Netflix's new series 'Tales From '85' returns to Hawkins less than four months after the franchise's series finale.

Explore the winter of 1985 in Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85, premiering April 23, 2026, on Netflix. Meet the new voice cast and witness the Hawkins crew battle unseen monsters in this thrilling animated chapter between seasons.

Set between the events of seasons 2 and 3 of the Netflix show, Tales from ‘85 premieres on April 23, and it will use the style of a Saturday morning cartoon to offer the same mix of nostalgic fun and horror as the core series.

Structural issues across "Stranger Things" season five led to an unsatisfying and incomplete ending, writes D'Souza.

That said, there’s a lot that’s changed, and it isn’t just the fact that everyone is looking a whole lot more cartoony. So with that in mind, let’s break down some of the biggest burning questions about Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, and answer everything we know about the series so far.

Why removing the villain might have led to a scarier, more mysterious, and emotionally stronger series overall.