Stranger Things Co-Creator Ross Duffer Calls on Fans to Turn Off ‘Garbage’ TV Settings Before Watching Season 5, Reveals ‘Worst Offender of All’

Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer has called on fans of the Netflix series to turn off what he described as “garbage” TV settings before watching Season 5, as they “destroy the color” and present an image that is “not the filmmakers’ intent.”

In a post on Instagram, Duffer walked through the process of turning off the likes of dynamic contrast, super resolution, and edge enhancer, saying: “there’s a bunch of crap in here you’re gonna want to make sure is off.”

The “worst offender of all,” Duffer continued, is ‘TruMotion,’ aka smooth motion, “or the dreaded soap opera effect.”

Then, Duffer added: “whatever you do, do not switch on anything called ‘vivid’ — because it’s going to turn on all the worst offenders, it’s going to destroy the color, and is not the filmmaker’s intent.”

The TV settings Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer recommends fans turn off before watching Season 5:

• Dynamic contrast
• Super resolution
• Edge enhancer
• Color filter
• Noise reduction
• TruMotion
• Vivid

Given the huge popularity of Stranger Things, Duffer’s PSA could end up resulting in changed settings for quite a lot of television sets. Last night’s release of the first volume of episodes for Stranger Things Season 5 sparked such interest that it briefly crashed Netflix.

And, after sorting your TV out you need a brief catch-up, here’s the official blurb on Stranger Things Season 5:

The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished — his whereabouts and plans unknown. Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming — and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone — the full party — standing together, one last time.

Stranger Things Season 5 debuts on Netflix in three parts, with the first four episodes arriving for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 26. The next three episodes premiere on Christmas, and the series finale will debut on the streamer and in over 350 theaters nationwide on New Year’s Eve.

Stranger Things Season 5 release dates:

• VOL 1 – November 26, 5pm PT
• VOL 2 – Christmas, 5pm PT
• THE FINALE – New Year’s Eve, 5pm PT

Check out IGN’s Stranger Things: Season 5, Vol. 1 spoiler review to find out what we think of the first batch of episodes.

If you’re hunting for the best offers this week, we’re actively rounding up the strongest Black Friday deals on video games, tech, and more. You can find all our top picks and price drops in our full Black Friday hub, or check out our relevant pages for PlayStation, Nintendo, and Xbox deals.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.