Summary:
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Netflix’s “Tales From ’85” spinoff receives mixed reviews for introducing new characters and missing original series’ appeal.
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Set between Seasons 2 and 3, the 10-episode series features a new cast and a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Critics question if the franchise needs another chapter so soon after the flagship series ended, leading to divided opinions.
Netflix’s animated “Stranger Things” spinoff “Tales From ’85” premiered Thursday to a divided critical response, with reviewers questioning whether the franchise needs another chapter just four months after its flagship series ended.
The 10-episode series, set in the winter of 1985 between Seasons 2 and 3 of the original show, is rated TV-PG and runs roughly 27 to 32 minutes per episode.
The original cast does not return. Brooklyn Davey Norstedt voices Eleven in place of Millie Bobby Brown, Luca Diaz steps in for Finn Wolfhard as Mike, Ben Plessala for Noah Schnapp as Will, Elisha “EJ” Williams for Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas, Braxton Quinney for Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport for Sadie Sink as Max, Brett Gipson for David Harbour as Hopper, and Jeremy Jordan for Joe Keery as Steve.
The series introduces a new character, Nikki Baxter, voiced by Odessa A’zion, with Janeane Garofalo as her mother.
Mixed Reviews
The series holds a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 51 on Metacritic, according to a review roundup published by Gold Derby.
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Variety’s Alison Herman called it a “depressing, cynical retread,” writing that the spinoff “caters to nostalgia for nostalgia.” The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han labeled it “dull and unambitious,” singling out A’zion’s Nikki as the standout. IndieWire and the Independent argued the show misreads what made the original work, with Independent critic Louis Chilton writing that “Stranger Things has misunderstood its own appeal” and that absence, not ubiquity, drives nostalgia.
IGN’s Tara Bennett described the series as “colorful but underbaked,” citing repetitive monster encounters. Polygon and Collider were warmer, with Polygon’s Brian Vanhooker praising the voice cast for capturing “early Stranger Things charm.” Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times offered one of the more positive takes, calling it “a streamlined, supercharged telling, stripped of the soap operatics.”
“Tales From ’85” is the first official television extension of the franchise, following the West End theatrical production “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” Netflix has not confirmed a second season, though the finale leaves the door open. Additional spinoffs are reportedly in development as part of the streamer’s broader effort to expand the property after the main series concluded its five-season run earlier this year.
All 10 episodes of “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85” are streaming now on Netflix.
