Netflix's 'Stranger Things' Spinoff Is One of the Biggest Disappointments of This Spring With 54% on RT

Only six months have passed since the finale of one of the most iconic series of the last decade – Stranger Things. Now, without fanfare or promotional hoopla, Netflix has released the spinoff – Stranger Things: Tales from '85.

The idea was to reveal what happened to Eleven, Mike, and the other kids between the exorcism of Will and the attack on Starcourt Mall – that is, between seasons two and three.

The result? A 54% score on Rotten Tomatoes which is perhaps even generous.

What Is 'Stranger Things: Tales from '85' About?

It's December 1984. Eleven finally goes to the snowball with Mike, Nancy asks Dustin to dance, Lucas and Max realize they're head over heels in love. The new year, 1985, was supposed to be a time of renewal.

The gates to the Upside Down were closed in the lab, yet small-time scoundrels of all sizes still tried to sneak into the sleepy Indiana town. Their job is to chew up some locals, ruin the crops, and come up with new adventures for the kids.

'Stranger Things: Tales from '85' Turned Out to Be Extremely Dull and Forced

Things might have turned out differently if Tales from '85 had been released during the 2026 winter holidays. The snow-covered town of Hawkins and the desire to see the residents of the Upside Down once again would have worked in its favor.

However, the restrained disappointment from the finale of the original show has yet to subside, and Tales from '85 now feels like an unnecessary postscript.

On the surface, the project seems to fulfill its objective of providing a few more stories about fearless kids, which sounds good. In reality, though, it's a lazy and uninventive elaboration of the content plan.

In contrast, the play First Shadow, about the childhood and youth of Henry Creel, is a much more ideologically and semantically sound attempt to delve into mythology and expand on the villain's backstory.

In the original show, a nostalgic mood combined with the exuberance of the genre transported us from our gray everyday lives to a town where lightbulbs flicker. Unfortunately, Tales from '85 is unlikely to even tear audiences away from their phones.

'Stranger Things: Tales from '85' Shares the Same Problems as Season 5 of the Original Show

In Tales from '85, the characters are constantly forced to explain their future plans and current circumstances so that the viewers don't lose track of the story while scrolling – this plot glue feels so hollow that you could jump straight to Episode 6 after Episode 2, and nothing would change.

The spinoff is being helmed by the Duffer Brothers and Shawn Levy. However, it was Eric Robles and Jennifer Muro who wrote the script, and they seem to have written it without enthusiasm, focusing on situations rather than characters.

The core conflicts are the same as in the main series: Mike deprives Eleven of independence out of anxiety, Lucas lacks chivalry, and Will feels lonely and helpless.

Rarely, the animated avatars show chemistry or liveliness, but the spinoff lacks the vibrant moments of childhood and friendship devoid of the need to save the world.

What Did Critics & Viewers Think of 'Stranger Things: Tales from '85'?

• Stranger Things: Tales from '85 has 61% from critics and 54% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.

• On IMDb, the series has a score of 5.7/10.