Stranger Things Spin-Off’s Future Is in Fans’ Hands, Says Showrunner

written by Craig Ellison

April 16, 2026 1:48 pm

Stranger Things Spin-Off’s Future Is in Fans’ Hands, Says Showrunner — Image credit: Legion-Media

Eric Robles says if viewers rally behind the first season of Tales from 85, the series is just getting started.

So, Stranger Things finally wrapped up with its big Season 5 finale—no more mainline Eleven, Hopper, or hellish alternate dimensions (at least for now). But, in classic franchise fashion, Netflix is not letting Hawkins, Indiana rest easy. Instead, they're giving us spinoffs, and the first out of the gate is Stranger Things: Tales from '85, an animated series dropping this month. If you're counting, that's a return to the gap between Seasons 2 and 3. Yes, there's still plenty of Upside Down-adjacent real estate to excavate.

The Next Chapter… Or Just a One-Off?

Here’s where it gets interesting: will Tales from '85 be a one-season nostalgia trip, or is Netflix teeing up a whole animated saga? Answer: absolutely no one knows—not even the showrunner, Eric Robles.

In a recent chat with MovieWeb, Robles made it clear that, even though he has ideas for more, he's just the guy steering the ship—not the captain plotting the course. His hands are tied thanks to all the usual NDAs. But he definitely knows where he'd take the show, if it were up to him.

'Look, I have it in my head. If all the guardrails were off, and you and I can have a real one-on-one, man, I can tell you, I know where this would go... But I have no say on where this is going to go. It's Netflix. It's the fans. Do people want more? That really is always the determining factor. But if you ask me, do I know where this would go? I know exactly where this would go.'

So, as much as fans keep peppering Robles for confirmation, the reality is that Netflix will wait and see how the clicks and views pan out before okaying more episodes. If it gets people talking, expect more. If everyone shrugs, that's probably it.

Not Part of the Big Master Plan

Unlike the Duffer Brothers' hyper-planned, endpoint-driven approach with the main series, Tales from '85 took a different path. There wasn't some secret vision to dive back into 1985 after Season 4—this spin-off just sort of happened. Robles explained that it all started when he was brought in during post-production on Season 4, and the idea was essentially, 'let's just see if the fans are into this.' In other words, the show exists because the people making Stranger Things were open to a little creative branching. No ten-year plan, no grand strategy—just organic TV development at its most chaotic.

'When I got involved in development, they were in post-production on Season 4. So it's a lot of whether the fans are going to care about this or not, but it's not like it was the master plan, that we're going to go back after Season 4 and we're going to do this animated series. All of this just happens. It starts happening organically, and that's what art is. Storytelling art, it's just organic.'

So if Tales from '85 feels a little experimental, that’s because it is. Nobody’s pretending it’s essential viewing for main-series obsessives. It’s just aiming to fill in some narrative space for people who can’t get enough Hawkins weirdness.

What Makes This Series Different?

It’s animated: Unlike the main series—which sometimes feels like it wants to be an R-rated horror flick—the new show leans lighter, making it less likely to traumatize your average tween. The original Hawkins crew is younger here too, so expect fewer on-screen emotional breakdowns and more '80s-style supernatural shenanigans.
Timeline: All the action is wedged between Seasons 2 and 3 (so don’t worry, nobody’s retconning your favorite character’s fate).
Creative freedom—with limits: Netflix was pretty clear with Robles: he got to play in a very specific sandbox. He could design his own wild winter adventure, but nothing could mess with the main storyline. Basically, freeze the moment in Season 2.5 and have fun—but don’t even think about pulling an Avengers: Endgame time heist.

Other Spin-Offs… But Good Luck Getting Details

As for those rumors about a live-action spin-off? The Duffer Brothers are working on something, but they're keeping it locked down like a secret Soviet lab. There have been reports, but absolutely no one is talking about what it actually involves or when we might see it.

The Bottom Line

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is the first TV spin-off, it’s experimenting with style and tone, and its future depends on how the audience reacts. In the meantime, if you need a fix of Hawkins weirdness and can’t let go of 1980s nostalgia, this is your shot.

Cast sneak peek: Expect your favorite original Hawkins crew back—animated and bracing for a particularly foul Indiana winter, along with (you guessed it) another round of supernatural chaos.