Stranger Things: Tales from '85 - New Season Set for Fall Release
Isabella Ramos
Published May 15, 2026
By Published Apr 28, 2026, 3:05 PM EDT Rianna is the Movie News Editor for ScreenRant. After earning her BA in Film Studies, she began her career as an entertainment writer, contributing to several publications before joining ScreenRant. Her dissertation on the impact of streaming on traditional cinema sharpened her focus on the ever-evolving world of film and media. With 6 years in the industry, Rianna continues to cover the stories she loves while also advocating for awareness and representation of rare disabilities, such as Moebius Syndrome, which she lives with. follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
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Stranger Things began in 2016 and took the world by storm as the 80s aesthetic, music, and relatable characters led to the series generating over $1 billion in revenue and contributing $1.4 billion to the U.S. economy. Since the series began, there has now been a Broadway play titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow, and now .
The animated Stranger Things spin-off was renewed for season 2 on Netflix, and it has also been revealed that the second season will be released this fall. spoke to showrunner Eric Robles regarding the second season renewal and what to expect after an extremely divisive season 1. Season 1 of Stranger Things: Tales from '85 received a franchise low rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 63% from critics and a 54% from the audience.
Despite being a strange new look at Hawkins with new characters, a new cast, and more, it was a refreshing take on the franchise, which ended with an incredibly controversial season 5 finale of its flagship series, Stranger Things. When asked how many seasons Stranger Things: Tales from '85 could go on for, Robles stated that:
"I have a number in my head. This is going to be a really fun ride for the story that I want to tell. But I don’t plan to overstay my welcome. I’m giving you a very vague answer, but I have an idea of what feels right for me, creatively, in terms of the story introducing Nikki Baxter — her not being around anymore and what that means. Technically, she doesn’t fit into the timeline. It’s not in the cards, in the sense that this was developed when the Duffers were in season four post[-production]. What I can say is that I understand the responsibility of ending this story for this series correctly — what the kids process, how they move forward after that, how it connects perfectly to season three and why they don’t talk about her.
Is it going to be perfect? I don’t know. But I’m going to do my best with my team. It’s not going to satisfy everybody. That is the most impossible task ever. But I can tell you that we will satisfy this story, Tales From ‘85."
included a new character, Nikki Baxter, voiced by Odessa A'zion. When asked if Robles plans on introducing more characters to Hawkins, the showrunner stated, "So with Nikki, it’s just enough; and we’ve introduced bully characters with Jeff and Charlie. You’re going to probably see them come back since they’ve been introduced now into this world." However, he did state that audiences will be going to "new locations" in season 2.
When asked if Robles would replicate the theatrical release of Tales from '85 as he did for season 1, the showrunner stated that "We will continue to do that in season two and beyond, if given the opportunity." The screenings for the animated spin-off have followed other titles on Netflix getting a similar release, such as the , Frankenstein, and Greta Gerwig's upcoming adaptation of Narnia.
Stranger Things: Tales from '85 season 2 will be released in the fall, and season 1 is available to stream now.
Cast
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Brooklyn Davey Norstedt Eleven -
Odessa A'zion Nikki Baxter
Where to watch Close
WHERE TO WATCH
StreamingDirectors Phil Allora Writers Jennifer Muro Franchise(s) Stranger Things Creator(s) Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Eric Robles Expand Collapse
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