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We're only a couple of days away from the release of Stranger Things: Tales From '85, a new animated spin-off that'll reunite us with our favorite Hawkins heroes.
If you've seen the trailers, you'll have already realised that the show isn't a direct follow-up to the live-action series – the world isn't ending, Eleven's still around and Will's back rocking his bowl cut, for starters. In fact, showrunner Eric Robles has previously described it as kind of a "lost season". We wouldn't blame you, then, if you were a little confused as to when exactly it takes place in relation to the flagship show...
Well, thanks to the franchise's love of explicit timestamps, it's actually not as complicated as you might think. Below, we spell out which live-action seasons Tales From '85 is wedged between. So scroll on, Hellfire Club members, and get up to speed!
Stranger Things timeline, explained
- Stranger Things: The First Shadow (1959)
- Stranger Things season 1 (1983)
- Stranger Things season 2 (1984)
- Stranger Things: Tales From '85 (1985)
- Stranger Things season 3 (1985)
- Stranger Things season 4 (1986)
- Stranger Things season 5 (1987)
If we're considering every title canon within the Stranger Things universe, then stage show Stranger Things: The First Shadow kicks off the timeline. Set predominantly in 1959, it sees a young Henry Creel – AKA Baby Vecna – and his family relocate to Hawkins, Indiana from Nevada. There, he falls hard and fast for a sweet-natured local called Patty Newby, as he grapples with his emerging telekinetic powers. It also charts how he got said abilities from coming into contact with the Mind Flayer in its original, particle-like state.
Season 1 famously opens on November 6, 1983, with the events that follow spreading across seven or so days.
If you want to get real nerdy with it and were looking to do more of a chronological rewatch, you could watch Stranger Things season 4, episode 7, before hitting play on season 1. The episode, officially titled 'The Massacre at Hawkins Lab', showcases how Eleven overpowered Henry Creel/001 and sent him to the Upside Down in September 1979, a whole four years before the events of the series premiere.
While this is far from the only flashback across Stranger Things, it's arguably the most significant, and we'd argue that it might make for an elevated viewing experience if we knew of Jamie Campbell Bower's big bad Vecna prior to season 4.
Season 2 takes place at the end of October 1984. It wraps up with Eleven, Will, and the other youngsters attending Hawkins Middle School's winter formal in mid-December. Stranger Things: Tales From '85 picks up just less than 4 weeks later, on January 10, 1985, as the kids settle back into school following their Christmas break.
Season 3 kicks off in June 1985. Season 4 is set in February 1986, while season 5 rolls out across November 1987.
All 10 episodes of Stranger Things: Tales From '85 will drop on April 23. Never miss one with our guide to the Stranger Things: Tales From '85 release schedule, or check out our picks of the best Netflix shows for some watchlist inspiration while we wait.
