Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 returns in September
Netflix has confirmed that Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 will return for its second season on 17 September 2026. That is a remarkably fast follow-up to the animated spin-off’s first season, which premiered on 23 April 2026.
The next chapter moves into a Valentine’s Day mystery. Netflix’s description says the group will investigate ghostly sightings and a swarm of unusual creatures creating havoc across town.
Where the animated spin-off fits
Tales From ’85 is set between the second and third seasons of the original Stranger Things. The placement allows the series to revisit the younger Hawkins characters while exploring an untold period in the wider story.
Netflix approved season 2 soon after the spin-off launched. Given the short gap between seasons, it is reasonable to think Flying Bark Productions had already begun work on the next episodes before the first season reached viewers. More information about the series is available in this Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 guide.
A mixed response to season 1
The first season divided its audience. It holds a 63% critics’ score and a 52% user score on Rotten Tomatoes. Positive reactions focused on its ability to recapture the atmosphere and appeal of the earlier live-action seasons, while less favourable reviews described it as a functional midquel rather than an essential addition.
Creative team and production
Eric Robles and Jennifer Muro developed the first season, with Robles also serving as showrunner. Original creators Matt and Ross Duffer joined the project as executive producers.
Production involved Netflix Animation Studios, Upside Down Pictures, 21 Laps Entertainment and Flying Bark Productions. Flying Bark has also contributed animation to Avatar: The Last Airbender, Marvel’s What If…? and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Why Netflix is expanding the universe
The main Stranger Things series concluded its 42-episode run on 31 December 2025, making further stories in the franchise unsurprising. The property remains one of Netflix’s biggest successes, and its third season previously set a viewing record for the platform’s original series.
A live-action spin-off was reported to be in development in 2023, but no formal announcement has followed. For now, Tales From ’85 is the confirmed continuation, with its second season arriving just under five months after the first.
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