“Stranger Things” season four is almost here. The Netflix original quickly popularized upon its initial release in 2016 and became one of the most-watched shows on the streaming service. After three years of anticipation following the release of season three, the show is finally coming back when season four, volume one releases on May 27. 

This season picks up six months after the finale of season three. The group is split up as the Byers have just moved to California with Eleven. The kids are now facing bigger challenges than a 30-foot monster from another dimension– high school. Their problems with the upside-down are only beginning as the trailer gave us a new look at the villain for the season: “Vecna.”

The original plan was not to wait three years between seasons three and four, but the pandemic caused year-long delays that pushed the release date further and further. However, that time did not go to waste. Matt and Ross Duffer, the show’s creators, finished writing the entire season’s script during the pause from production, which they usually write as episodes are being filmed. The extra time off allowed them to perfect the script while coming up with new ideas for the season. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ross Duffer stated, “The pandemic has given us time to look ahead, figure out what is best for the show. Starting to fill that out gave us a better idea of how long we need to tell that story.” 

This season is also the biggest the show has ever made in terms of both how much each episode costs and how long the episodes will be. The newest season consisted of nine scripts with over 800 pages in total. This created nine episodes all having a runtime of over an hour, resulting in 12-14 hours of runtime for the entire season. Every previous season has come in at just under eight total hours of runtime. 

Matt Duffer said in an interview with Deadline, “I don’t think we have an episode clocking in under an hour– even in season 1 there were episodes that were like 35 minutes. You kind of forget that. This season, they’re very long, so I think it’s almost double the length of any season.” 

Double the runtime means each character will get more focus throughout the season and certain questions that were raised in the past three seasons will be answered. The added length did not come at a low cost. Every episode had a budget of $30 million. For reference, season three only cost $10 million per episode, and “Game of Thrones” season eight only cost $15 million per episode. It’s safe to say the money went to good use upon viewing the season four trailer. 

The wait is finally over as “Stranger Things” season 4, Volume 1 releases on May 27, with Volume 2 releasing shortly after on July 1.