cast is as eager to get back to work as the rest of us.”

For those excited to watch the final season of Stranger Things, you still have some time left to wait as the series isn't expected to be released until 2025.

Netflix shared that the new series is currently halfway through production.

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