Stranger Things star Caleb McLaughlin discusses what’s next for the series

Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair on Stranger Things, shared his thoughts on his character’s growth and the show’s future.

The third season of Stranger Things reached record-breaking viewership numbers within the first four days of its release alone, and that news by itself suggests that the series will be back for a fourth season. But on top of the fact that the series is one of Netflix’s biggest hits, it also left fans with a mid-credits scene that most certainly qualifies as a cliffhanger. The show has to come back after that one, right?

Still, even with the mid-credits scene, Caleb McLaughlin, who plays Lucas Sinclair on the show, seems to think that the Duffer brothers could easily leave fans “hanging on the Upside Down.” During an interview with Entertainment Weekly, McLaughlin discussed the show’s future, predicting whether or not there will be a fourth season and considering what that season might entail.

“It’s all up to the Duffers and the writers if they want to keep going,” McLaughlin explained. “Maybe they want to stop now. Maybe they don’t want to give anyone another season. Maybe they just want to leave you guys hanging like that. I talk to people about this all the time. We can literally leave you guys hanging on the Upside Down.”

He went on to elaborate that the series has left fans in the dark before, never having thoroughly explained what the Upside Down is or where its monsters come from. And he raises a good point: The continuous mystery behind the Stranger Things is part of what keeps it interesting.

McLaughlin also dug into his character a bit, admitting that he’d like to see Lucas continue to evolve. “I really love Lucas season 3,” he said. “I want to see more of his clutch moments. I feel like Lucas is the man with the plan. I want to see a lot of those moments, his battle moments, action moments, more of his relationship with Max like we were talking about earlier….”

Truthfully, it would be satisfying to see all of the Stranger Things kids continue to grow up, just as we’ve watched Nancy, Jonathan, and Steve become young adults. El and the others face the beginnings of puberty — and all of the romantic feelings that accompany it — during the show’s third season, but we’d love to see how Will and Eleven react to moving away, and how Max copes with losing her brother.

There’s plenty to explore if Netflix does renew Stranger Things for a fourth season, and the Duffer brothers are already discussing the fourth season like it’s a definite thing. With that in mind, we have to wonder what exactly they’re waiting for.

Are you hoping for a Stranger Things season four? Tell us what you hope to see in the comments below!