Netflix’s Stranger Things has spent nearly a decade as one of the platform’s defining originals, turning a small-town supernatural mystery into a global franchise.
What began in 2016 as a Spielberg-inspired throwback quickly evolved into something much bigger, with each season expanding the story and raising the stakes for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and the rest of the Hawkins gang. But by the time the series reached its long-awaited fifth and final season at the end of 2025, expectations were high—and the divided response proved just how difficult it is to stick the landing on a story that big.
Stranger Things Backlash Continues
Season 5 delivered a definitive ending to the story, but it wasn’t without controversy. While many viewers praised its scale and emotional payoffs, some took issue with pacing, character resolutions, and the handling of long-running plot threads.
Online discussion quickly became divided, with some fans arguing that the final chapter didn’t justify the years of build-up. Others even called the ending “fake,” which quickly turned into a viral theory dubbed “Conformity Gate.” Others launched an online petition demanding a new cut of the series from Netflix, which obviously never came to light.
That conversation only intensified with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 (2026), an animated spin-off set between seasons 2 and 3 which premiered on April 23. The series revisits Hawkins during a quieter period in the timeline, but its place in the overall canon has been a major point of contention.
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Is Tales From ’85 Canon?
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, showrunner and executive producer Eric Robles addressed those concerns directly. “The assignment was… build this fun, frozen-in-time moment with these kids,” he said, emphasising that the goal wasn’t to reshape the main story but to explore it from a different angle.
He went on to describe the project in flexible terms, agreeing with the idea of it being “soft canon” — meaning it aligns with the world and characters, but doesn’t necessarily carry the same weight as the main series.
All 10 episodes of Tales From ’85 are now streaming on Netflix, and Season 2 has been confirmed to arrive during the fall. Watch the official trailer for the current season below:
It stars Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Luca Diaz as Mike Wheeler, Braxton Quinney as Dustin Henderson, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max Mayfield, Elisha Williams as Lucas Sinclair, Ben Plessala as Will Byers, Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxter, Brett Gipson as Jim Hopper, Janeane Garofalo as Anna Baxter, Griffin Burns as Jonathan Byers, Jeremy Jordan as Steve Harrington, Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel Fischer, Robert Englund as Cosmo, Alysia Reiner as Karen Wheeler, Alessandra Antonelli as Nancy Wheeler, Valeria Rodriguez as Rosario, and Jack Griffo as Jeff.
Stranger Things seasons 1–5 are also available to watch.
Have you watched Tales From ’85 yet? Or are you done with Stranger Things after Season 5? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
