--- description: Everybody’s favorite sci-fi Netflix show is back for season two. Here’s when you can start binging new episodes of Stranger Things. title: What We Know So Far About Stranger Things Season 2 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6f76a23c44a617d3/6988e0abbc6cfce0073e3626/171005-netflix-price-increase.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Television](/tag/television/) ## Television Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # _Stranger Things_ Season 2 Is Your Halloween Binge. Here's What to Know Now by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:52 AM CUTPublished: Oct 12, 2017 3:38 PM CUT  Stranger Things Stranger ThingsJackson Lee Davis—Netflix by [Ashley Hoffman](/author/ashley-hoffman/) ## Ashley Hoffman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Updated: Dec 13, 2023 2:52 AM CUTPublished: Oct 12, 2017 3:38 PM CUT _Update: Since the publication of this article,_ [_a new trailer for_ ](http://time.com/4980832/stranger-things-season-2-trailer-friday-the-13th/ "undefined")[Stranger Things](http://time.com/4980832/stranger-things-season-2-trailer-friday-the-13th/ "undefined") [_season 2 has been released_](http://time.com/4980832/stranger-things-season-2-trailer-friday-the-13th/ "undefined")_._ The wait for _Stranger Things_ season 2_,_ one of the most anticipated Netflix shows of the year, is almost over. Gather as much chocolate pudding as you can carry because the new season of [_Stranger Things_](http://time.com/4662118/stranger-things-season-2-details/ "undefined") hits Netflix on Oct. 27\. The Halloween-themed season will continue to evolve the _Stranger Things_ plot from the first season, which left fans with [several pressing questions and theories](http://time.com/4426157/questions-stranger-things-still-needs-to-answer/ "undefined"). Just how many episodes of _Stranger Thing_s can fans expect? All together, season 2 will consist of nine new installments. See the titles of the episodes from what co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer have dubbed [_Stranger Things 2_](http://ew.com/tv/2017/09/27/stranger-things-2-cover-story/ "undefined") in a nod to cinematic sequels: “Madmax,” “The Boy Who Came Back to Life,” “The Pumpkin Patch,” “The Palace,” “The Storm” and “The Pollywog.” But leave it to _Stranger Things_ to make everything a mystery. It seems as though some of the episode titles may have evolved as a new trailer teases unnamed chapters 7-9\. (They were previously titled “The Secret Cabin,” “The Brain” and “The Lost Brother.”) > [](https://twitter.com/Stranger%5FThings/status/917389204241313795) The whole _Stranger Things_ cast will be back for season 2\. That includes Joyce (Winona Ryder), Hopper (David Harbour), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will (Noah Schnapp), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Steve (Joe Keery) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), along with a few newcomers. (More on them later.) A [critical darling](http://www.metacritic.com/tv/stranger-things "undefined"), _Stranger Things_ scored 18 [Emmy nominations](http://time.com/4938796/emmys-2017-stranger-things-kids/ "undefined") including one for outstanding drama series, as well as acting nods for Harbour and Brown. Unexpectedly, Shannon Purser, [who played the beloved Barb](http://time.com/4856950/emmys-2017-barb-stranger-things-reactions/ "undefined"), was also nominated. > [](https://twitter.com/Stranger%5FThings/status/914476402547838976) ## _Stranger Things_ Season 2 Trailer The [_Stranger Things_ season 2 trailer](http://ew.com/tv/2017/02/09/stranger-things-2-exclusive-plot-revealed/ "undefined") opens on everyone’s favorite squad at a local arcade playing the adventure video game Dragon’s Lair. Will’s back from the Upside Down with a serious case of PTSD. Case in point: Will “sees” a massive arachnid-like monster there to make sure everyone’s lives stay nice and high-stress. But the biggest revelation? We see Eleven reaching through a wall and into the school, confirming that she’ll be back in the _Stranger Things_ mix. Overall, the trailer goes for a spooky vibe. The boys even appear in period-appropriate costumes from _Ghostbusters_. Over on the cool side of smalltown America with Nancy and Steve, there are more references to 1984 cultural touchstones at a Halloween party (see: _Risky Business’s_ and Madonna’s “Material Girl”). But midway through the trailer Vincent Price’s famous “Thriller” voiceover kicks in, and it’s clear that something even more horrific than the first season is threatening Hawkins: an inky new multi-limbed monster seemingly out to lay waste to the town. More good news: Will says he can feel it “everywhere.”  While the _Stranger Things_ trailer doesn’t reveal any of the show’s new faces, Netflix announced that there’s a new family in town. Billy (Dacre Montgomery) is the brother of tough skater girl Max (Sadie Sink), who befriends Dustin and Lucas. As for Billy, he “doesn’t exactly make friends.” Meet Max in the video below. Also of note: Paul Reiser will play Dr. Owens who’s likely the guy conducting tests on Will. Brett Gelman will play disgraced journalist Murray Bauman, who should fit right in with his conspiracy theorist tendencies, and Sean Astin will play Joyce’s new man Bob. ## _Stranger Things_ Characters: Then and Now The show begins right before Halloween in 1984, nearly one year after the first installment. Last we left the _Stranger Things_ characters, Eleven had destroyed the _Stranger Things_ monster with her mind, and simultaneously disintegrated. Good news: she’s still [out there somewhere](http://time.com/4426157/questions-stranger-things-still-needs-to-answer/ "undefined"). And in the final moments, we saw Will cough up a slug in front of the bathroom mirror, suggesting the Upside Down was still in his system, and potentially, the Hawkins sewer system, which should bode well for everyone! In the aftermath of season one, Will’s getting routine brain tests, which people are closely monitoring. He also seems to be in touch with the bigger, badder monster more than the others, proclaiming it isn’t after him, but it does want “everyone else.” Let’s check in on the others: Joyce is dating her old high school classmate Bob (played by Sean Astin, who starred in 1985’s _The Goonies,_ which inspired the show). Officially, Hopper is trying to cover up all the disaster from season 1\. But he’s still on the hunt for the truth. “Whatever’s happening is spreading from this place,” he declares in the trailer. We also hear Mike say to Eleven: “If you’re out there, just please give me a sign.” It looks like he’s about to get one. Nancy misses Barb. Poor Barb and everyone whose life she touched.  ## _Stranger Things_ Season 2 Theories One popular _Stranger Things_ theory is that The Upside Down is just a friendly dimension that’s a portal to another, much worse [dimension](https://www.thewrap.com/stranger-things-season-2-fan-theories-netflix-duffer-brothers/ "undefined"). Also of note: Eleven seems pretty casual when she’s reaching through the wall, meaning perhaps she’s in a sort of limbo that isn’t as perilous as what’s coming for everyone now.  Stranger Things Courtesy Netflix—Courtesy Netflix ## _Stranger Things_ Seasons 3 and 4: Coming Soon? There might be three more _Stranger Things_ seasons coming after the conclusion of season 2. “We’re thinking it will be a four-season thing and then out,” co-creator Ross Duffer told [_New York_](http://www.vulture.com/2017/08/the-duffer-brothers-upside-down-journey-to-stranger-things.html "undefined") magazine in August. At that point, it seemed fans would have to find another way to experience joy in life. But in September, producer Shawn Levy told [_Entertainment Weekly_](http://ew.com/tv/2017/09/28/netflix-stranger-things-how-many-seasons/ "undefined") they might feed the frenzy with five seasons. “The truth is we’re definitely going four seasons and there’s very much the possibility of a fifth. Beyond that, it becomes I think very unlikely.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4971206/stranger-things-season-2-release-date/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4971206/stranger-things-season-2-release-date/"},"headline":"Stranger Things Season 2 Is Your Halloween Binge. Here's What to Know Now","datePublished":"2017-10-12T15:38:46.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-13T02:52:19.000Z","description":"Everybody’s favorite sci-fi Netflix show is back for season two. 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