'Stranger Things' finale sparks Netflix outage complaints

Netflix appears to have experienced technical issues as fans rushed to watch the Stranger Things series finale on New Year’s Eve.

The final episode of the hit show premiered at 5 p.m. PT on December 31. Shortly after its release, some viewers reported trouble streaming the episode, titled Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up. 

The disruption was likely caused by a large number of fans logging on at the same time to watch the highly anticipated ending.

Several viewers said they were met with an error message that read, “Something went wrong. Sorry, we’re having trouble with your request. You’ll find lots to explore on the home page.”

Fans quickly shared their frustration on X. One user wrote, “Waking up since 2 am just to watch Netflix crash unreal craze stranger Things finale.” Another added, “NETFLIX CRASH JUST AS IT HITS 1AM OFC IT FUCKING DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID.”

This isn’t the first time Netflix has faced issues during the show’s final season. The platform also experienced a brief outage on November 26, when season five, Volume 1 was released. 

At the time, Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter, “Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes.”

The outlet has reached out to Netflix for comment on the latest incident but did not receive a response before publication.

The fifth and final season of Stranger Things was released in three parts: Volume 1 on November 26, Volume 2 on December 25 and the series finale on December 31, which is also screening in theaters.