Stranger Things Secures Surprise Renewal, Returning To Netflix Soon

You haven’t seen the last of the Stranger Things franchise yet.

While ‘Conformity Gate’ proved to be complete nonsense following the series’ fifth and final season, many of our favourite characters recently returned to Netflix.

Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 landed just a few days ago on the streaming service, with this animated prequel set between the base show’s second and third seasons.

Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max all return as they investigate a “paranormal mystery terrorising their town”.

It felt like a strange premise in the lead up to the series’ release on 23 April.

Tales From ‘85 doesn’t lack drama, with this familiar group of characters having plenty of run-ins with the various creatures of the Upside Down.

Given that the spin-off’s events are canon, many wondered how it would be possible that the goings-on of Tales From ‘85 were never referenced within Stranger Things.

That feeling has only been exacerbated since the launch of the spin-off given that it introduces new character Nikki Baxter who is nowhere to be seen in Stranger Things.

Well, while many of us were expecting Tales From ‘85 to be a one and done affair, it’s set to return to Netflix in a second season very soon.

Tales From ‘85 Will Explain Nikki’s Absence In Stranger Things

The series’ showrunner Eric Robles has a clear plan for Tales From ‘85 that could span several seasons, and it’ll reportedly explain why Nikki is absent from the main show.

Robles spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in celebration of the series’ rapid renewal.

“I have a number in my head,” Robles said in terms of seasons.

“This is going to be a really fun ride for the story that I want to tell. But I don’t plan to overstay my welcome.

“I’m giving you a very vague answer, but I have an idea of what feels right for me, creatively, in terms of the story introducing Nikki Baxter — 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 season four [postproduction].

“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, Tales From ‘85.”

Netflix

Robles went on to explain that Tales From ‘85 had shifted from a “hard canon” to a “soft canon”.

“That was actually the most difficult part of the assignment. In the early days of development, when Netflix approached me about this, the problem was — and many had tried prior to me — that the Duffer brothers wanted [the story] to take place inside [seasons] two and three — but you can’t open up gates,” he explained.

“How do you create creatures if the gates are closed? So I went back to my library of ‘80s films that I used to watch, that my dad used to make me watch with him, and there was Re-Animator.

“This classic ‘80s film gave me the idea. If we can have Hawkins lab science meet Upside Down matter as they did in Re-Animator, then we can open up this whole new kind of adventure.”

The first season of Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85 is on Netflix now.

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