Netflix encountered an outage affecting thousands of viewers minutes after the first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 became available for streaming at 8 PM Eastern Time on November 26, 2025, triggering a surge in reports on Downdetector.
Downdetector, a platform that tracks service disruptions through user-submitted reports, recorded an unusual influx of complaints starting approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled release time. These reports rapidly escalated, reaching a peak of nearly 14,000 submissions within a short period before declining as the issue resolved. The timing aligned directly with the high anticipation surrounding the premiere of the final season of the popular series.
Viewers impacted by the disruption encountered the NSEZ-403 error code, which Netflix documentation describes as an indication that user accounts failed to establish a connection to the streaming service. On their screens, individuals saw specific error messages reading “Something went wrong” and “Sorry, we’re having trouble with your request.” Netflix’s official guidance for resolving the NSEZ-403 error recommends attempting to access the content using a different device, such as switching from a television to a mobile phone or computer.
Prior to the launch, the show’s creator announced that Netflix had expanded its bandwidth capacity by 30 percent specifically to handle the expected traffic volume and prevent any service interruptions during the season premiere. Despite this preparation, the brief outage occurred, primarily affecting streaming on televisions.
Netflix confirmed to Engadget that a limited number of members faced temporary difficulties while attempting to stream the episodes on TV devices. The company stated that full service restoration occurred for all affected accounts within five minutes of the initial reports.
Stranger Things season 5 centers on the core group of characters from Hawkins preparing for their ultimate confrontation with the antagonist Vecna. Following the release of the initial four episodes, Netflix plans to make the subsequent three episodes available on December 25, 2025, with the series finale airing on December 31, 2025.
This article incorporates an update from November 26, 2025, at 10:56 PM Eastern Time, reflecting the details provided by Netflix to Engadget.
