The animated world of Hawkins is still finding its footing, but there’s a bigger plan in motion. Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 hasn’t exactly exploded out of the gate, yet the creative team still has more staroy to tell.
In fact, showrunner Eric Robles is looking at the long game, drawing comparisons to another animated series that took time to win people over, Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
The Netflix spin-off landed at #7 in the platform’s Top 10 and has seen a mixed reaction so far, but Robles believes that’s just part of the journey. He points to how The Clone Wars slowly built its audience over time, evolving into something fans embraced once they understood what it was trying to do.
“Right out the gate, everybody was like, The Clone Wars? Then all of a sudden, people started watching it and were like, ‘Wait a second.’ They gave it a chance, and then got into the Star Wars of it all, understanding that these were their own unique adventures,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “This is going to be a really fun ride for the story that I want to tell.”
That idea of “unique adventures” seems to be the backbone of the show. Rather than feeling like required viewing for the main storyline, Tales From ’85 is carving out its own space within the Stranger Things universe.
Set between Seasons 2 and 3 of the live-action series, the story drops us back into Hawkins during a rare calm. The gate to the Upside Down is closed, the Snow Ball dance is behind them, and the crew is trying to enjoy being kids again.
That means Dungeons & Dragons sessions, winter hangouts, and even introducing Eleven to deep-dish pizza. Of course, that peace doesn’t last long. Strange plant-like creatures begin causing chaos, pulling the group back into another mystery.
One of the biggest additions is Nikki Baxter, a new character who quickly caught fans’ attention. The twist is that she doesn’t exist in the main series timeline, which has sparked a lot of curiosity about how her story fits without breaking continuity.
Robles is well aware of that challenge and isn’t pretending it’s simple. “I have an idea of what feels right for me, creatively, in terms of the story introducing Nikki – her not being around anymore and what that means.
“Technically, she doesn’t fit into the timeline. It’s not in the cards, in the sense that this was developed when the Duffers were in [postproduction on] season four,” said Robles.
“What I can say is that I understand the responsibility of ending this story for this series correctly – what the kids process, how they move forward after that, how it connects perfectly to season three, and why they don’t talk about her.
“Is it going to be perfect? I don’t know. But I’m going to do my best with my team. It’s not going to satisfy everybody. That is the most impossible task ever. But I can tell you that we will satisfy this story.”
Robles knows the expectations are high, especially with a fanbase that pays close attention to every detail. At the same time, he’s not interested in dragging the series out longer than it should run, even hinting that he has a clear endpoint in mind.
For now, Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 is playing the long game, much like The Clone Wars did years ago. Whether it finds that same kind of growing appreciation will depend on how Season 2 builds on these threads and delivers on the promise of those “unique adventures.”
The series is streaming now on Netflix.
