Netflix is officially back in Hawkins for its latest Stranger Things universe expansion. Just four months after the streamer’s flagship show Stranger Things wrapped its five-season run, Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max are back for the first Stranger Things spinoff series, and every episode is streaming now.
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If you’ve ever wondered what happened between the 1984 Snow Ball dance at Hawkins Middle School in Stranger Things Season 2 and Hawkins’ Independence Day celebrations in summer 1985 in Season 3, you finally have your answer. Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, the first on-screen, animated expansion of the Stranger Things universe, aims to fill in the blanks between the second and third seasons of the main show. Developed by Eric Robles and the Duffer Brothers and featuring an all-new cast voicing the beloved characters in animated form, all 10 half-hour episodes of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 are now available to stream on Netflix as of April 23rd.
Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 Expands the Lore of the Upside Down and Hawkins
Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 largely focuses on the missing chapter that occurs after Eleven seals the gate at the end of Season 2 and before the Russian activities start in Season 3. The series explores how organic matter from the Upside Down can interact with and corrupt the real world and features a monster-of-the-week-style narrative as the group, joined by new punk rocker character Nikki, battles new, mutated creatures from the Upside Down that have escaped into Hawkins, like zombie-fied pumpkins, a snow shark, and a Queen Vine Monster. At the same time, the series also aims to deepen character bonds, shining a light on the budding romance between Mike and Eleven post-Snow Ball and the growing relationship between Max and Lucas.
Whether Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 does a good job of things is still up in the air. The series hasn’t yet earned critic or audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes, and so far, early reviews have been pretty mixed. Although the show effectively captures the nostalgia of early seasons and features some pretty great animation capturing a snowy, frozen Hawkins, it begs to question if it is a necessary addition to the larger Stranger Things universe and ultimately fails to bring much of anything new to the story. Overall, it seems to have landed so far as a pleasant, if somewhat redundant, addition to the Stranger Things universe.
Will There Be a Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 Season 2?
10 episodes of Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 are all fans will get, at least for now. As of the series’ premiere, Netflix has not officially renewed the series. Those connected to the show have expressed interest in continuing the story, with Robles telling Radio Times, “The hopes are, if we continue with the series, we’ll make sure that we kind of tie it right back to the beginning of season 3.”
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