MOVIE NEWS – “They didn’t call me back on the phone” – with this sentence, the actor who played one of the most memorable new characters from season 4 confirmed that he will not return in the highly anticipated Stranger Things season 5.

Stranger Things season 5 will lose a new character from season 4, Eduardo Franco has confirmed that he will not be returning to the role. Created by Matt and Ross Duffer, the Netflix hit first aired in 2016, with Season 4 breaking new ground and breaking ratings records when it debuted in 2022. The Stranger Things cast continues to expand with each new season, with Franco joining in Season 4 as newcomer Argyle and quickly becoming an audience favorite.

While waiting for season 5 of Stranger Things, Franco confirmed in an interview on the Steve Varley Show that he will not be returning as Argyle in upcoming episodes.

As filming for season 5 has already begun and the season is set to be the final season of the series, Franco’s comments suggest that viewers may have seen Argyle for the last time. Check out Franco’s full comments below:

“I appreciate that. Good to hear you’re concerned, you know what I mean? But yeah, I never got a phone call, so yeah, I guess that’s it”.

Is Argyle’s Stranger Things season 5 absence a good thing?

Argyle had a prominent role in season 4, as best friend to Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and delivery boy for Surfer Boy Pizza. Although Franco’s character was responsible for many of the funniest moments in Season 4, the show has had a growing problem with a bloated cast in recent years. Reviews of Stranger Things season 4 have generally been very positive, but some critics have pointed out that the series has struggled to balance its many characters and their respective arcs.

Although Franco will not return, it has been confirmed that actress Linda Hamilton has joined the cast of Stranger Things season 5 as a new character.

Franco brought levity to the series with his memorable performance as Argyle, but the character ended up being less important than characters like Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin), Will (Noah Schnapp), Jonathan, Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and the rest of the core group. If Argyle’s absence means a more focused story and arc for the main characters, that might be for the best.

Season 5 is expected to feature a major time jump after the season 4 finale of Stranger Things, with much of the plot this time taking place in Hawkins. Given that Argyle lives in California, it’s understandable why he wouldn’t be involved in a storyline more focused on Hawkins. Regardless, Argyle was so outstanding that it would have been nice to at least get some sort of cameo before Stranger Things ends.

Source: Steve Varley Show/ YouTube