Netflix crash: Even the Stranger Things cast members themselves are cognisant of the wild impatience that has defined the long wait for crazy-popular hit sensation’s Season 5 premiere. However, nothing could have prepare the OTT streamer for the fan traffic desperately awaiting the show’s long-delayed comeback. Not even a 30% bandwidth increase could hold up the promise of a seamless viewing experience on Wednesday (US time).

Netflix crashed after Stranger Things Season 5 premiere

“The entire show, The Summer I Turned Pretty, came out in between seasons,” Maya Hawke acknowledged fan frenzy during the Stranger Things Season 5 press junket. And so, the incredibly unbelievable extent of buzz surrounding the release of the first part of the Duffer Brothers creation’s final season was inevitable.

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Having long tested the patience of the show’s lovers, Volume 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 finally hit the streaming giant at 5 pm PT on Wednesday. However, the first major reactions to pour out on social media right after the premiere were not rave reviews for the beloved series. They were cries of fans who failed to tune into thrilling ride as Netflix’s service crashed.

Prompts like “Something went wrong” and “Sorry we’re having trouble with your request. You’ll find lots to explore on the home page” overtook viewers’ Netflix screens.

Stranger Things fans react to Netflix crashing

While some were lucky enough not to experience the snag, others suffering from the lack of Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 1 unloaded their furious, all-caps reactions on X.

“NETFLIX FIX YOURSELF RIGHT NOW BRO, IVE BEEN WAITING THREE YEARS,” one fumed on the platform. Another wrote, “NETFLIX HAS CRASHED I REPEAT NETFLIX HAS CRASHED.”

A third person chimed in, “Waited all day in excitement just for Netflix to crash.” A fourth shared a snap of their crashed Netflix screen, saying, “NETFLIX HAS CRASHED IM CRYINGGGG OMG LET ME IN I WANNA WATCH IT.” Yet another user argued, “Insane that a multi billion dollar company, that limits people to household viewing, can’t figure their s**t out.”

Ahead of the frantic meltdown on X, some had predicted this would happen ahead of the new Stranger Things season drop. “How we’re gonna be watching Stranger things 5 since Netflix is most certainly gonna crash,” someone tweeted on X ahead of D-Day.

A November 24 post garnering tens of thousands of likes said, “I fear Netflix will crash on Wednesday.”

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Netflix measures to avoid Stranger Things crash

Notably, the streaming service had resorted to precautionary measure to ensure a happy Stranger Things Day. “Netflix increased bandwidth by 30 percent to avoid a crash,” co-creator Ross Duffer shared via his Instagram Story earlier on Wednesday.

And yet, no one could stop the inevitable from happening hours later. Responding to reports of the crash, Netflix told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement, “Some members briefly experienced an issue streaming on TV devices, but service recovered for all accounts within five minutes.”

A similar OTT tragedy struck the platform in 2022, when the streamer couldn’t accessed for a whole as traffic for the final two episodes Stranger Things Season 4 overloaded Netflix.