Stranger Things Season 4 Star Confirms He’s Not Returning For Season 5

The actor behind one of season 4’s most memorable new characters confirms that he won’t be returning in the anticipated Stranger Things season 5.

Summary

• Eduardo Franco confirms he never got a call to reprise his role as Argyle in Stranger Things season 5.
• Argyle was a welcome source of comic relief as Jonathan's stoner best friend in season 4.
• Season 4 arguably struggled at times to balance its large cast, meaning Argyle's absence in season 5 could be for the best.

Stranger Things season 5 loses one new character from season 4, with Eduardo Franco confirming he won't be reprising his role. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the hit Netflix show first released in 2016, with season 4 breaking new ground and setting viewership records upon its release in 2022. The Stranger Things cast continues to grow with each new season, with Franco joining as newcomer Argyle in season 4 and quickly becoming an audience favorite.

As the wait continues for Stranger Things season 5, Franco confirms in an interview on the Steve Varley Show that he won't be returning as Argyle in the upcoming batch of episodes.

With filming on season 5 having already begun, and with the season intended to serve as the show's last, Franco's comments suggest that audiences may have seen the last of Argyle. Check out Franco's full comment below:

"I appreciate that. It's nice to hear that there's some sort of concern, you know what I mean? But yeah, I never got a phone call, so yeah, I think that's it."

Is Argyle's Stranger Things Season 5 Absence For The Best?

Argyle was featured prominently in season 4, serving as Jonathan Byers' (Charlie Heaton) stoner best friend and a delivery driver at Surfer Boy Pizza. Although Franco's character was responsible for many of season 4's funniest moments, a growing problem the show has been facing in recent years is its ballooning cast. Stranger Things season 4 reviews were generally very positive, but some critics highlighted that the show was struggling to balance its many characters and their respective arcs.

While Franco will not be returning, it has been confirmed that actor Linda Hamilton has joined the Stranger Things season 5 cast as a new character.

Franco brought levity to the show with his memorable performance as Argyle, but the character is ultimately less important than figures like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and the rest of the core group. If Argyle's absence means a more focused story and arcs for the main characters, it might be for the best.

Season 5 is expected to feature a notable time jump after the Stranger Things season 4 finale, with much of the action taking place in Hawkins this time around. Since Argyle lives in California, it makes sense why he wouldn't be involved in a more Hawkins-focused storyline. That being said, Argyle was such a highlight that it would have been nice to at least get a cameo of some sort before Stranger Things comes to an end.

Source: Steve Varley Show/ YouTube

Stranger Things

Inspired by 80s pop-culture and elements of Stephen King's works, Stranger Things is a supernatural action-drama TV series set in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. When a young boy goes missing, his group of friends stumbles upon a young girl with telekinetic powers who recently escaped from a mysterious facility. They soon realize that she may be their only chance at stopping an impending doom that threatens to engulf Hawkins whole.

Release Date

July 15, 2016

Cast

Finn Wolfhard , joe keery , Jamie Campbell Bower , Brett Gelman , Caleb McLaughlin , Maya Hawke , David Harbour , Matthew Modine , Priah Ferguson , Gaten Matarazzo , Winona Ryder , Charlie Heaton , Sadie Sink , Millie Bobby Brown , Joseph Quinn , Dacre Montgomery , Natalia Dyer , Noah Schnapp

Franchise

Stranger Things

Story By

The Duffer Brothers

Writers

Matt Duffer , Ross Duffer , Paul Dichter , Kate Trefry

Directors

Matt Duffer , Ross Duffer

Showrunner

Matt Duffer , Ross Duffer