Credit: NetflixAfter an emotional and divisive conclusion to Stranger Things Season 5 on Netflix at the end of 2025, the fandom has been anything but quiet.
Some viewers felt the finale left them wanting more, to the point that they signed an online petition demanding additional footage from Netflix. Others went down the rabbit hole of the wild theory dubbed “Conformity Gate,” where fans claimed the Season 5 finale, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” was a fake-out and that a secret episode would hit the streamer.
More Stranger Things Content Is On the Way
But amid all that online uproar, it’s easy to forget that the Stranger Things universe is far from done. Yes, the flagship Netflix series really is over, but before audiences have even digested the fallout of the finale, the franchise has already moved into its next era of content.
At the end of January, the asymmetrical video game Dead by Daylight rolled out its Stranger Things Chapter 2 crossover, where fans can battle Vecna themselves and decide their own fate. And later this spring, Netflix is launching something that promises to feel closer to a “lost season” than a spinoff: the animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.
Related: New ‘Stranger Things’ Theory Emerges Following “Conformity Gate”
New Stranger Things Series Will Be a “Lost Season”
In an exclusive interview with Empire, Tales from ’85 showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles offered a clear vision for the upcoming series.
“We wanted to go back to Hawkins and feel like a lost season,” he explained, before adding that the 3D animated entry entry focuses on “when the kids weren’t trying to save the world — they were just trying to save the town.”
Robles’ comments, particularly surrounding the scale of the series, might please those who weren’t impressed with how the main series went from being a small-town sci-fi series to an epic fantasy in the last couple of reasons. While that should have raised the stakes for both the characters exponentially, many viewers felt there was a lack of threat in the final season.
Tales from ’85 — What You Need to Know
Tales from ’85 takes place between seasons 2 and 3. It brings back several iconic characters from the main series, such as Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Nancy, Max, Steve, and Hopper. However, the likes of Millie Bobby Brown and Finn Wolfhard won’t be returning.
Instead, the series features an all-new cast. It stars Brett Gipson (Jim Hopper), Luca Diaz (Mike Wheeler), Brooklyn Davey Norstedt (Eleven), Braxton Quinney (Dustin Henderson), Elisha Williams (Lucas Sinclair), Ben Plessala (Will Byers), Jolie Hoang-Rappaport (Max Mayfield), and Jeremy Jordan (Steve Harrington), and Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo, and Lou Diamond Phillips in undisclosed roles.
“Welcome back to Hawkins in the winter of 1985, where the original characters face new monsters — and a paranormal mystery — in this epic animated series,” Netflix’s blurb for the upcoming animated series reads.
Tales from ’85 premieres on April 23. Netflix hasn’t confirmed the number of episodes yet.
Watch the official trailer below:
Related: Is ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ’85’ Canon? Here’s the Answer
The First Shadow Is Also Coming to Netflix
If that wasn’t enough, there’s another piece of Stranger Things content brewing for the streaming service. The First Shadow, the award-winning, critically-acclaimed stage play prequel that explores the early origins of Henry Creel, is being filmed for a future release, bringing that theatrical experience to a global audience beyond the West End and Broadway.
There’s also a live-action spinoff series currently in development.
Stranger Things seasons 1 — 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
Are you excited about Tales From ’85? What do you think of the new trailer? Let us know in the comments!