“We thought Season 4 was going to be eight [episodes], and they were going to be regular length,” Matt Duffer told Collider.
With less set-up work to do, and the story rolling straight from the climax of Stranger Things 4 into the new season, they expect episodes to move at a brisker pace.
The season ran nine episodes, all but one of which were over 75 minutes long.
It won’t be quite the same for the series’ fifth and final season, showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer have now revealed.