ChatGPT and other AI programs have become a commonplace and controversial part of our lives. In the entertainment industry, moviegoers and creators are anxious about the possibility that ChatGPT will replace the human element in writing stories. Now the Duffer Brothers are under fire as fans have found evidence that they could have used ChatGPT to write the finale for Stranger Things.
The Netflix series Stranger Things took nearly a decade and only five seasons to come to an end. Fans have noted that the fifth season feels different from its predecessors, and many have tried to understand the perceived drop in quality. Now the release of One Last Adventure: The Making Of Stranger Things 5 on Netflix seems to have given a potential clue.
As the title suggests, One Last Adventure is a documentary regarding the creation of the show’s final season and series finale. There’s an abundance of behind-the-scenes clips contained in the footage. One such clip, however, reveals a computer screen with ChatGPT visible.
Social media users immediately took to their own computer screens to criticize the alleged use of ChatGPT. Though it’s unclear if the AI program actually was used to write Stranger Things Season 5, many fans feel as though it explains the season’s deviation from previous characters, plot lines, and tones. Here are some of the reactions so far:
the duffer brothers deadass using chatgpt for s5 script omfgnnmhgxxxv pic.twitter.com/jeAvt2VYXF
— Eri (@aeuphroic) January 12, 2026
i wasted 2 hours of my life just to see that the duffer brothers used chatgpt, had reddit tabs opened, ignored other writers pointing out inconsistencies, scrapped “ideas” they had, and started to film before they even had the finale written https://t.co/tYl6ocWROl pic.twitter.com/Zoiy7Bsbka
— alex ✵ (@portersluvv) January 12, 2026
the duffers having chatgpt opened on their laptop pic.twitter.com/F5ORJ5mldI
— tina♡ (@neonlxnii) January 12, 2026
the duffers using chatgpt so often they couldnt find a shot of them writing without it being there pic.twitter.com/YYGcTmjeYv
— elly 🔭⋆˚ (@miwimisu) January 12, 2026
the duffer brothers using chat gpt explains a lot #DUFFERSCANTWRITE pic.twitter.com/nDiK3DU6Vi
— gray (@spid3rgrll) January 12, 2026
Of course, Stranger Things fans have been looking for reasons to blame the Duffer Brothers for any criticisms with the finale season. There was a major trend that social media users followed expecting a secret episode to be revealed that would undo the actual finale and claim it was all a ploy by Vecna. Obviously that did not happen, and as such, fans are now simply criticizing the Duffer Brothers’ writing capabilities.
With such a huge series like Stranger Things coming to an end, some backlash was to be expected, but it seems to be even worse with the implied use of ChatGPT. Especially with AI programs serving as a major talking point for the entertainment industry and whether or not they should be used by creators. As such, stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any possible updates as we have them.