WARNING: This article contains spoilers for the final episode of Stranger Things.
Stranger Things is suitable for viewers aged 14 and older so should be watched with a parent if you are below that age group
The saga of the Stranger Things ‘final’ episode that never was is one fans will be talking about for years to come.
The “Conformity Gate” theory suggested it would be streamed from 7 January, prompting a frenzy of online excitement and theories.
However the day came and went with no new adventure for our heroes in Hawkins. Other Side of the Story has looked at how rumours and mistruths like this can get a life of their own across social media.
How did Stranger Things end and what happened next?
The final series of the popular sci-fi drama, set in the 1980s, had eight episodes, concluding on New Year’s Day in the UK. It ended with an epilogue that showed what life was like for the characters 18 months after the finale's dramatic events came to an end.
Even before the release of the episode, speculation about “hidden” footage had already prompted a petition to Netflix calling for it to be released. This was followed by a fan theory about a secret episode.
How did the rumours about a new ‘final’ episode spread?
The type of posts that we see when we scroll through social media are now largely dictated by algorithms. These computer programs are run by the companies that own the app or website you're using. You can read more about them in Other Side of the Story's guide to algorithms and filter bubbles on social media.
One important factor in algorithms is user engagement, explaining why you'll start to see other posts about the same subject after you've clicked, commented or shared something. When Other Side of the Story was researching the Stranger Things rumours, our writer's Facebook feed began to show posts by different groups dedicated to the series.
With fans discussing the "secret" final episode, every share pushed them onto more and more people's timelines.
The idea that there could be another episode of Stranger Things appears to have resulted from a combination of factors, including:
- Easter eggs and plot holes
There were elements in the final episode, known as Easter eggs, which made some viewers think there were hints that all wasn’t quite right and would be explained later. We won’t list them here in case you haven’t seen the episode yet!
- Netflix mentioning 7 January as a significant date
On Christmas Day Netflix posted a teaser video on its social media accounts with the message “Your Future is on its way. #WhatNext Jan 7, 2026.” This was later the date used in the Conformity Gate theory.
The name comes partly from the opening of various “gates” to the Upside Down throughout the series.
- TikTok and Reddit fans start discussing Conformity Gate
By 3 January, fans were discussing Conformity Gate in a dedicated subreddit, r/conformitygatetheory, which was created on that date. It now has 27,000 members.
The rumours also appeared on TikTok. By 12 January, the #conformitygate hashtag had 52,000 posts.
- Fan pages on Facebook pick up the news
Conformity Gate started to appear on Facebook fan pages between 3 and 5 January. Netflix Updates was among the first. It posted an image of a poster on 5 January with the words “Episode of Stranger Things will release on January 7”.
The post accompanying the image referred to a “massive theory going around that Episode 8 wasn’t actually the finale and a secret Episode 9 is still coming”.
The page had 983,000 followers at the time, a figure which had grown to more than a million by 12 January.
What happened on 7 January?
No new episodes of Stranger Things were released on 7 January, however some fans remained hopeful that 12 January – the release date of a documentary about the final series - would bring good news.
Facebook fan page Netflix Addiction, which has 25,000 followers, posted that day to say: “This might be the moment everyone’s been waiting for.” Meanwhile The Netflix Community, another fan page with 334,000 followers, described the day as “one last hope”.
One fan responded: “Stop dreaming. It’s finished, that’s it.”
Again, no new episode materialised.
What has Netflix said?
There has still been no official comment from Netflix, however the bio of its official Stranger Things Instagram account has been updated to read “ALL EPISODES OF STRANGER THINGS ARE NOW PLAYING”.
When potential misinformation spreads online, it’s always important to go to trusted sources of information – in this case Netflix, which makes and streams the show.
While the company has not issued a statement, its Instagram bio is often a playful, humorous statement - so those capital letters appear to send a definitive message.
Why does fake news like this spread?
A made-up fact can spread very quickly, making the original source of false information hard to find among all the posts and shares.
In this case, we don’t know if it started as disinformation (things deliberately made up for a specific purpose) and ended up being misinformation (false content shared accidentally by people who don’t know that the information is inaccurate).
It might have been made up to get clicks for a website or simply by fans for other fans.
This article was published in January 2026
Not sure if the news you’re seeing on social media is true or false? Can you always tell if the things you see online are real or fake? Learn how to get the other side of the story with our quizzes, videos and explainers.
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