Stranger Things spin-off: the animated series, the play and what is announced after the ending
After the ending · Spin-off · Projects
The show is over, the universe is not. Two spin-offs exist or are coming, both set before: a play about 1959, and an animated series about winter 1985. A third, in live action, remains an idea. Here is what exists, what is announced, and what has been ruled out.
The essentials
- The play: “The First Shadow”, 1959, in London and New York
- The animated series: “Tales From '85”, winter 1985, released April 23, 2026
- The live-action project: mentioned by the Duffers, without the known characters, nothing announced
- Ruled out: a sequel with the adult party
Contents
- The first spin-off: “The First Shadow”, the play
- “Tales From '85”, the animated series
- The live-action project
- The extras
- What to keep
- Every spin-off, in one table
- What the Duffers said, and what they ruled out
- Where to start, based on what you want
- What the animated series says about the future of the universe
The first spin-off: “The First Shadow,” the play
The first spin-off is not a series: it is a play, performed in London since December 2023 and on Broadway since April 2025. It is set in 1959, when the Creel family moves into town, and tells the adolescence of Henry, future Vecna, alongside teenage Joyce, Hopper and Bob. Written with the Duffers, it serves as a prologue to the whole show, and its stage effects have been awarded on both sides of the Atlantic.
The logo T-shirt, for the whole universe.
In the shopWomen's bikes in the forest upside down T-shirt39,90 €See the product
"Tales From 1985," the animated series
Announced in 2023 and released on April 23, 2026, the animated series is set in winter 1985, between the season 2 ending and the summer of season 3: the group, Eleven included, faces a new threat from the Upside Down, in a style that imitates 80s Saturday-morning cartoons. The Duffers produce; the voices are not those of the original actors. It is not a sequel, it is a parenthesis.
| Project | Format | Period | Status | With the group? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The First Shadow | Theater | 1959 | Now showing | No: Joyce, Hopper and Bob as teenagers |
| Tales From '85 | Animated series | Winter 1985 | Released April 23, 2026; Season 2 on September 17, 2026 | Yes, in animation |
| Live-action spin-off | Show | Unknown | An idea, nothing announced | No, according to the Duffers |
| A sequel | Show | After 1989 | Ruled out |
The live-action project
As early as 2022, the Duffers mentioned a “very different” spin-off, born of an idea they have carried for years, that would take up neither the characters nor the town, in a decade other than the 80s. Since then, nothing: no title, no date, no cast. The two brothers have signed to develop other projects elsewhere, and have said that this spin-off, if it existed, would not be their priority.
What was ruled outA sequel with adult Eleven and Mike, a season devoted to Eddie, a return of Hopper in Russia, a show about the numbered children: the creators said no to each of those ideas. The party's story is over.
The side notes
Around the show, the universe has expanded into novels, including one on Hopper's youth and one on Max, into comics, into video games and board games. None is considered a full spin-off, but several novels, written with the creators' agreement, complete the characters' stories between seasons.
What to keep
Two real spin-offs, both before the main story: the play for 1959, the animated series for 1985. The rest is of the order of an idea. For fans, the good news is that the universe continues; the bad, that the 1983 group has said goodbye.
The Vecna figure, the hero of the play.
In the shopLego Vecna mini figure and his vines14,90 €See the product
Every spin-off, in one table
| Project | Format | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| The First Shadow | The play | Hawkins, 1959 | On stage in London since 2023, on Broadway since 2024 |
| Tales From '85 | Animated series, ten episodes | Winter 1985, between seasons 2 and 3 | Released April 23, 2026; Season 2 on September 17, 2026 |
| Live-action spin-off | Show | Another decade, outside Hawkins | Announced, with no title or date; the Duffers will not direct it |
| One Last Adventure | Documentary | The 2024 shoot | Released January 12, 2026 |
| Dead by Daylight, chapter 2 | Video game | — | Released January 27, 2026, with Vecna, Eleven, Dustin, Robin and Eddie |
What the Duffers said, and what they ruled out
From their letter of February 17, 2022, the Duffers announced their intention to produce a spin-off series set in the show's universe. They later specified that it would take up neither the group, nor Hawkins, nor the period, and that they would not be its directors: their company Upside Down Pictures will produce it, others will write it. They have said they want “another voice” on the universe, and already have the starting idea.
What they excluded is just as clear: no sequel with the adult group, no sixth season, no movie. The 1989 epilogue is written as a closed door, and the bomb destroyed the Upside Down. What the extensions tell is set before, in 1959 and in 1985, or elsewhere.
Where to start, depending on what you are looking for
To find the party again, the animated series is the only choice: the same characters, the same Hawkins, a winter of 1985 the show had not told. To understand Henry, the play, if you can go to London or New York: it shows 1959 from the inside, and the last chapter answers it with the briefcase. For the making-of, the January 2026 documentary.
None of these projects is needed to understand the ending, and all of them watch better afterward. The live-action spin-off, when it arrives, will be the first extension that owes nothing to the 1983 group; that is what the Duffers wanted, so Hawkins can outlive its children.
What the animated series says about the future of the universe
The animated series is the first extension to come out after the end, and its calendar says a lot: ten episodes on April 23, 2026, a second season on September 17, 2026, less than five months later. The two seasons were made in parallel, which implies a commitment of several years. The universe therefore does not stop with the last chapter; it changes form.
It also sets the rule of the extensions: stay before the finale, or elsewhere. The animated series is set in 1985; the play in 1959; the spin-off series outside Hawkins. None of them touches spring 1989, and that is what the Duffers wanted when they closed the door.
The complete-series poster.
In the shopVecna second-skin costume37,90 €See the product
Takeaway“The First Shadow”: the play, 1959. “Tales From '85”: the animated series, released in April 2026. A live-action spin-off: an idea, not a project. No sequel with the party.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Stranger Things spin-off?
Two: the play “The First Shadow,” about Henry Creel in 1959, and the animated series “Tales From 1985,” released on April 23, 2026.
Is the animated series a sequel?
No. It is set in the winter of 1985, between seasons 2 and 3, with the party in animation.
Is a live-action spin-off planned?
The Duffers have mentioned the idea, without the known characters. Nothing is announced.
Will there be a sequel with the party?
No. The creators have ruled it out: the show ended with its fifth season.
Will the Duffers direct the spin-off?
No. They produce it through Upside Down Pictures, but have said they want "another voice" on the universe, and not to pick the party, Hawkins or the era back up.
Which extension finds the 1983 party again?
Only the animated series Tales From 1985, released on April 23, 2026, with Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Eleven and Max in 1985.