The Boroughs on Netflix has been likened to Stranger Things — but with a geriatric twist.
Created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and executive produced by Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, the new sci-fi series stars Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfred Molina, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters and Alfre Woodard as a group of misfit retirement community residents who must band together to uncover a dark secret that proves their “golden years” are more perilous than anyone could have expected.
The eight-episode debut, released Thursday, already has a 95 percent critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is similarly being hailed on X by many as “intriguing,” yet described by others as “an oldies version of Stranger Things.”
“The Boroughs is basically geriatric Stranger Things,” one person posted on X, while a second agreed that it’s “giving Stranger Things a bit but with elderly people,” though they added that it was a “nice watch.”
“I turned on The Boroughs on Netflix and The Duffer brothers really said copy and paste lmao I know they pitched this s*** as Stranger Things meets an old folks community,” a third opined.
A fourth was more biting in their criticism, lambasting The Boroughs as “awful.” “The first 10 mins of the first episode I hated this show. It’s entirely derivative, every line from every character is delivered with the least authentic approach you could imagine,” they continued. “Each scene is bolstered by a soundtrack and editing that tries to force meaning and only manages to annoy. Do not recommend.”
Others, however, disagreed, with one finding the series “so interesting! Old people lifestyle PLUS sci-fi? I am so in.”
“The Boroughs is great. And I’m only on the second episode,” a second praised, as a third described it as “easy good entertainment.”
“Actually worth watching,” a fourth added, arguing that it’s “not Stranger Things.”
“Definitely a must-watch on Netflix,” another commented. “Entire cast was awesome.”
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“The Boroughs on Netflix is the first non-reality/documentary show to catch my attention in a minute like it’s sooo cute and entertaining,” someone else wrote, with another saying they were “really impressed” by the show.
Should The Boroughs get renewed, co-creator Addiss teased that they already have “a very specific three-season plan.”
“We think we know the last shot of the last scene of the last episode,” he told IGN.
“How we get there might change a little, but we have the answers to all the questions, and a plan of how and when to answer those,” Addiss explained. “We wanted season one to feel emotionally complete, but leave some questions unanswered. We really wanted [you] to feel like you got a full story, in case that’s all we get.”
The Boroughs is streaming now on Netflix.
