“Stranger Things” Season 4 Volume 1 will now include a warning card following the massacre that took place at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed. Netflix’s acclaimed sci-fi show takes on a darker tone this season, with the first eight minutes of the premiere episode depicting graphic images of dead children.
The warning will read, “We filmed this season of Stranger Things a year ago. But given the recent tragic shooting at a school in Texas, viewers may find the opening scene of episode 1 distressing. We are deeply saddened by this unspeakable violence, and our hearts go out to every family mourning a loved one.”
Netflix will show the warning ahead of the recap for U.S. viewers only, at the outset of the fourth season debut. The streamer has also edited the content description for the first episode to include the note, “Warning: Contains graphic violence involving children,” with the addition of “disturbing images” to the show rating advisories.
Additionally, the original video of the preview has been scrubbed from the “Stranger Things” YouTube page. On websites like TheWrap’s and others who reported on the sneak-peek, video playback was unavailable with the video marked “private.”
Previewed last week ahead of Friday’ premiere, the first eight minutes of Season 4 took viewers several years back to 1979 to follow Dr. Brenner’s (Matthew Modine) meticulous morning routine as he heads to his facility, where Eleven (a digitally de-aged Millie Bobby Brown) is later seemingly found at the end of a violent rampage, covered in blood and surrounded by the bodies of her former peers.
“Stranger Things” is among several shows that have modified their releases in light of the mass shooting, which occurred Tuesday at Robb Elementary School. CBS pulled the season finale of “FBI,” while Lifetime delayed the release of “The Bad Seed Returns.” Additionally, red carpet premieres for “Physical” and “The Orville: New Horizons” were scaled back.
Variety first reported the news.
