Netflix Crashes Again As ‘Stranger Things’ Finale Premieres

Netflix briefly crashed as the final episode of Stranger Things premiered on New Year’s Eve, leaving several viewers unable to stream the finale at launch. The outage occurred on Wednesday, exactly when the much-anticipated series finale dropped. Users reported being locked out for about a minute before service was restored, often after refreshing the app. During the disruption, viewers were shown Netflix’s familiar error screen featuring the “Nailed it” image and the message: “Something went wrong. Sorry, we’re having trouble with your request. You’ll find lots to explore on the home page.”

This was not the first time Stranger Things triggered technical issues on the platform. Netflix experienced a brief outage of around five minutes on November 26 when the first four episodes of Season 5 were released. Similar glitches were also reported when the final episodes of Season 4 premiered in July 2022.

However, the platform successfully handled the second batch of Stranger Things Season 5 episodes released on Christmas Day, which helped Netflix record its highest-ever viewership for that date. The fifth and final season drew 34.5 million views between December 22 and 28. The series finale also debuted in select theatres on New Year’s Eve, adding to the buzz surrounding the show’s conclusion.