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Netflix viewers have been reeled in, hook, line and sinker to the Duffer Brothers’ new sci-fi series.
Following the controversial conclusion of their ’80s fantasy epic, Stranger Things, just months ago, all eyes have been on them to see what they would produce next, and they’ve been busy.
After the horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and a spin-off, Stranger Things: Tales from ’85, their latest offering seems to have made their greatest splash yet, already at number one in the top 10.
Earlier this month, the streaming giant dropped the eerie new sci-fi, The Boroughs – vreated by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews – marking a return to form for the iconic producing partners.
The series, described by Metro as ‘Stranger Things for pensioners’, follows grieving widow Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina), who ‘reluctantly moves to a desert retirement community’ where he soon ‘discovers something is lurking beneath its perfect surface’.
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As our group of senior citizens band together to stop the otherworldly monster, their greatest foe yet is making sure they don’t run out of time.
The show – also starring Geena Davis, Alice Kremelberg and Bill Pullman – has already secured a 95% critics’ score and rave reviews from fans across the board.
‘Safe to say I am HOOKED. The Duffer Brothers have a good one with this show,’ Gimlee wrote on X.
‘If you like Steven Spielberg-esque sci-fi and Stranger Things, The Boroughs on Netflix is amazing,’ Michael Long shared.
‘The Boroughs on Netflix… went 1-8 nonstop. It was a fun watch,’ EdgeyPlays agreed.
‘Netflix has been dropping so many hit shows lately b/c The Boroughs has me hooked,’ Kay posted.
Another user, Dibia, declared that The Boroughs, among other recent releases like Legends and Man On Fire, have totally ‘justified the subscription’.
‘I thought it was really good. Had like. Adult Stranger Things vibes. Really hope they do another season,’ MrBoost said.
The Boroughs review
Metro’s Senior TV Reporter shares her three-star review…
I doubt The Boroughs is about to set Netflix alight on the epic scale that Stranger Things did. It might have an old-timey vintage feel, but it is nowhere near the nostalgia bomb that first got so many in on Hawkins.
You can get by on a lot of charm when you cast stars like Davis, Peters, Molina and some light relief from Denis O’Hare, but there’s also only so much they can do when the material is thin.
Annoyingly, I was fairly certain I’d worked out what was going on by the halfway point. Even then, the mystery wasn’t compelling enough to keep the hooks in to find out if I was right.
The praise has been echoed by reviewers.
‘More than just a spiritual successor to Stranger Things, The Boroughs is an original sci-fi that succeeds on its own terms, even if it does need to iron out a few wrinkles, figuratively speaking,’ Empire Magazine wrote.
‘Once you get on its wavering wavelength — sentimental, sincere, sweet, a little silly, not overly concerned with making perfect sense — and realise the show is not out to hurt you, it’s a very enjoyable watch,’ the Los Angeles Times declared.
The Times dubbed it ‘unexpectedly entertaining’ while TV Insiders declared it a ‘supernatural romp that quickly sets a tone of terror tinged with humour’.
Discussing how the series came about with Deadline, co-creator Will recalled: ‘We thought: “Alright, this is it. We’ve got to do a show that you could only do with the Duffer Brothers behind you, super arty and weird, and you need that muscle”.
‘It was so pure. We were like: “Jeff loves monsters, and I identify as an older person.” So we put those together, and were like: “We’ll do this show because we can only do it with the Duffers.” We pitch it to Netflix, and they’re like: “Oh, thank God it’s so commercial.”‘
Clearly, they were onto a crowd-pleasing idea if the reaction has been anything to go by – with word on its future yet to be revealed.
The Boroughs is available to stream on Netflix now.
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