As most of the general public is aware, the hit Netflix TV series Stranger Things recently concluded after 5 seasons as of December 31, 2025. Although the finale itself is a point of contention among viewers, as many found it less than satisfactory, the series is overall renowned for excelling at mystery and its utilization of supernatural elements. Long-time watchers were ready to finally bid the 9-year long series adieu and move on. However, it seems that the popularity of the show was too large for Netflix to simply ignore, opting to make a whole new animated spin-off series that will take place in between seasons 2 and 3. The trailer for said series was released on February 2nd, and so far, the majority is not pleased.
To begin, the artstyle of the show itself is already controversial. Some say it’s not fitting of the themes and genre of the show, while others just flat out deem it hideous to look at. Multiple people online have also spoken out about their distaste for the voice actors, arguing that many of the voices do not fit their respective characters at all.
Regardless of animation or voice preference, there are still many issues that go beyond surface-level, such as plot itself, which seems to not be very well liked among the public. For instance, the whole premise has been widely agreed upon to already be a major plot hole. In the trailer, it is stated that there are still creatures from the Upside Down living in Hawkins and are… mutating pumpkins for some reason? Whatever the reasoning for that last point is, it just simply makes no sense for there to be any remnants from the Upside Down during this time in the first place. At the end of season 2, Eleven closes the gate to the Upside Down and shuns all its creatures within it. Now, it would be worth noting that some creatures were still in Hawkins before the gate closed. However, this is explicitly contradicted in the show when remaining Demodogs in Hawkins were shown dying after the gate closed. Additionally, it was shown in season 3 that the Russians re-opened the gate in 1986, which is what caused the entire mindflayer plot in that season. So, how is it feasibly possible for this story to even be told when it directly goes against the main show? This only makes the story more confusing.
Characterization also seems to be all over the place, just based on the trailer alone. In the very beginning of the trailer, Mike and the rest of the party go to Hopper and El’s home, where the party most likely intends on bringing El along with them to have fun in the snow. Major issues already arise from this scene. For one, Hopper immediately threatens Mike, displaying his overprotective nature of El that was shown in season 3. This, frankly, makes no sense. At the end of season 2, Mike and Hopper end on a good note where they understand each other better because of El. Only when Mike and El start dating about a year later is when Hopper displays his overprotective nature. So, why is Hopper already threatening Mike when the spin-off only takes place seemingly around a month or so after the finale of season 2? Not to mention, Mike is also with the rest of the party, so Hopper has no reason to believe it’s a date. This is just completely regressive for Hopper’s character and just makes him seem more unlikeable for picking on a 13 year old boy. In addition, it makes no sense for El to go out in the first place. Up until Max takes El to the mall in season 3, El has never been allowed to go outside in between seasons 2 and 3 for her safety. In the exact scene Mike spots the two girls in the mall, he tells Max that El is not allowed to go outside. Why is she suddenly allowed to now go outside and have fun in the snow with her friends? Unless it’s directly explained in the spin-off once it comes out, this is yet another major plot hole.
Although these complaints are, above all else, completely subjective, there seems to be one that is basically unanimous among the viewers: the addition of a new character. In the trailer and other promotional material, a new member of the cast has been added to the story, that being a girl apparently named Nikki Baxter. This character’s appearance is already odd and striking, adorning piercings and having a pink mohawk. Although this seems unlikely given the time period, it’s not entirely impossible due to alternative spaces. Nonetheless, this look undeniably makes her stand out among the others and gives her a “self-insert OC” vibe that is often not very well-received in any medium. Not to mention, her personality (at least what we know so far) also seems to align with this vibe, calling out already established characters and being portrayed as being morally superior or in the right. As revealed outside of the trailer, apparently Nikki calls Mike out for “treating Will like he’s broken,” to which Mike then admits and later agrees they both need to be brave like Will. Not only does her calling out a character that the audience is fond of already make her unlikable, it just is another example of mischaracterization. In season 2, Mike is the only character who treats Will normally, which Will expresses his gratitude for. The whole 180 on this dynamic completely retcons the two’s friendship in the previous season.
Even though Stranger Things has a knack for adding a variety of new characters per season, and although it’s known to be a popular criticism of the show, at the very least these characters are still relevant after the seasons they appear in, whether in presence or even just a mention. Nikki simply doesn’t make sense at all due to her being part of the spin-off. Since she seems to be joining the main party, it’s certainly odd that she is never mentioned in any following season after this timeframe. On that note, it’s odd that none of this is mentioned at all. Of course, the Duffer brothers likely didn’t plan for there to be a spin-off, so they obviously could not have written any mentions of this plot in the actual show. But since that’s the case, why make the spin-off in between seasons? Why not make the spin-off a prequel to the main series’ events and follow Henry when he was in high school? Or, if that’s too similar to the Stranger Things play, The Dark Shadow, why not make a spin-off after the finale? The answer is quite simple: money.
It is evident to any viewer and fan of Stranger Things that this spin-off simply doesn’t make sense, given everything else that occurred in the show. The Duffers likely know this as well. The issue is that they just don’t care. Stranger Things, in addition to being a thoughtfully crafted story with multiple interesting plotlines, themes, and characters, is a cultural phenomena. Nearly everyone you know has probably watched this show and it was #1 on Netflix every time a new season dropped. In the executives’ eyes, it would be foolish not to capitalize on its success. And, to that extent, that is true. However, by making this spin-off, it completely disregards what made Stranger Things so well-liked and popular in the first place. Although reservations must still be held until the spin-off actually releases on April 23, just the two-minute trailer and little outside information already indicates that this show was not created with the intent to be well-written and make sense within the story. Gravity Falls, for example, was a beloved show that only had two seasons, as the creators recognized that the story was already wrapped up perfectly and any spin-off or additional season would soil the story. Obviously, this was not the case for Stranger Things. The essence of the series that so many loved has been extinguished and instead, replaced with meaningless corporate slop solely meant to fill the executives’ pockets.
In the end, it is still up to you to choose whether or not you want to watch this spin-off series. As stated earlier, reservations must still be held until the full show is released. Although I personally do not have high expectations and believe that the entire creation of this series was for no respectable reason, I do not hold the sole opinion regarding this trailer. Watch it and decide for yourself! Will you be tuning in to see more adventures of your favorite characters, or will you look the other way and hope to miss a series riddled with inconsistencies and mischaracterization?
Watch it here: https://youtu.be/fUiJulYbUaE?si=8hnFqgKxhhLf-w42