The Boroughs brought together a stellar cast of veteran actors and told a story that will certainly top my future list of best sci-fi shows on the 2026 TV schedule. I was ready to shower it with the same praise many other critics gave it, right up until I learned that the creators are broaching the idea of continuing the story with another season.
Yes, it would appear creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews are angling for new stories set within The Boroughs universe, and given the acclaim and popularity of the show, I can imagine we'll see Season 2 with our Netflix subscription within the next few years. While I wish them both nothing but success, I have to speak out about how strongly I feel that the series shouldn't get a follow-up adventure.
The Boroughs Ending Opens The Door For More Adventures, What The Creators Told Us
The Boroughs has a strange moment at the end of Season 1 involving Alfred Molina's Sam. Sam is seen "glitching" at the end of the series, suggesting he has some link to Mother despite never drinking her blood and the supernatural entity being dead. CinemaBlend's Riley Utley asked the creators if they could explain that, and they balked at explaining:
We know what it means, we're not going to tell you, that's the problem, because it's hopefully setting up a story we get to tell if people like the show and they want to find out what happens next.
And there it is. If anyone didn't figure it out by watching, Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews made that ending because they have a bigger story to tell in The Boroughs. Don't get me wrong, I loved The Boroughs, but given the current television climate, I'd sooner see Matthews and Addiss focus their efforts on something new rather than wait to see another season.
Why I'd Be Fine If We Never See Another Season Of The Boroughs
Deadline did an article on the "Stranger Things effect," which highlighted that the wait for new seasons of scripted shows has nearly doubled in the first half of this decade. Shows now generally have shorter episode counts, big budgets, and a ton of pressure to perform.
While a part of me wants Season 2 of The Boroughs, the logical part of my brain reminds me that it could take years before we ever see a follow-up arrive on Netflix. It took two years for the Duffer Brothers to finish Season 5 of Stranger Things, and they're EPs on this show as well.
Let's say, conservatively, it takes two and a half to three years to make Season 2. Will I feel the same way about The Boroughs that I feel now? Will there be any scheduling difficulties with the all-star cast? A lot can happen in that time, which leaves creatives at the mercy of life and forced to alter plans on the fly.
As it stands, I think The Boroughs works great as a one-off sci-fi story with an ambiguous ending. So many great sci-fi shows are canceled before having a true finale, and for once, I'd love to see one quit while it's ahead. Sure, Sam's glitching was weird at the end, but can't it just be sci-fi's version of the ending to The Sopranos? I'd be down for that, though I admit I may be in the minority.
The Boroughs is available to stream on Netflix right now, and we don't know for sure right now if it will return for Season 2. CinemaBlend will continue to monitor the situation and keep readers up to date on what is happening in television and movies in the meantime.
