Netflix has unveiled the first five minutes of "Stranger Things" Season 5, igniting both excitement and controversy ahead of the show's long-awaited final chapter. Contrary to fan theories, the season doesn't pick up where the last one left off — instead, it revisits November 12, 1983, six days after Will Byers' disappearance, returning viewers to the eerie Hawkins Library in the Upside Down.

While the new season is set 18 months after the events of Season 4, creators Matt and Ross Duffer use this opening to bridge the emotional and narrative arcs that began in Season 1, when Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Police Chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour) first found Will (Noah Schnapp).

However, the series' press tour has been overshadowed by a viral report alleging that Millie Bobby Brown accused co-star David Harbour of on-set bullying — a claim first circulated by The Daily Mail last weekend. 

According to the report, Brown, 21, filed a harassment complaint before filming began, prompting Netflix to investigate "for months." While no sexual misconduct was alleged, the report claimed Brown was accompanied by a personal representative throughout the production, which wrapped in December.

Neither Netflix nor representatives for Brown or Harbour have issued official statements. Still, both actors appeared together at the show's Los Angeles premiere on Thursday, seemingly unfazed by the speculation.

When asked about the allegations, co-creator Ross Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter, "Obviously, you understand I can't get into personal onset matters, but I will say we've been doing this for 10 years with this cast, and at this point they're family and we deeply care about them. So, you know, nothing matters more than just having a set where everyone feels safe and happy."

Executive producer Shawn Levy echoed this stance, saying, "At the end of the day, that's the job. You have to create a respectful workplace where everyone feels comfortable and safe, and so we did everything to build that environment. And we're proud of the fact that we did so."

Levy also dismissed much of the speculation as noise: "I've read a bunch of stories and they range from wildly inaccurate to… there's so much noise around it. But the truth is that we view this crew and this cast as family, and so we treat each other with respect, and that's always been bedrock."

The controversy lands at a delicate time for Netflix, which is preparing a massive global rollout for the show's fifth and final season. The streaming giant is reportedly spending heavily on the finale — both to satisfy fans and to cement "Stranger Things" as one of its most defining original series.

Onscreen, the relationship between Brown and Harbour's characters remains central — a tender yet volatile father-daughter dynamic between the telekinetic Eleven and gruff police chief Jim Hopper. Offscreen, Harbour has often expressed affection and concern for his co-star, once telling that scene with Dan Patrick, "Millie and I have always had sort of a special relationship because I knew her when she was so young… I have a real protective feeling for her. I worry about her and the fame and all that she has to struggle with."

Brown, meanwhile, has been outspoken about bullying and public scrutiny. In March, while promoting her Netflix film The Electric State, she addressed online criticism of her appearance. "I started in this industry when I was 10 years old," she said. "I grew up in front of the world, and for some reason, people can't seem to grow with me... This isn't journalism. This is bullying."

"Stranger Things 5" will release in three parts: Part 1 (four episodes) on November 26, Part 2 on December 25, and a feature-length finale in select theatres and on Netflix on December 31.