Skip to main content

Stranger Things is getting an animated series on Netflix

We’re still a long time away from Stranger Things season 5, but that hasn’t stopped Netflix from releasing more news about their biggest original franchise. While the prospect of spinoffs has been teased before, it’s never been quite like this. Deadline is reporting that Netflix has given the green light to a Stranger Things animated series. Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things, will executive produce the series, which will feature Eric Robles as the showrunner.

“We’ve always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling,” said the Duffer brothers in a statement. “We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with — the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues.”

The cast of Stranger Things.
Netflix

Now, some outlets have suggested that this new show will take its cues from 1980s cartoons like Masters of the Universe or G.I. Joe. But as anyone who lived through the ’80s should know, those animated series were never on Saturday mornings. Instead, the Saturday morning animated adaptations of Gilligan’s Island, Happy Days, Punky Brewster, took some very comical liberties with their source material.

For example, Gilligan’s Planet sent the castaways into space, The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang was a full-on sci-fi time travel series, and Punky befriended a strange creature called Glomer in It’s Punky Brewster. If the Stranger Things cartoon is really taking its cue from the ’80s cartoons, it could take on some bizarre directions of its own.

For now, the exact premise of the Stranger Things animated series is unknown. But the animation will be handled by Flying Bark Productions, the same company that produced What If…? for Marvel Studios and Disney+.

Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell has been an entertainment journalist for over 15 years. His bylines have appeared in Wizard Magazine, Geek…
This underrated mystery series is climbing the Netflix charts. Is it worth watching?
Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon in Dark Winds.

The AMC+ invasion of Netflix has begun, and to no one's surprise, these series are now holding four out of the 10 slots on the list of the most popular shows on Netflix. But you might be shocked to hear that Dark Winds has risen to the No. 3 slot above all of the other AMC shows, including Fear the Walking Dead.

Dark Winds may not get the big ratings like AMC's endless Walking Dead spinoffs, but it's a fantastic show and fans are already starting to flock to it now that it has a much wider reach than AMC+ could have ever given it. However, if you need to be convinced to check out this buzzy series, then here are four reasons to watch Dark Winds on Netflix.
The show gives Zahn McClarnon the spotlight he deserves

Read more
Netflix’s Tomb Raider series spotlights Lara Croft in action-packed teaser
Lara Croft holds onto a rope as she swings in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.

Lara Croft is ready for her next adventure. Netflix released a teaser for Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, the upcoming animated series starring Hayley Atwell as the voice of the titular hero.

The series is a sequel to the Survivor Trilogy of video games: 2013’s Tomb Raider, 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider. These games served as a reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise.

Read more
Squid Game season 2: Everything we know so far about the hit Netflix series
A man looks at a man in uniform in Squid Game season 2.

Following a hugely successful first season that exceeded virtually everyone's expectations, many fans are eager for the potential return of Squid Game. In its first season, the show followed a group of contestants competing against one another in a series of children's games with deadly stakes.

Some of those playing the game would die, and the rest would move on to the next round. Ultimately, a single winner emerged, and was rewarded with an insanely large cash prize. As many wonder fans about what season 2 could contain, here's what we know so far about the hit Netflix show's future.
Is there a trailer for Squid Game season 2?
Yes! There's a new teaser trailer out that once again hints at the scale of the games. In the show, 456 players compete in a life-or-death struggle for enough money to be set for life. And if the identity of player 456 is any indication, it may mean that last season's winner, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae), is somehow back in the games.

Read more