While some may know Paul Reiser best for his comedic work in Mad Abut You and other projects, the man also has a fine selection of genre cred on his resume, from Aliens to The Boys. These days though, Reiser is arguably best known in the realm of science fiction for his portrayal of Dr. Sam Owens in Stranger Things. The actor shared the “highlight” of being part of one of the best shows to binge watch on Netflix, and his comments made me all the more eager to learn if he’s returning for Stranger Things Season 5.
Paul Reiser Felt Welcomed On The Stranger Things Set
During the tail end of Reiser’s appearance on Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, the podcast’s host read off a question from a Patreon subscriber asking what Reiser’s “best memories” were of playing Dr. Owens in Stranger Things. The Beverly Hills Cop alum started by saying that simply getting the call and being “invited to join the biggest show in the world” was a “highlight” all on its own. When Rosenbaum asked if he had a lot of fun working on the series, Reiser answered:
I did. I came in on the second season, so I already knew it was a big hit and I knew what it looked like. A little bit I was thinking, ‘I’m the new kid in high school, and where do I sit? They’re all gonna be bonded, they’ve been together, the’ve just been through a whole first season.’… I wasn’t nervous, I just didn’t expect it to be as welcoming. The kids were really sweet and smart.
Dr. Owens was introduced in Stranger Things Season 2 as the new head of the Hawkins Laboratory, and he was depicted more sympathetically compared to his antagonist predecessor, Dr. Martin Brenner. While it might’ve felt weird for him being the “new kid” at first, the cast and crew made sure he didn’t feel left out, and he was especially impressed with the younger actors, adding:
They were all great… Yeah, Gaten [Matarazzo’s] great. And Millie [Bobby Brown], later on and she became this global phenomenon, I’d go, ‘She’s a really a sweet young lady, and she’s just smart and sweet.’ If you don’t know better, you go, ‘Well she’s gonna be really snooty.’ It’s like, no, she’s really delightful. She’s really smart.
Although was fired from the lab after it was invaded by creatures from the Upside Down, Owens returned to Hawkins, Indiana at the end of Season 3 when Jim Hopper alerted to him to the Russians’ base hidden underneath Starcourt Mall. Then in Season 4, it was revealed he’d teamed up with Martin Brenner for a program called the Nina Project, which was intended to restore Eleven’s powers. That goal was accomplished, but when we left off with him, he wasn’t exactly in an ideal situation.
Will Dr. Owens Return In Stranger Things Season 5?
The last time we saw Sam Owens in Stranger Things Season 4, he was being interrogated by Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan, who’d stormed the facility where the Nina Project was happening. Sullivan was determined to apprehend Eleven because he believed she was responsible for the killings in Hawkins, Indiana. However, before he could get any answers out of Owens, Eleven destroyed the helicopter and the vehicles Sullivan and his forces had arrived in and escaped with her friends.
So where do things stand with Owens now? I can understand that key plot points can’t be spoiled for Stranger Things Season 5, but it’d be nice to know if Paul Reiser will be back for the final hurrah. Owens is too important a character to never appear again and have his fate be revealed through exposition. My guess is Sullivan had him imprisoned for perceived treason, but he’ll be brought back to Hawkins to help deal with the town being overrun by Upside Down monstrosities.
Whether my theory comes true or not, I’ll be waiting with bated breath to either learn if Paul Reiser will appear in Stranger Things Season 5 ahead of its premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, or if that will be saved as a surprise for the episodes themselves. Maybe I’ll even stream the previous four seasons with my Netflix subscription to help pass the time.
