As fans already know by now, Netflix won't be releasing the third season of Stranger Things this year, but the wait won't be for naught — Netflix's VP of original content Cindy Holland said the upcoming installment will be bigger and better than last year's season.

Asked why there's a delay, Holland explained that it's a handcrafted show. Indeed, creating something special for fans and not just a shameless cash-grab will take a bit of time. Just ask Game of Thrones.

Stranger Things Season 3 Will Be Worth The Wait

"You know, the Duffer brothers and Shawn Levy have worked really hard and they understand the stakes are high," Holland said, as reported by The Wrap. "They want to deliver something bigger and better than what they did last year. And so, they really want to take the time to get it right. I think it's gonna be a fantastic season, it's gonna be worth the wait."

A lot fans were expecting the third season of Stranger Things to be released this fall on Halloween since that would be the perfect release window for the show and would have coincided with Netflix's annual release pattern for existing original shows. It's uncommon for a successful show not to have a new season per year — save for Master of None, nearly every Netflix original has seen yearly renewals.

Stranger Things

Stranger Things is one of the streaming service's most beloved franchises, becoming a breakout hit when it premiered in 2016. It's been lauded for its excellent portrayal of child friendships, experimentation with a slew of different genres, and fantastic use of references from the '80s. It's also been nominated for a bunch of Emmy Awards.

For this year's ceremony, it's up for a few: Outstanding Drama Series; Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for David Harbour, who plays Jim Hopper; Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven; and two more nominations for The Duffer Brothers in the Directing and Writing categories.

Stranger Things Season 3 Release Date

Netflix has strongly implied that the next season will premiere sometime during summer next year, as indicated by a recently released teaser video featuring a fake commercial for the Starcourt Mall. The promo said the shopping center is "coming next summer."

Are you bummed about the delay? What's your favorite thing about the whole Stranger Things franchise? As always, feel free to sound off in the comments section below!