Netflix crashed after Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 dropped
Netflix still experienced quite the hangover even after dividing this season of Stranger Things into two parts. Users claimed that Friday night, immediately after the series' last episodes went live, the streamer momentarily crashed as a result of the influx of viewers attempting to access the sci-fi series' end.
According to Variety, the global uptime-tracking website Downdetector.com recorded reports of Netflix issues peaked about 3 A.M. EST, which is also not so coincidentally when Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 initially went available. At the time, there were around 13,000 complaints, but Variety notes that things seemed to settle down in about 30 minutes.
Social media users also shared footage of the "Problem Connecting" warning message or an endless red loading indicator to document the crash. The new Stranger Things episodes had to be the root cause, though, according to everyone who had encountered the issue.
Given the cultural influence that the Stranger Things series has, the crowds that gathered around the show's midnight (PST) release are not particularly surprising. Stranger Things' current season has already surpassed all previous seasons of English-language shows on the streaming site.
The influence of Stranger Things goes beyond simply viewers and even into other media. Kate Bush's '80s anthem "Running Up That Hill," which was prominently included on the album, propelled the reclusive artist to the top of the charts, giving her her first #1 song and breaking three Guinness World Records in the process. To capitalize on its success, Spotify even recently unveiled a slick new tool that lets users make their own "Upside Down" playlists. The songs in the playlist are those that are most likely to free the listener from Vecna's control.
