Sheriff Hopper from Netflix 'Stranger Things' is 'swashbuckling' in a much 'darker' season 3

On the heels of the staggering 12 Emmy nominations for the original drama from Netflix, David Harbour and series executive producer Shawn Levy dished on what happens next.
David Harbour (Source: Getty Images)
David Harbour (Source: Getty Images)

If you have loved the past two seasons of Netflix's 'Stranger Things', chances are the upcoming season will blow your mind, and in good ways. Especially more if you are looking forward to increased daredevil antics from David Harbour's Sheriff Jim Cooper, who undoubtedly has established himself as this delightfully complicated character. However, the second season seemed to have taken away a bit from Cooper's badass side - something that season 3 will surely compensate for, according to Harbour himself. 

On the heels of the staggering 12 Emmy nominations for the original drama from Netflix, Harbour and series executive producer Shawn Levy recently got talking, dishing on what happens next with Eleven and her friends in the small town of Hawkins.

“[Season 3] is definitely going to yet darker still, places that I think audiences are going to really love,” hinted Levy adding, "It’s got so much heart and humor.” While Levy's tease barely scratched the surface, the Hooper actor provided a little more insight, shepherding us, loyal fans, into the direction the show is headed in round three. If his words are any indication, the next few episodes would be heavily inspired by few "epic" movies from 1985.

“If you’re a real fan of Stranger Things and you really want to know, I would go look at the great films that were released in ’85, of which there were many, and just go down that list and think of the possibilities that we could be going with. I think it is a specific season to 1985, and so you’ll see references to that,” the 'Stranger Things' star dished to Deadline. 

As far as his character in the mix is concerned, Harbour also shared how the creatives are bringing back a more "swashbuckling" kind of Hooper - a side which was indeed missed in the sophomore season. 

“There was a sort of swashbuckling guy that we put on the back burner,” Harbour said.

“So I think we’ll see a little more of the swashbuckling Hopper you may have liked from Season 1. It’s almost like [Season] 1 plus two, equals three. It’s like you have this third character now, who goes back to the swashbuckling guy of Season 1, but also has behind him this adopted daughter who he loves very much, so it’s really cool.”

While we are certain that production has begun in full swing on the third season, a definite premiere date is yet to be released. At most, expect this bunch from Hawkins to arrive by 2019.   

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

‘Phony’ follows Sonny, who believes his mother has been replaced by an impostor
2026-10-28T09:34:47.000Z
'NCIS: Origins' delivers a shocker about Lala and Gibbs in the latest episode titled 'Shimmy Shimmy Ya'
2026-10-28T07:26:33.000Z
The ‘Two and a Half Men’ star will be taking on the lead in the infamous Erin Patterson case, whose sentencing was broadcast live in 2025.
2026-10-28T07:13:39.000Z
Madripoor first appeared in the MCU in ‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ in 2021
2026-10-28T06:56:46.000Z
Episode 6 sends Vision to Madripoor, where a face from 2008 interrupts his standoff with Paladin
2026-10-28T06:09:38.000Z
'NCIS' Season 24 Episode 4 paid homage to 'The Greatest American Hero' through several callbacks
2026-10-28T05:55:36.000Z
At the time of Sophia Bush's exit from the show, several reports emerged about problems behind the scenes
2026-10-28T04:47:55.000Z
The limited series will follow Myra Massey as she secretly investigates the suspicious disappearance of a childhood friend
2026-10-28T02:53:37.000Z
Julia Garner leads Apple TV’s 'Guilty Creatures', a true-crime thriller about a forbidden romance, murder, religious faith with a deadly secret.
2026-10-27T19:52:41.000Z
MGM+ adapts horror podcast 'The Black Tapes' into a supernatural investigation drama about paranormal cases, mysterious recordings, and conspiracy.
2026-10-27T16:58:11.000Z