Is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Canon? How the New Spinoff Fits Into the Timeline & Story

One of the biggest TV hits ever was Stranger Things, and at this point, that’s news to absolutely no one. The show stayed in the spotlight for a long time, having been built across five seasons over nearly a decade, with multiple episodes that got everyone talking online. Naturally, because of that, people always expected the production to eventually expand. And that’s exactly what happened with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, which is essentially an animated spin-off designed to explore more of the universe and tell interesting stories that probably didn’t have room to fit into the original show’s narrative.

The thing is that after all the hype surrounding the final season, with a divisive ending and plot holes that even led to fan theories about Netflix secretly hiding the “real” conclusion, a lot of people don’t really know what to think about this new series. Is it something fans actually need to watch? Is it optional? Is it canon? Will it finally answer all the questions the main show left hanging? And how exactly does its story connect to the official timeline? Here are all the answers.

How Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Fits Into the Main Series Story

Getting straight to the point: is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 canon? That depends on what you consider canon. The spin-off takes place between Seasons 2 and 3, specifically during that time jump where the main show skips ahead and leaves a big gap in the characters’ lives. Remember the school Winter Dance, when Eleven, Dustin, Max, Mike, Will, and Lucas were still so young? In the final scene, we see the Mind Flayer looming behind Hawkins Middle School in the Upside Down. So what happened to them after that? That’s what Tales From ’85 tries to answer. But timeline-wise, it doesn’t break anything. Nothing in the animated series contradicts what was already established in the official show.

But that doesn’t mean it’s essential to the story, right? And that’s where the key difference comes in: the spin-off wasn’t actually developed to change the way we understand Stranger Things, but rather to explore smaller side stories. So yes, it officially exists within the franchise’s universe, but not in the strict, rigid way most people associate with what counts as canon. Let’s just say it’s basically a case of “this could have happened in the Duffer Brothers’ show.”

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In an interview with Netflix, showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles explained this idea more clearly. “We wanted to hang out with them more, but the plot just gets big in Stranger Things. One of the many things we talked about was how awesome it would be if you just got to hang out with these kids on these adventures that are not about saving the world,” he shared. The goal is to show the gang slowly uncovering things until everything starts becoming more mysterious. “We were able to freeze time and really go on these never-before-told adventures with them in this timeline.”

According to Robles, the entire concept behind the spin-off was to create a way to spend more time in a world and with characters that audiences grew attached to over the years. But since the show also has some creative freedom, it introduces new approaches and even brand-new characters as well. So, basically, everything that happens in this new story is very specific to it. It might be a little confusing at first, but because it takes place in a period the main series doesn’t really explore in detail, it gives the writers room to push different ideas as far as they can — as long as it stays within the boundaries of not turning into a completely separate story.

So is it required viewing? No. You can watch Tales From ’85 without feeling like you’re missing any essential information from Stranger Things. It’s an extra layer, especially since the main show was written long before anyone knew this spin-off would exist. Because of that, nothing that happens during this timeline is ever referenced in the Duffer Brothers’ series.

Did Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Have Duffer Brothers Involvement?

Even though the Duffer Brothers created the entire universe, they didn’t have any active hands-on involvement in the spin-off. In reality, much like what we’re seeing with other projects like Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen and the upcoming The Boroughs, for Tales From ’85, they mostly just signed off on the project. However, since this is still Stranger Things, they also acted as “continuity guardians,” meaning they served as consultants (and executive producers).

When asked for more details about the duo, Robles had nothing but praise. “[The Duffer Brothers] have been nothing but supportive by giving us their writers to come in as consultants, making sure that we’re all talking about the show correctly, and making sure that we stay true to the characters. Whether with ideas or just the support itself, they’ve consistently been checking in on us,” he admitted. Not surprisingly, he also mentioned, while discussing some of the spin-off’s new elements, how the two creators viewed the project as well. According to him, even though everything is part of their universe, this is still a new world that should have its own kind of science, which is why the show introduces new Upside Down creatures, for example.

And knowing that the original creators were involved at least in that capacity, the next question becomes: does Tales From ’85 solve any of the plot holes? You might find a detail here and there that offers some explanation, but nothing major, because that was never the spin-off’s goal. There are gaps the story can explore in order to make its own plot work, but don’t expect a full guidebook of answers about this universe.

In short, the animated show’s role isn’t to redefine Stranger Things, but to expand the world in a way that doesn’t get in the way of what already exists.

Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is available to stream on Netflix.

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