‘Stranger Things’ universe expands again: Tales from ’85 returns after strong debut success

The animated Stranger Things spinoff, 'Stranger Things: Tales From '85,' shortly after the show's first season premiered on Netflix.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will return to Hawkins and the Upside Down sometime this fall. The renewal comes just four days after season one debuted and entered Netflix's global Top 10 list at No. 7 with 2.8 million views.

Set in the winter of 1985, the story follows Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas and Max as life in Hawkins seems peaceful again. The group is back to everyday routines, including school life, games and time with friends. But things soon take a dark turn when a new danger begins to rise in the town.

The first season has 10 episodes and has also entered Netflix's top 15 animated series debuts of all time, according to the publication.

Creators Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer are attached as executive producers through their banner Upside Down Pictures, along with Hilary Leavitt. Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen are also executive producers, while Flying Bark has handled the animation work.



The success of the spinoff comes only months after the original live-action Stranger Things ended its five-season run in late 2025. Even after the final season, the franchise has continued to perform strongly with viewers and on social media.

The original series, starring Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, David Harbour and Winona Ryder, has collected 1.5 billion views through March 2026 across all five seasons, said The Hollywood Reporter. Interest around the final season also pushed the earlier four seasons back into Netflix's global Top 10 for eight weeks.

According to the publication, the franchise has also seen massive engagement online, with season five alone recording 5.75 billion owned social impressions. Overall, Stranger Things has reached nearly 10 billion owned social impressions.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”