Tales From ’85 Is Our Netflix Binge Pick This Week

For a Netflix binge this week, our pick is Stranger Things: Tales From ’85. The attraction is the combination of a familiar group and a different format: animated supernatural adventure built around the Hawkins Investigators Club. Viewers who miss the children investigating something strange together have a clear reason to try it.

Availability checked: September 21, 2026 — United States. Netflix’s season-two announcement · Netflix title page

Start with the animated first season

Netflix’s September 17 update says season two is streaming and picks up immediately after the first season’s finale. That makes the first animated season the useful starting point for newcomers. Knowing the live-action characters is different from knowing what this particular group has just survived. Start at the beginning of the animated story so the new threat arrives with context.

Choose it for the investigation

The new season sends the club after ghostly activity, with familiar Hawkins locations and an unexplored mine among the announced settings. Our recommendation is for viewers who enjoy a group pooling clues and venturing into places adults would rather they avoided. The appeal is shared discovery: each new location gives the friends another problem to solve together. If your favorite part of Stranger Things was its live-action performances, the change to animation is the first thing to weigh.

A useful binge for returning Hawkins fans

Netflix lists both seasons on the same title page. Choose season one if you are meeting the animated club; continue to season two if you already finished its first adventure. This is a supernatural mystery recommendation, so animation alone should not be treated as a promise of gentle viewing for every child. Preview the title’s rating and trailer for your household. Returning fans can also avoid Netflix’s full season-two article until afterward: it now discusses the ending.

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