Stranger Things Season 5 brought Netflix’s biggest series to a close in December, but its reception was far from unanimous. While the final chapter was one of the most anticipated TV events in recent years, some fans took issue with its ending, particularly the finale, “The Rightside Up,” which sparked online debate, viral theories, and petitions demanding an extended cut from the streamer in the weeks following its release.
But despite that backlash, Netflix is committed in moving forward with new Stranger Things projects. A filmed version of the stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow is currently in development for the platform, while an untitled live-action spinoff centered on the “briefcase rock” introduced in the Season 5 finale is also in the works.
Now, that expansion is already underway with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (2026), a 3D animated series now streaming in full on Netflix. Set between Season 2 and Season 3, the new spinoff revisits Hawkins during the winter of 1985, bringing back Eleven, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, and Max—this time voiced by a new cast—as they face a previously unseen threat connected to the Upside Down.
Showrunner Eric Robles described the project as a “lost season,” telling Empire in February, “We wanted to go back to Hawkins and feel like a lost season,” adding that the focus was on a period “when the kids weren’t trying to save the world — they were just trying to save the town.”
Related: ‘Stranger Things' Returns as Netflix Debuts Opening Scene From Spinoff Series : Disney Fanatic
Visually, Tales From ’85 adopts a polished CG style, steering away from the stylized approach seen in films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023). It also retains key elements of the original show’s identity, including its ‘80s-inspired soundtrack and creature-driven horror tone, though the violence is toned down for younger viewers.
However, the series’ placement in the timeline has raised questions, as none of its events are referenced in later seasons of the live-action series. Nevertheless, Tales From ’85 is a hugely enjoyable addition to the franchise — even if it does alter the established canon. The real problem, though, is that its bare-bones kids-versus-monster plot just isn't enough to justify its existence.
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 stars Brooklyn Davey Norstedt (Eleven), Luca Diaz (Mike Wheeler), Braxton Quinney (Dustin Henderson), Jolie Hoang-Rappaport (Max Mayfield), Elisha Williams (Lucas Sinclair), Ben Plessala (Will Byers), Odessa A’zion (Nikki Baxter), Brett Gipson (Jim Hopper), Janeane Garofalo (Anna Baxter), Griffin Burns (Jonathan Byers), Jeremy Jordan (Steve Harrington), Lou Diamond Phillips (Daniel Fischer), Robert Englund (Cosmo), Alysia Reiner (Karen Wheeler), Alessandra Antonelli (Nancy Wheeler), Valeria Rodriguez (Rosario), and Jack Griffo (Jeff).
