Stranger Things: Tales From '85 showrunner promises the upcoming animated series won't just be a throwaway "Monster of the Week" adventure

Despite taking place in between Stranger Things seasons 2 and 3, showrunner Eric Robles says Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is more than just filler and that everything in the upcoming animated show happens for a reason.

"It really has all the feels," Robles explains in the new issue of SFX magazine. "We didn't want to just do a Monster Of The Week show. We want to make sure that things happen for a reason, and there's not just creatures for the sake of creatures. Everything that happens in the show, whether it's monster-related or character-related, there's a reason for it, and it's not just a miscellaneous monster. So if you follow from episode one to the finale, you'll understand how every single piece mattered within the season as a whole."

Per the official tagline, the "epic new animated series" sees the original characters "fight new monsters and unravel a paranormal mystery." Since Tales From '85 is canon to the flagship show, I'm curious to see how they'll explain the fact that these "new monsters" are never seen again? Especially given the fact that, at least according to the trailer, these creatures don't look anything like Demogorgons or Demodogs. The Stranger Things play is meant to be a prequel to the series, with season 5 reflecting some of the scenes we saw on stage... but I'm hoping all of it connects somehow.

The voice cast includes Brett Gipson as Hopper, Luca Diaz as Mike, Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Elisha Williams as Lucas, Ben Plessala as Will, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, and Odessa A'Zion as new character Nikki Baxter.

Stranger Things: Tales from '85 is set to hit Netflix on April 23. All episodes of Stranger Things are streaming now. For more, check out our breakdown of the Stranger Things season 5 finale explained, or see our Stranger Things season 5 finale review.