‘Stranger Things’ Season 3 Details Revealed: Dad Steve Will Be Back

The highly anticipated third season of Netflix series Stranger Things is still a while away. In the meantime, here are some intriguing details of what to expect from the next installment of the show.

Summertime Scares

Production of season 3 of the popular throwback show begins this month. Interestingly, the cast and creative team Stranger Things gathered at PaleyFest panel to confirm certain things, including when it will take place and who will be returning.

First off, Stranger Things season 3 is set during the glorious summer months and it's notably the first that it will not take place during school time.

Although it will be sunny, there are still creatures lurking around every corner. Fans of "Dad Steve" will be pleased, too, as he will definitely return.

Season 2 of the show debuted just five months ago and received positive reviews from fans and critics. The creative team behind the show confessed to a shrieking gathered crowd at the Dolby Theatre Sunday night that they feel n intense pressure to continue meeting expectations due to the show's ongoing success.

Shawn Levy, the executive producer, confirmed that the third season will take place a year after the second season during the summer of 1985. Fan favorite couples Eleven and Mike, as well as Lucas and Max, will still be intact when the season kicks off.

"Mike and Eleven are going strong ... and same with Mad Max and Lucas. But again, they're like 13- or 14-year-old kids, so what does romance mean at that stage of life? It can never be simple and stable relationships and there's fun to that instability," Levy revealed.

Nobody has read a script just yet, so Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, only learned about her romantic status at PaleyFest.

Levy also confirmed that fans can expect to see much more of Steve this time around, particularly after how well "Dad Steve" went over the last season. The executive producer added that the 1985 classic Back to the Future will be a key reference point for the upcoming season as well.

Growing Pains

Brown divulged that she finds it easier to play Eleven the second time around because she had more of a grip on the character. However, she did find it strange to see fans camping outside when they were shooting season 2 because it wasn't the same case in the first season.

Levy revealed that he had to tell everybody at the beginning of shooting the second season to just ignore all the outside noise and get back to work.

As for Sadie Sink, who joined the fold as tomboy Max in season 2, Brown gushed about how the two bonded.

"I was like 'I love her, also, another girl.' [I was happy to] not talk about video games for a while," she said.

David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper, gushed about his relationship to Eleven in season 2, which became like a daddy-daughter situation as the season drew on.

"I don't have a child. All of my experiences of love have either been romantic, or my parents, or a dog. [Through this, I discovered] a love that was human but pure, like you would take a bullet for someone," he explained.

Brown acknowledged that she found fighting with her onscreen surrogate father the most difficult part of shooting season 2.

Harbour, meanwhile, joked that getting into his "dad bod" was the biggest challenge for him. His physique quickly became an internet meme following the first season of Stranger Things.

Cultural Touchstone

The Netflix hit swiftly became a cultural phenomenon when it initially premiered in July 2016. The cast immediately became household names while in-jokes were spawned faster than social media could keep up with them, from #JusticeforBarb to Eleven's love of frozen Eggo waffles.

The season 2 premiere attracted 15.8 million viewers within the first three days. At least 4 million U.S. viewers binge-watched the entire season.

Season 3 brings breakout star Erica, Lucas's smart-mouthed sister, into the fold. It will also introduce a new character in the form of Maya Thurman-Hawke's Robin. Netflix has not yet announced a premiere date.