Stranger Things Season 3 just wrapped principal photography this week; though an official release date has yet to be announced, fans of Netflix’s megahit horror/sci-fi series are hoping for a return to Hawkins, Indiana in the summer of 2019. But if you’re hoping Stranger Things will become an enduring institution along the lines of The X-Files or The Walking Dead, you may be disappointed.

Series star David Harbour (who plays Sherriff Jim Hopper) recently told the folks at CNET that the story-arch for Stranger Things has been mapped out to its conclusion, which should happen on or before Season 5:

“As you see the end of the story, you’ll start to feel why certain characters behaved certain ways. I think that stuff’s really important, like knowing where your character’s going. A lot of times you don’t get that in TV. But the great thing about this is that we knew what season 1 was, and we had ideas about if it extended — because we didn’t know we’d get picked up — but if it extended, what the end of the actual thing would be. Like Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi have an arc to them. I think Stranger Things, be it Season 4 or Season 5, has an arc to it that I understand. I feel very proud of that because we’re not going to get lost in our story and leave these strands. We’re going to tie things up.”

While there’s something saddening about knowing that Stranger Things has a set end-date, it’s comforting to know that the series will conclude before it becomes a disjointed mess (as is the case with many shows that last longer than 5 seasons). We can only hope Stranger Things creators Mark and Ross Duffer have a worthy conclusion in mind for Eleven and her posse. Time will tell.

Are you a fan of Stranger Things? Are you content or disappointed by the announcement that the series will conclude by Season 5? Sound off in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!