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Ever since Season 4 of Stranger Things was dropped in two parts, seven episodes on May 27, 2022 followed by the last two episodes on July 1, Netflix has been employing the split-season release strategy for some of its biggest shows.
Virgin River‘s fifth season released 10 episodes in September 2023, followed by a two-episode season finale/holiday special almost two months later. The same year, The Witcher‘s third season also came in two batches, 8 episodes and 3 episodes, almost a month apart, with The Crown’s final season divided into four-episode and six-episode installments, also four weeks apart.
In 2024, Netflix started splitting seasons in half, with the latest seasons of Bridgerton, Emily In Paris and Outer Banks all scheduled that way.
There have been different explanations for Netflix’s pivot away from their signature binge drop releases. The streamer at the time justified the Stranger Things two-part Season 4 with the fact that the VFX-heavy finale needed extra time for post-production. Getting new episodes to fans faster, especially amid pandemic or strike-related production delays, has been an argument along with a way to prolong the buzz and cultural impact of a new season as well as reducing churn when the episode drops are more than a month apart, spanning two pay periods.
Whatever the intent, fans have not been too happy about the practice, with some claiming that watching the first part felt unfinished and few even saying they had moved on to another show by the time the second batch of episodes came on, making for a lesser impact of the season altogether.
During a Q&A following the Next On Netflix preview presentation Wednesday, Deadline asked the streamer’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria about the hybrid release model and its mixed results.
“I’m not sure it was mixed results,” Bajaria said. She noted that the split-season release pattern originated during the pandemic.
“Some of those have been for reasons, because it was during Covid and strikes to get the shows on so audiences don’t have to wait for a long time,” she said. “A lot of times it’s been creator-driven. Peter Morgan on The Crown, Shonda Rhimes on Bridgerton, there was a way that they wanted to structure or write it because they felt it was an actual, natural emotional break. So there’s no set way, it depends on what’s best for the show.”
Netflix has not used the half-season drop model in several months, with three of the streamer’s biggest shows, Squid Game, The Night Agent and Virgin River, all getting new installments put out as a season binge.
While Bajaria left it open whether Netflix would continue to divide seasons into batches, she would not share whether any shows would do it in 2025, including the final season of Stranger Things, which has entered post-production after a year-long shoot. That elaborate process could also take a year, making it a tight 2025 release, likely toward the end of the year. A split season could alleviate the pressure of at least some new episodes making it in 2025.
“When it comes out, whenever and however it comes out, you’re going to love every second of it,” Bajaria said about Season 5 of Stranger Things, declining further comment.
