Fans of Stranger Things may not have gotten that secret-bonus episode they were looking for after Season 5 wrapped up on New Year’s Eve, but less than five months later, our Dungeons & Dragons-loving heroes are back for new adventures. I admittedly had reservations about Netflix’s new animated series, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, which hit the 2026 TV schedule on April 23, but after reading these reviews, I’m feeling way more inspired to fire up my Netflix subscription.
Taking place between the events of Seasons 2 and 3, Tales From ‘85 shows Eleven, Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin and Max as they face new monsters from the Upside Down. They’ll also be joined by a new character, Nikki Baxter. Let’s get to the reviews, some of which address my concerns about the series.
There Are Good And Bad Reviews For The Stranger Things Animated Series
Do we even need more Stranger Things this soon after the sendoff of the Hawkins gang into adulthood? How will they integrate Nikki (and then extricate her) in a satisfactory way? Belen Edwards of Mashable addresses those concerns in her review, contending that this “baffling” prequel isn’t the cure for Season 5 ending backlash. This critic also addresses the storytelling sin that Nikki presents, writing:
Article continues belowGiven that Nikki doesn't appear or even get mentioned in future Stranger Things seasons, audiences will know she eventually exits the narrative. … I tried to banish [this thought] from my mind as I watched Tales From '85, hoping to meet the show more on its level. But when its level is awkwardly shoehorning itself into a broader show in order to keep a franchise chugging, how can I not be thinking of how it will all eventually connect, and why this exists in the first place?
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert calls it an “insulting waste of time” and “aggressively uninspired.” It had the opportunity to deviate from the show in really interesting ways but chose to do exactly more of what the live-action series already did, albeit a “watered-down, less-interesting” version. Tallerico’s Tales of ‘85 review continues:
Every chance to do something inventive and interesting in Tales from ‘85 is ignored for lazy fan-fic writing, slack plotting, and inconsistent characters. It never feels like canon, even though it’s supposed to be, not so much connecting the second and third seasons of Stranger Things as much as feeling like a half-baked Reddit post about what might have happened during the prime of the show.
Why The Reviews Won Me Over
Those critics do bring up some concerning issues, but reading other reviews, I started to wonder: what if it doesn’t have to be that deep?
Brian VanHooker of Polygon, in particular, got me on his side when pointing out that the focus is solely on the kids (who are actually voiced by kids), not Joyce, not Hopper, and very little on Nancy or Steve. That, the half-hour format and the animation give it that Saturday morning cartoon feeling the Duffer Brothers wanted, according to the critic, who writes:
The cumulative effect of very good casting plus short, energetic, kid-focused stories did something I did not believe was possible. Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 actually manages to recapture a lot of the early charm from the original Stranger Things. Once again the characters feel like optimistic, energetic kids on a grand adventure. They’re kids who argue with and tease each other and love to eat snack food and make pop culture references. And despite the fact that they’re in life-and-death situations, there's a sense of fun to their stories. It’s a feeling I have not gotten from Stranger Things since 2019.
Remember when they were just kids playing D&D and not yet fully traumatized? Greer Riddell of Collider says Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 reminds us why we fell in love with the show in the first place, rating it an 8 out of 10. It’s an especially welcome dose of nostalgia after the Season 5’s divisive ending, Riddell says:
In the wake of the highly criticized Stranger Things finale, this new story serves as a sigh of relief. The mysteries are still there — each episode ends on a cliffhanger that will leave you hovering over the ‘next episode’ button — but it's possible to just enjoy this spin-off for what it is without looking for tie-ins to the main story. The characters are allowed to just be kids again, whether through a snowball fight or Eleven trying cheese fries for the first time.
Chris Tilly of Dextero gives it 4 out of 5 stars, agreeing the animated spinoff captures the spirit and sense of fun of Stranger Things’ early seasons. Tilly writes:
It looks gorgeous, being filled with vivid prime colors, most notably some gorgeous green and pinks. While the voice cast – replacing their live-action counterparts who aged out of the roles – all nail the task, most notably Braxton Quinney as Dustin and Jeremy Jordan as Steve. … The bulk of Tales From ’85 is a blast of nostalgia-infused fun that’s accessible to newcomers or kids yet to experience the joy of Stranger Things, while at the same time delighting longtime fans suffering from withdrawal symptoms.
Fans are definitely not going to agree which side they fall on here. In fact, critics on Rotten Tomatoes are rating the new series at 70%, whereas fans have a much lower combined score of 45%, though it’s still early and that number’s likely to change.
If you want to recapture the fun of the Hawkins heroes’ childhood, try to erase the series finale from your brain or just keep the Stranger Things universe alive as long as possible, all 10 episodes of Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 Season 1 can be streamed now with a Netflix subscription.
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