There’s No Way Stranger Things Season 5 Can Avoid A Time Jump Now

It has always seemed like Stranger Things season 5 might need a time jump to maintain credibility with viewers, but a recent behind-the-scenes image confirmed there’s no way the show can avoid it. Stranger Things proved a huge success when the series debuted in 2016, but the Netflix hit has run into a classic television production problem in the years since. At its core, Stranger Things is a series about a group of children. The adventures of Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will (and, in later seasons, Max and Erica) form the main focus of the show.

However, since the series began eight years ago, the children who play these characters have since grown up. Now, as Stranger Things season 5 enters production, the actors who play the show’s core group of young teenagers are aged between 19 and 22. Fortunately for these stars, Stranger Things season 5 will be the show’s final outing; they won’t have to pass as 15—16-year-olds for much longer. However, a look at a recent behind-the-scenes photo posted on the show’s official X account proves that most of the young actors can’t reliably pass as their on-screen ages.

Stranger Things Season 5 Character Teases Suggest A Time Jump Will Be Necessary

Judging from the official post on X, it becomes obvious that Stranger Things season 5’s cast growing up makes a time jump necessary. Priah Ferguson’s character Erica should be 11 in season 5, while Charlie Heaton’s Jonathan Byers is intended to be around 18, but the 17-year-old and 29-year-old both look a lot older than their characters’ respective ages. Few of the main cast members fare any better, with the central quintet all looking closer to 20 than 13. Famous Stranger Things fan James Cameron even noted the “Stranger Things effect” in interviews when he explained that he specifically shot the Avatar sequels together to avoid the cast aging out of their roles.

Looking at the cast photo, it is hard to argue that this isn’t apt. What makes this worse is the fact that some characters, like Jonathan, need more focus in Stranger Things season 5, not less, so the show can’t simply avoid screen time for actors who have visibly aged. Further, the show’s main older teenage characters are recent high school graduates or students, so actors Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, and Natalia Dyer are all faced with this same problem.

Why A Stranger Things Season 5 Time Jump Makes Sense For The Story

Fortunately for Stranger Things, a time jump could be a good thing coming into season 5. This would allow the show to explore the effect of Eleven temporarily defeating Vecna, as well as showing how the Upside Down has seeped into Hawkins over a longer period. It would also help explain how Max gets out of the coma in which she was left by the ending of season 4, since Sadie Sink’s presence in the cast lineup proves her character will return in season 5. Considering all the factors at play, a time jump is not only necessary but potentially beneficial for Stranger Things season 5 as the show comes to its conclusion.