Credit: NetflixStranger Things might have concluded its flagship series with Season 5 in December 2025 as part of a three-part rollout that began in November, but the wider franchise is continuing to expand. And now, a brand-new season has also been confirmed for Netflix later this year.
The long-awaited final season of the hit sci-fi series, which started in 2016 and became an instant global success, divided fans when it launched in November last year, with many viewers feeling that it failed to live up to expectations. However, that divide widened further when the finale, “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” premiered on Netflix on December 31.
Stranger Things Season 5 Backlash
Fans were so disappointed with the finale that they launched a petition demanding a new cut of the entire season from the streamer, while others claimed that the last episode was “fake” and that the “true ending” would follow in due course. This theory, dubbed “Conformity Gate,” went viral. However, “The Rightside Up” was indeed the actual ending to the series.
Plans to continue the franchise had already been set in motion before the series ended, and last week, the first official spinoff, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (2026), premiered on Netflix. Set between seasons 2 and 3, it follows the main group of characters (voiced by an entirely new cast) as they face several new terrifying monsters linked to the Upside Down.
Stranger Things Renewed for Another Season
Now, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the animated series has already been renewed for a second season that’s expected to arrive sometime this fall.
“The show’s renewal comes just four days after season one’s debut [on April 23], which saw Tales From ’85 take the No. 7 spot on the streamer’s global top 10 list with 2.8 million views,” the outlet writes, adding that “the 10-episode first season has also officially landed in Netflix’s top 15 animated series debuts of all time.”
Related: Is ‘Stranger Things: Tales From ’85’ Canon? Here’s the Answer
Tales From ’85 Has Divided Fans
Tales From ’85 has received mixed reviews from audiences, with many pointing out the inconsistencies with canon, a topic that became a main talking point long before the show even premiered. Many feel that the animated series “breaks canon” as the events depicted were never discussed by any of the characters from Season 3 of the main series onwards.
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes (as at April 29), it holds a 63% approval rating based on 30 critic reviews, and a 54% approval rating with audiences. On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, it holds a score of 52 out of 100 based on 17 critics, and 5.0 with audiences based on 24 user ratings, which are both categorized as “mixed or average.”
Those lower scores may also indicate that many viewers have turned away from Stranger Things after Season 5, while others likely have little to no interest in an animated follow-up.
Clearly, Tales from ’85 has been renewed because of its viewership success. The marketing push has likely helped with that, with the first two episodes premiering early via a limited release in select U.S. theaters on April 18 (five days before its global streaming launch), and merchandise ranging from official Jazwares action figures to McDonald’s Happy Meal toys.
The first six minutes of the pilot episode were also revealed by Netflix the day before the global premiere. It’s also worth noting that the animated series is more accessible than the main show, meaning that it appeals to a wider audience that includes younger viewers.
More Stranger Things Content Confirmed
The Broadway version of the stage production Stranger Things: The First Shadow has been filmed for a future Netflix release. There’s also an untitled live-action spinoff in development, which will explore the “briefcase rock” introduced during the Season 5 finale.
Tales From ’85 stars Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield, Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair, Ben Plessala as Will Byers, Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxter, Brett Gipson as Jim Hopper, Janeane Garofalo as Anna Baxter, Griffin Burns as Jonathan Byers, Jeremy Jordan as Steve Harrington, Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel Fischer, Robert Englund as Cosmo, Alysia Reiner as Karen Wheeler, Alessandra Antonelli as Nancy Wheeler, Valeria Rodriguez as Rosario, and Jack Griffo as Jeff.
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? Or are you done with Stranger Things after Season 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
