A Major Netflix Series Was Just Renewed For Season 2
Netflix just released the first season of Stranger Things: Tales from '85 on April 23. The spinoff series to the streamer's biggest-ever original hit is an animated imagining of the time the characters spent between seasons 2 and 3 of Stranger Things.
Less than a week after the first season's launch, Netflix has announced the show is already developing season 2. Showrunner Eric Robles is excited for the fans to see more Hawkins adventures this fall.
"We're thrilled to return to the winter of '85 for Season 2. The Hawkins Investigators Club is back, and a new paranormal threat has emerged from the town's abandoned silver mines. I can't wait for fans to discover where this entity and the mysterious blue flower we last saw blooming in the Upside Down at the end of Season 1 take our young heroes."
Related: Stranger Things Spinoff Series Review Bombed After Early Access Release
The renewal might be a little surprising, or at least how quickly it happened. The fan score for the show is 5.1/10 on Metacritic, and the critic score is about the same at a 52/100. The IMDb fan score is 5.7/10. This is at least a little better than when it got review-bombed in early access after being shown in theaters several days before the worldwide premiere on Netflix.
Related: These Are the Biggest Shows Coming to Netflix in May
Stranger Things ended on a sour note for longtime fans of the show. Complaints surrounded character deaths, or lack thereof, the rushed nature of the final battle in the series finale, and longtime romances between characters that weren't given a satisfying conclusion.
Tales from '85 is trying to capitalize on nostalgia for when the show was at its most popular. Season 2 was a perfect mix of horror elements, 1980s recreation, and tight storytelling. The show wasn't unruly with too many new characters being added, and the episodes were still TV-length.
Unfortunately, it doesn't really matter what Netflix does with Stranger Things in the short term. People are still going to give it negative feedback because they are thinking about the series finale.
Netflix is still going to push the franchise no matter the reaction or viewership numbers. They believe the kids from Hawkins will eventually win fans back on their side.
This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 1:57 PM.