Netflix's Secret Stranger Things Story Officially Comes Out In Late 2026

Although Stranger Things might officially have ended with its season 5 finale, the spinoff Tales From ’85 will continue the story of the series by filling in some blanks in late 2026. For better or worse, Stranger Things is officially over. The Stranger Things finale was released on December 31, 2025, with the last episode earning mixed responses.

Some viewers felt it was a perfect send-off for the show’s beloved cast of characters, while others found it underwhelming. Still others thought that it wasn’t the real finale at all, and that the finale episodes were just a fantasy that Vecna created to keep Mike distracted from reality. ConformityGate proved the Stranger Things finale was deeply divisive.

However, the fans who hoped to see a secret second finale released on January 7 were met with disappointment. The show really is over, although this doesn’t mean that viewers will never see its heroes again. Unlike the Stranger Things replacement It: Welcome to Derry, the Netflix hit will soon bring back its original protagonists.

Tales From '85 Will Show An Untold Stranger Things Story

Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is an upcoming animated series that will arrive at some point in 2026, potentially less than a year after the long-awaited final outing of the original series. Set between seasons 2 and 3, it stars the same characters as the original series and takes place in the same small town setting of Hawkins, Indiana.

The original cast will not return to reprise their roles, with franchise newcomers like Brett Gipson, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt, and Elisha Williams taking over the iconic roles of Hopper, Eleven, and Lucas. However, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 will feature almost all the show’s old heroes, with Mike, Max, Dustin, and Will also appearing.

Not only that, but the show’s stacked voice cast also includes 2025’s breakout star Odessa A’zion, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Janeane Garofalo. Stranger Things supporting star Jonathan Byers doesn’t seem to appear in the series, and his love interest Nancy, her former love interest Steve, and Robin are notably all absent from the cast list as well.

How Tales From '85 Will Be Different From Stranger Things

Despite these missing characters, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 has the potential to be an appealingly different spin on the Hawkins story. The show’s colorful aesthetic is bold and fun, while its tone promises to be more family-friendly than the original show. Although Stranger Things season 2 was almost as patiently paced and tonally heavy as season 1, season 3 was infamously goofy.

As such, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 now has the chance to bridge the tonal gap between the two seasons, making the original series feel more cohesive. With a lighter tone and a more playful style, the show can take the story of season 2 and bring in some of the colorful fun of season 3.

Is Stranger Things: Tales From '85 Canon?

The new show also has the opportunity to make up for some major missteps. Stranger Things season 5 forgot Suzie, Dustin’s longtime love interest, but Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 can make up for this by giving her a bigger role. Fortunately, the show seems to be part of the official Stranger Things timeline canon.

Since it takes place between two seasons of the original show’s story, viewers can reasonably surmise that Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is canon. As such, any changes the show makes to the main characters and supporting cast could explain plot holes between seasons 2 and 3. Similarly, the upcoming Nancy Wheeler mystery novel spinoff could explain another gap.

Tales From '85 Is Not The Only Upcoming Stranger Things Spinoff

Even though the animated series will see an all-new voice cast bring back familiar characters like Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Max, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is still doubling down on the original show’s story by returning to the period between seasons 2 and 3. Similarly, author Caitlyn Schneiderhan’s spinoff novel Stranger Things: One Way or Another will do the same.

Subtitled “A Nancy Wheeler Mystery,” the book follows Nancy and Robin’s investigation into the strange fate of their classmate, Joey Taft. Set between seasons 4 and 5, Stranger Things: One Way or Another can explain what happened during the lengthy in-universe gap between seasons. Like Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, this spinoff’s interquel approach is ingenious.

From Dustin’s forgotten season 5 bullies to the mystery of how long Hawkins was under quarantine between seasons, to the question of when Max and El became friends between seasons 2 and 3, there are plenty of unanswered mysteries left in the wake of the finale. Interequels allow the show to expand its existing story instead of moving on.

Some viewers might prefer to see a fresh take on the world of the series, with new characters, locations, and time periods represented. However, both Stranger Things: One Way or Another and Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 fill in valuable missing information for fans who want more of the show’s original story. Thus, Tales from ’85 is an exciting project for Stranger Things fans.