Finn Wolfhard has admitted he had mixed feelings about Stranger Things coming to an end at the beginning of this year.

The long-awaited fifth and final season of Stranger Things began streaming towards the end of 2025, with its divisive finale premiering on Netflix on New Year’s Day in the UK.

Looking back on shooting these final episodes, Finn – who shot to international fame as a teenager thanks to his performance as Mike Wheeler – admitted that it took a moment for it to dawn on him that the show would not be returning.

“Every year it was like, OK, I know I’m going to be in Atlanta filming this thing with the same people for the next however long,” he recalled to The Guardian. “It was like my school in a really odd way.”

As a result, going into season five, he claimed “the vibe was almost like ‘oh, we’ll be back next year’”.

“But once we got about halfway through, everyone started to realise like, ‘Oh. This is it’,” he continued. “And then everyone just really valued the time we all had together for that last half.

“It was pretty depressing for everyone when it ended … but it feels absolutely right that we’ve ended at the time that we did.”

Asked if he feels “liberated” now he’s no longer part of Stranger Things, he insisted: “For sure, yeah. At first I felt really lost, because that’s your life for so long and so many of the crew and cast were so integral to the person that you are and to your identity. You almost have a kind of withdrawal for a little while.

“Then you realise all those relationships, all those friendships, they’re around forever.”

While promoting Stranger Things last year, Finn admitted he’d be keen to return to the role of Mike in the future.

“I don’t think I’ll ever truly feel like it’s the end,” he shared. “The show will live on in so many ways that I hope it still feels relevant to people years down the line.”

Finn added: “There’s a reason why we ended it, and it’s done. But who’s to say that [the Duffer Brothers, who created Stranger Things], in 10 years, when they get another idea, they do it? It’s up to them.

“I think it’s good that it’s the end, but part of me hopes it’s not,” the former child star added.

All five seasons of Stranger Things are now streaming on Netflix.