Why Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 introduced a new main character

The Stranger Thingsanimated spin-off Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 is set between seasons 2 and 3 because that’s the only time in the Netflix series that all the kids are hanging out together in Hawkins. But instead of just giving the established party a new adventure, showrunner Eric Robles made the surprising decision to expand the group by introducing the punk tinkerer Nikki Baxter (Odessa A’zion).