'Stranger Things' to launch season 4 in May; Netflix smash to end after season 5

"Stranger Things," the monumental hit that got the streaming party started at Netflix, will wrap with the fifth season, the service and series producers announced Thursday.

In addition, FX on Thursday announced that its Emmy-winner "Atlanta" will end with its fourth season, which launches March 24, while the network also ordered a fifth season of "Fargo."

In a letter sent to the media (and by association, to fans as well) — which began "Hi nerds! Do you copy?" — brothers and co-creators Matt and Ross Duffer said that after mapping out the entire series seven years ago, they had expected to wrap in either four or five seasons "but it proved too large to tell in four." As a result, they said, "season 5 will be the last."

In fact, Netflix also said Thursday that the fourth season will now be released in "two volumes," or short-run seasons, with the first on May 27 and the second on July 1.

The Duffers said the fourth had to be split into two parts because it has a "runtime nearly twice the length of any previous season."

But while the end is sort-of near (the fifth season launch date was not announced), a new beginning seems certain as well. The Duffers indicated that spinoffs were in the future, or — again from the letter — "there are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things: New mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes."

"Stranger Things 2" (or 3,4 and 5) perhaps?

The pandemic-delayed fourth season will arrive nearly three years after the third dropped on July 4, 2019.