The Duffer Brothers don’t seem to have taken much time off to bask in the end of Stranger Things, continuing their working relationship with Netflix as the executive producers of Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85 (the animated spinoff that they also created) and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. Now, a third series is hitting the 2026 TV schedule that boasts Matt and Ross Duffer as EPs — The Boroughs —, and while it has a high Rotten Tomatoes score, there's one thing viewers should keep in mind regarding the new horror series.
The Boroughs stars Alfred Molina as the recently widowed Sam Cooper, who moves into the titular retirement home and must team up with his fellow residents to stop an otherworldly threat. The show has garnered 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is impressive, but most of these positive scores seem to come from critics who think the show is pretty good but not great. David Opie of Empire, for instance, rates it 3 out of 5 stars and says:
The budget doesn’t quite match Stranger Things in its heyday, either, with various effects and prosthetics that often underwhelm, even if that initial monster design comes out creepy in all the right ways. Still, if all of Netflix’s money was spent on the cast, it was money well spent, because even with its flaws and that pesky monster rattling around, The Boroughs is a place you’ll be more than happy to retire to.
The Boroughs’ cast is certainly outstanding, with Hollywood vets like Alfre Woodard, Geena Davis, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman and Denis O'Hare. In fact, Saloni Gajjar of AV Club says the show benefits from centering on aging adults who challenge authority, rather than angsty pre-teens. Alfred Molina, in particular, is “so gosh darn adorable,” Gajjar says. The critic gives the series a B, writing:
Fortunately, a few weak links and a slow start don’t diminish The Boroughs’ delightful punch. It’s in the chemistry between the main characters: The show is at its most effective when it prioritizes their adventures and growth over the convoluted mysteries that take precedence toward the season’s end. It’s not as well-plotted or engrossing as Stranger Things‘ first season—again, the comparisons are inevitable—but The Boroughs offers plenty of fun and nostalgia (including a cheeky Thelma & Louise reference) in its own right.
Cheryl Eddy of Gizmodo says the new series created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews fits right in with A Man on the Inside and The Thursday Murder Club (both of which can also be streamed with a Netflix subscription), and even if you’ve got a good idea of where the story is going, getting there is an “absolute pleasure.” Eddy continues:
Yes, it’s a bit predictable and can occasionally get a little sentimental too. But the wonderful performances alone are enough to recommend watching the series—Molina and O’Hare especially, as well as Woodard and Peters as a couple who’ve been together for decades and still have new things to learn about each other. Really, the spooky sci-fi stuff is just a bonus.
Aimee Hart of Polygon notes how refreshing it is that The Boroughs treats aging as something to be celebrated amongst its characters rather than reducing them to punchlines and eyeroll-worthy stereotypes. So while comparisons to Stranger Things are inevitable, it’s actually what’s different from that series that makes this one so special. Hart writes:
With a concept that is as fantastical as it is terrifying, as well as a truly phenomenal cast with off-the-charts chemistry, there’s a lot about The Boroughs that feels as though you’re sitting down to watch Stranger Things for grown-ups. However, it’s what lies beyond the Duffer Brothers' influence, where we get into the weeds of human connection and the psychology of who we are within our souls, regardless of age, that The Boroughs truly becomes magical.
Angie Han of THR thinks the cast of The Boroughs is done a disservice by the series’ dull plot. That said, however, the critic still encourages Netflix subscribers to give it a chance, writing:
To be sure, the series even at its clunkiest is never less than perfectly watchable; any show that sees Woodard shooting at monsters or O’Hare preparing to thwack one with a meat cleaver can’t help but be at least a little amusing. But it’s a letdown for a story with bright early gleams of potential. Built around the poignant concept of a monster stealing time from those who have the least of it to spare, aimed at toppling our own fears around aging, and brought to life by a cast with more than enough talent to land the humor, the heart and the horror inherent in all those ideas, The Boroughs could have been an all-timer.
That high Rotten Tomatoes score probably deserves an asterisk due to the reviews noting its clunky and predictable elements, but even with those issues, critics are charmed with Alfred Molina and his co-stars enough to recommend The Boroughs anyway.
If you want to check it out, all eight episodes of The Boroughs are available to stream now.
