Stranger Things Ending Labelled 'Soulless' As ChatGPT Script Allegations Spread

The long-awaited end of Netflix's Stranger Things franchise left a swathe of devoted viewers bewildered and disappointed on New Year's Eve — and a behind-the-scenes documentary released this week has given the fandom what it believes is the definitive explanation: the finale was allegedly shaped under chaotic conditions with alleged AI involvement, and not a finished script.

Newly released footage from One Last Adventure: The Making of Stranger Things 5 shows creators Matt and Ross Duffer acknowledging that production began before the final episode was fully written, a landmark admission that has become central to why many fans now describe the ending as 'soulless' and disjointed.

Documentary Reveals Scrambled Final Script

The Netflix-distributed documentary, available to stream now, candidly charts the extensive filming process for Stranger Things season 5, including the Duffer Brothers' admission that they were working on the finale script even as cameras were rolling.

In one scene, Matt Duffer says plainly that they went 'into production without having a finished script for the finale,' describing it as 'the most difficult writing circumstances we have ever found ourselves in.'

The footage has drawn attention because rushed scripting in serialised television is widely seen by writers and critics as a red flag for weakened narrative cohesion.

Ending a decade-long cultural phenomenon with unresolved character arcs and ambiguous themes had already stirred intense online controversy among viewers. The documentary's admission provides a concrete timeline for when and how creative decisions were being made, and why the narrative rushed to the finish line.

Hundreds of hours of behind-the-scenes footage show the writers' room juggling various plot threads while production logistics forced them to keep filming. This included critical emotional beats and major confrontations within Episode Eight, the finale, before those scenes had a final written blueprint.

Allegations of AI Prompts Fuel Fan Outrage

The documentary's release has also reignited a social media firestorm over alleged AI use in the writing process, after viral screenshots appeared to show, according to fans, ChatGPT browser tabs on a computer used by one of the Duffers during script discussions.

Posts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit quickly drew attention to the image, with some users claiming it shows multiple ChatGPT tabs open while the team worked on the script.

These screenshots have been reposted with captions suggesting that AI, rather than an actual person's creativity, played a role in shaping the finale's story beats.

However, some fans have noted that the images are blurry and inconclusive. Close inspection by some viewers indicates the icons may not be ChatGPT at all, but rather other browser apps such as Google Docs.

Fans Link Behind-The-Scenes Chaos to Creative Disappointment

For many viewers, the documentary's bare-bones revelations about the production timeline resonate with their own criticisms of the story's execution. Comments on social platforms link the rushed final script to perceived narrative shortcomings: inconsistent character arcs, unresolved emotional beats, and an ending they found emotionally underwhelming.

One fan forum's consensus threads underscored ongoing frustration that principal creative decisions were made amid production pressures rather than through reflective storytelling. These discussions frequently cite the documentary's raw behind-the-scenes moments as validation for long-held fan disappointment.

Some Reddit users described the decision to begin filming without a finished script as practically unheard of for a series of this scale, drawing comparisons to other high-profile projects that have suffered creative setbacks under similar circumstances.

Despite this backlash, other viewers have defended the Duffers, pointing out that writing as production unfolds is common in both television and film, and that unhappy endings often elicit stronger emotional reactions. They also note that the alleged use of AI remains unproven.

The documentary's revelations have created a touchstone moment in the legacy of Stranger Things, leaving fans with a new lens through which to judge the finale — one shaped by production reality as much as story craft.

The truth behind the controversial ending may rest not in cyberspace, but in the frenetic, unfinished pages of a finale rushed into history.