With its mixed reviews and #7 debut in Netflix's Top 10, Stranger Things: Tales From '85 may not be the runaway hit its creators had anticipated, but showrunner Eric Robles is hopeful that the animated spin-off will find its audience in season 2. Much like how Star Wars: The Clone Wars grew in popularity in the early 2010s.
As news of its return landed online, Robles teased what to expect from Tales From '85's next chapter and revealed that, while he has "a number in [his] head" as to how long the cartoon will run for, he's keen not to "overstay [his] welcome."
"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."
Set between Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3, Tales From '85 catches us up on what Eleven, Will, and the rest of our Hawkins heroes got up to between the Snow Ball and the opening of the Starcourt Mall. With the gate to the Upside Down closed, they start relaxing into everyday life again, only for their plans of spending the winter playing Dungeons & Dragons and introducing Eleven to deep-dish pizza to be upended when new monsters start wreaking havoc across town.
As they investigate the plant-like creatures, The Party meets new kid Nikki Baxter, who's just moved to Hawkins with her science teacher mom. Nikki, of course, isn't in Stranger Things season 3, and has never been mentioned by any of the characters, so fans are curious as to how the spin-off will stick to canon as it expands.
"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."
Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is streaming now. For more, check out our picks of the best Netflix shows for some watchlist inspiration.
