Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 - Everything You Need to Know, From Whether or Not It's Canon to Why This *Isn't* the Spinoff Everyone's Expecting

After weeks of heated speculation astir whether Netflix was done with Stranger Things, including thousands of TikToks and societal media posts astir #ConformityGate and whether determination was a secret, ninth occurrence of Season 5, the streamer has yet revealed the archetypal look astatine caller episodes of the deed series. Well, benignant of. They really unveiled the official, two-ish infinitesimal teaser for Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, a caller animated bid that’s been successful the works for astatine slightest the past 3 years.

So yeah, atrocious Season 5 truthers, Netflix has moved connected with thing new… Or rather, moved backwards, arsenic this caller bid takes spot smack successful the mediate of the enactment of Hawkins, Indiana, with immoderate caller characters, caller creatures, and a full batch of those ’80s vibes you cognize and love.

That said, there’s a batch that’s changed, and it isn’t conscionable the information that everyone is looking a full batch much cartoony. So with that successful mind, let’s interruption down immoderate of the biggest burning questions astir Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, and reply everything we cognize astir the bid truthful far.

What Is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 About?

Okay, earlier we get into it, to acceptable the signifier – and we’ll grow connected immoderate of this aboriginal – here’s the authoritative synopsis for the series:

Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an breathtaking caller animated bid from Showrunner Eric Robles and Executive Producers the Duffer Brothers. In the wintertime of 1985, snowfall blankets the municipality and the horrors of the Upside Down are yet fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max person settled backmost into a mean beingness of D&D, snowball fights, and quiescent days. But beneath the ice, thing terrifying has awakened. Could it beryllium from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from determination other entirely? Our heroes indispensable contention to lick this enigma and prevention Hawkins successful this untold communicative acceptable successful the Stranger Things universe.

So they mightiness lick a mystery? Perhaps rewrite history? What is this, DuckTales? Well, benignant of. Except for the ducks. And the large, swimmable bin filled with money.

In addition, this is – arsenic you whitethorn beryllium capable to archer from the footage – being done with machine animation, contempt being partially inspired by ’80s cartoons. The reason? Originally, the amusement was going to beryllium made successful the benignant of cartoons from the 1980s. But past they realized it was overmuch darker, and characters mightiness die. Because of this, they updated the look.

When Does Tales From ’85 Take Place (in the Continuity of the Show…)?

This mightiness get a small spot of a deserved groan from you, beloved reader, due to the fact that yes, it takes spot successful 1985. And arsenic you mightiness person either work successful the synopsis oregon seen successful the trailer based connected the snowball fights, this takes spot successful the wintertime of 1985. But for those wondering erstwhile it takes spot successful the continuity of the live-action show, the reply is betwixt the extremity of Season 2 and the opening of Season 3.

More specifically, astatine the extremity of Season 2, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sealed the gross to the Upside Down successful Hawkins Lab aft a legion of demodogs had invaded tunnels nether the town. The last occurrence took spot astatine the Snow Ball, a wintertime dance, truthful this happens aft Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) kissed for the archetypal time, El and Mike (Finn Wolfhard) are together, and Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) person hooked up.

Season 3 kicks disconnected the adjacent summertime with the opening of the Starcourt Mall, and the emergence of a goopy, rat-filled Mind Flayer, truthful we’re not rather determination yet.

Point being, the Upside Down is closed off, the menace has dispersed, and mostly everyone is exploring caller romanticist relationships. And possibly much importantly, they’re each inactive successful eighth grade. Or astatine least, the kids are. Hopper (David Harbour) is not successful eighth grade. FYI.

What’s Up With All the Monsters Then?

Great question! With erstwhile spinoffs of Stranger Things, they’ve mostly touched connected things that could maybe beryllium supernatural but yet are not. Specifically immoderate of the in-continuity Dark Horse Comics oregon novels volition person things similar Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) reasoning he’s dealing with a Jason-style slasher astatine summertime campy (he’s not), oregon the kids trying to find a concealed treasure near by Bob Newby (Sean Astin) that isn’t really affluent worldly truthful overmuch arsenic emotionally rich stuff.

The crushed for that is beauteous simple: If they fought monsters betwixt seasons, wherefore wouldn’t that travel up successful speech during seasons? Tales From ’85, connected the different hand, intelligibly has what looks similar demogorgons with pumpkin heads, elephantine works beasties, and more.

The reply is that Tales From ’85 exists successful its ain continuity. And successful that continuity, Hawkins Lab is messing with the Upside Down. Showrunner Eric Robles explained to Tudum that, “All of it is inactive connected to the Upside Down, truthful determination is the DNA of Upside Down creatures successful each of our creatures. It’s similar Hawkins Lab subject meets Upside Down matter. When you enactment them together, those are the kinds of creatures we person successful our world.”

'All of it is inactive connected to the Upside Down, truthful determination is the DNA of Upside Down creatures successful each of our creatures.' -showrunner Eric Robles“

So Wait, This Isn’t successful Canon With Stranger Things?

Er, yes and nary connected the successful canon thing. The closest comp to Tales From ’85 is The Real Ghostbusters, which Robles has noted was an inspiration for the show. Like that Ghostbusters spinoff, it didn’t bash thing to contradict the live-action adventures, but besides it followed its ain way and ideas. So, for example, Dustin isn’t going to suffer an limb connected Tales From ’85, and we aren’t going to find retired the Upside Down is not a wormhole – successful fact, it’s apt cipher volition notation wormholes astatine all. Probably.

So by not contradicting, 1 could simply ideate that warring works monsters earlier the summertime of ’85 successful Season 3 conscionable ne'er came up successful speech connected screen, but they were talking astir it each the clip off-screen. It’s a communicative instrumentality to let the writers of Tales From ’85 to not beryllium constrained successful the aforesaid mode that, for example, Broadway play The First Shadow had to chopped retired definite crippled points truthful arsenic to not spoil them earlier Season 5 of the show. Basically, it’s everything we said astir the novels and comics, but with immoderate of the restrictive guard-rails taken off.

Are Any of the Live-Action Actors Returning for Tales From ’85?

That’s a large “N-O,” bully buddy. The full dependable formed of the amusement is new, with astir apt the astir celebrated subordinate being Jeremy Jordan – who you nerds mightiness cognize arsenic Winn from Supergirl – arsenic the dependable of Steve “The Hair” Harrington.

The Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 dependable formed includes:

• Jeremy Jordan arsenic Steve “The Hair” Harrington
• Luca Diaz arsenic Mike Wheeler
• Brooklyn Davey Norstedt arsenic Eleven
• Braxton Quinney arsenic Dustin
• Elisha Williams arsenic Lucas
• Ben Plessala arsenic Will
• Jolie Hoang-Rappaport arsenic Max
• Brett Gipson arsenic Hopper

In addition, determination volition beryllium a caller quality named Nikki Baxter, who is described arsenic a tinker with pinkish hair. A pinker, if you will. You won’t? Okay then.

Odessa A’zion, Janeane Garofalo and Lou Diamond Phillips are besides successful the formed successful undisclosed roles.

That doesn’t preclude a astonishment cameo from immoderate of the live-action cast, but they won’t beryllium playing the roles they made celebrated connected TV. At slightest portion of the crushed for that is apt that the “kids” don’t, uh, dependable similar that anymore.

Is This the Spinoff the Duffer Brothers Were Teasing successful Season 5?

Nope. Tales From ’85, arsenic mentioned, has been successful the works for a portion now. But the live-action spinoff the Duffers are moving connected that has yet to beryllium officially announced is not the animated series. That volition impact wholly antithetic characters than Stranger Things did, and successful a antithetic mounting than Hawkins. Given Tales From ’85 includes the aforesaid characters successful the aforesaid place… Well, you tin astir apt fig it retired from there.

Another large hint that this animated bid is not the Duffers’ live-action spinoff? One is animated, and the different is live-action. And no, this amusement does not Roger Rabbit it up (probably).

How Many Episodes Are successful Tales From ’85? And When Does It Premiere?

Last 1 first! Tales From ’85 premieres connected April 23 connected Netflix. As of now, we don’t person immoderate info astir however galore episodes the amusement volition run, oregon however agelong the episodes volition be. We besides don’t cognize if determination volition beryllium further seasons, oregon if those further seasons would besides beryllium acceptable successful 1985… While animation has a agelong pb clip to get acceptable (see supra re: this taking 3 years), it’s imaginable Netflix whitethorn beryllium waiting to spot however this goes earlier greenlighting Season 2: Tales From Slightly Later In 1985.

As for now, we’ll conscionable person to hold for April, erstwhile we find retired that beingness is similar a hurricane, present in, Haw-kins.