Stranger Things Fan Favorite Lands Solo Spin-Off at Netflix
Hawkins’ sharpest sleuth steps into the spotlight: Netflix has announced a Stranger Things spin-off centered on Nancy Wheeler, elevating Natalia Dyer’s fan-favorite as the series rolls out its fifth and final season.
If you were hoping for Netflix to spin Nancy Wheeler off into her own thing, you kind of got it - just not on TV. Right as Season 5 is rolling out, Nancy is fronting a new story. Curveball: it is a book.
So what is it?
The spin-off is a novel called 'Stranger Things: One Way or Another,' out December 2, 2025. It centers on Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Robin Buckley teaming up for another investigation while Hawkins is still trying to stitch itself back together after Vecna's earthquake at the end of Season 4.
It is written by TV writer and author Caitlin Schneiderhan and published by Random House Worlds. The setup picks up immediately after Season 4, not Season 5, which is good to know before you start connecting dots.
'Following the events of Stranger Things: Season 4, Nancy Wheeler and Robin Buckley are hot on the heels of a new mystery - and they won’t stop until they solve it.'
The plot basics
At graduation, classmate Joey Taft starts acting off, and Nancy is convinced Vecna might have zeroed in on a new target. She and Robin go straight to the source and press Joey for answers. From there, it spirals: the trail is bigger than they thought, they set off on a dangerous hunt for the truth, and Nancy ends up ensnared in a mystery that threatens to tether her to Hawkins for good.
Worth underlining: this is the first Nancy-led spin-off, but it is a novel, not a series. If you wanted a Nancy show, this is not that - at least not yet.
Where the show is right now
Stranger Things is in its fifth and final season. The first part dropped November 26, 2025. Nancy, played by Natalia Dyer, has been one of the series' key players from the jump, so giving her the spotlight here makes sense timing-wise.
- Nov 26, 2025: Season 5 Volume 1 (4 episodes) is now streaming on Netflix
- Dec 2, 2025: 'Stranger Things: One Way or Another' novel releases
- Dec 25, 2025: Season 5 Volume 2 (3 episodes) arrives
- Dec 31, 2025: The series finale premieres
For the timeline sticklers: Netflix flagged the Nancy spin-off in the wake of the Season 5 rollout, but this particular story takes place right after the Season 4 chaos.
Note: This news first surfaced via Ishita Verma at SuperHeroHype.