Netflix is wasting little time extending the life of one of its biggest franchises. The streamer has renewed Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (2026) for a second season, just four days after the animated spinoff made its debut.
What Is Tales From '85?
Set between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things, the animated series revisits Hawkins during a relatively unexplored period in the timeline. While the original show starred Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, and Noah Schnapp, Tales From ’85 features a new voice cast portraying those same characters.
Brooklyn Davey Norstedt leads as Eleven, alongside Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair, and Ben Plessala as Will Byers.
Tales From '85 Has Already Divided Fans
First reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the renewal follows a strong opening stretch for the spinoff series. After premiering globally on April 23, the show reached No. 7 on Netflix’s Top 10 with 2.8 million views, and it has also landed among the platform’s top 15 animated series debuts, according to the outlet.
The renewal comes despite a mixed critical and audience response. As at April 29, the series holds a 63% score from critics and 54% from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, and on Metacritic, it has a 52 critic score and a 5.0 user rating, both categorized as “mixed or average.”
Related: ‘Stranger Things' Live-Action Series Permanently Changed by Netflix : Disney Fanatic
Even More Stranger Things Is Coming
Nevertheless, Netflix’s decision reflects continued confidence in the Stranger Things franchise following the conclusion of the main series in December. That final season, which ended with “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” drew a divided reaction from fans.
Tales From ’85 is part of a broader expansion strategy. A filmed version of the stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow is in development for Netflix, while a separate live-action spinoff is also in the works.
The series is now streaming in full on Netflix.
Stranger Things seasons 1–5 are also available to watch.
Have you watched Tales From '85 yet? Will you be watching the next season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
