Netflix: We don't plan to have a weekly release for Stranger Things' final season

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https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/str...ix-1235287277/

Stranger Things 5 is expected to continue using the binge-release model. “For the fans of Stranger Things, this is how they’ve been watching that show, and I think to change that on them would be disappointing,” Peter Friedlander, Netflix’s head of scripted series for U.S. and Canada, said Tuesday during a Variety-moderated panel. “To not give them exactly what they’ve been expecting — which is Stranger Things is a seasonal experience, they go through that with them — I think that it would be an abrupt change for the member." He added: We fundamentally believe that we want to give our members the choice in how they view. And so giving them that option on these scripted series to watch as much as they want to watch when they watch it, is still fundamental to what we want to provide. And so when you see something like a batched season with Stranger Things, this is our attempt at making sure we can get shows out quicker to the members.”

ALSO:

• Duffer Brothers expect a final-season time jump because of their aging young stars: “I’m sure we will do a time jump,” says Ross Duffer. “Ideally, we’d have shot (Seasons 4 and 5) back to back, but there was just no feasible way to do that." Ross Duffer adds: “Believe it or not, we’re still working on Season 4. We’re trying to finish the final two episodes, they’re so massive.”
• Stranger Things 4's 2-1/2 hours season finale has more special effects shots than all of Stranger Things 3
• Stranger Things 4 is on track to becoming Netflix's most-watched English-language season
• How the Empire State Building ended up promoting Stranger Things with a video, light and audio stunt

Stranger Things music supervisor on Kate Bush success: “Ummm, is this really happening?!?”

Season 4 of the Netflix sci-fi series has not only propelled 1985's “Running Up That Hill” to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, Bush's highest ranking ever in the U.S., but it has also made her 1985 studio album Hounds of Love No. 1 on Billboard's alternative albums chart. "With regard to the phenomenon of this surreal Kate Bush moment, I’d have to say my reaction is still, 'Ummm, is this really happening?!?,'" says longtime Stranger Things music supervisor Nora Felder. "I was hopeful that Kate’s song would resonate for the show and be significant for today’s youth for a variety of reasons. But honestly, who could have possibly imagined or foreseen this lightning-in-a bottle moment? On a broader level, I am also grateful for all of the positive responses to the music, which of course owes a substantial debt to the Duffer brothers and the tremendous work they have done with season four. From my perspective, one of the wonders of Stranger Things is that it has a way of connecting each of the songs to its multigenerational audience around the world in very unique ways." Felder adds: "For me, that reflects the power of a meaningful, timeless song – such as 'Running Up That Hill' – and how its significance can be revived and reconceived when it is married to a remarkable story such as Stranger Things. The popularity of Stranger Things appears to have breathed new life into a song that deserves to be heard and reheard for decades to come. This season and Kate Bush’s song really seem to touch on the experience of alienation and emotional struggle that a lot of teens have been and continue to be going through, albeit in different ways. Moreover, it reminds me that when we can’t find the support and understanding we may need from others, we sometimes turn to music that relates to our experience as a much needed source of validation and strength. To me, Kate Bush’s 'Running Up That Hill' seems to does just that."

ALSO:

• A renaissance doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and the Bushassaince is no exception: "Pop stars tend to hang around until they overstay their welcome, which is what makes Bush’s notorious reclusivity particularly alluring," says Nate Rogers. "(She has largely avoided live shows her entire career, and rarely grants interviews. Just the fact that she posted a brief statement about the Stranger Things flurry was notable industry news.) For decades, discovering her discography has felt like discovering a secret stash that was hiding in plain sight." Jason Lipshutz, the executive director of music at Billboard, admits that even when considering the way charts are changing to include more older music, the Kate Bush resurgence is still an aberration. “We have songs that kind of bubble up and then bubble back down,” Lipshutz explains, “and then you have the other instances like this, where it’s, like, a monumental leap on the charts.”
• Billboard tries to explain "Running Up That Hill's" Stranger Things resurgence: As Lipshutz points out, “'Running Up That Hill' is not just featured in Stranger Things, the biggest streaming show of the year, but the song is basically a character within it – tied inextricably to the action of season 4, soundtracking one of its most dramatic moments, and even name-checked (and shown onscreen in cassette form!) multiple times. There are successful TV syncs, and then there’s being exalted in an enormous series, and introduced to a new generation of listeners that weren’t born when 'Running Up That Hill' peaked at No. 30 upon its 1985 release. Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the greatest pop songs ever written, too." Fellow Billboard staffer Katie Bain adds: "With nearly three years between the last and this new season of Stranger Things, we fans of the show were basically foaming at the mouth for new episodes. So, my sense is that the crazy success of this sync is a function of the massive popularity of and pent-up interest in Stranger Things, paired with the fact that 'Hill' was used so effectively. The song’s appearance in the first episode was surprising, fresh and perfect, with Kate’s distress capturing the angst and isolation Max is experiencing after the succession of traumas she’s endured in Hawkins. Bringing the track back in the climactic moment of Max’s exorcism, and imbuing it with mystic power as the only thing that will save her from the monster Vecna, was a huge moment for fans of the show, and a moment that’s now synonymous with the song. (For better or worse, whenever I hear it going forward, I’ll likely see Sadie Sink levitating with her eyes rolled back in her head.)"
• "Running Up That Hill" marks the eighth time that a past hit has re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 in the Top 10