The Boroughs: the nice surprise from the creators of Stranger Things before leaving (review)

Before leaving the platform to go to Paramount, the Duffer brothers deliver this funny, gently horrific and absolutely captivating science fiction adventure.

Stranger Things among retirees? The shortcut is a bit easy, but it’s not completely meaningless either.

As they leave Netflix after a decade of good and loyal service in the Upside Down (they signed a big deal with competitor Paramount last year), the Duffer brothers are delivering a final science fiction series for the platform. They are not the creators of The Boroughs, but we clearly feel their producer touch behind this story of creatures from elsewhere, bathed in a gentle horrific atmosphere, a little creepy but never too much.

This time, they swap teenagers on BMX bikes for elderly residents in golf carts. A new gang that will hunt down the supernatural in a small, unreal town. Not Hawkins, obviously, but The Boroughs, a fake city made in the 1950s to accommodate retirees in an idyllic setting. A gigantic senior residence that hides dark secrets within its walls. Literally. Creatures lurking beneath the wallpaper seem to be biding their time to attack. But what exactly is it? Where do they come from?

We quickly understand where Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews – to whom we already owe The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix – are going with this. The twists in the scenario unfold in a relatively expected manner. But the two creators have the art and the way of staging them. The Boroughs rediscovers this “sweet spooky” atmosphere which was the charm of Stranger Things in its early days (before Vecna), at once warm, melancholic and disturbing. Forty years after Cocoon (by Ron Howard) we are rediscovering that it is entirely possible to transform elderly people into SF heroes… and to make it work wonderfully well.

Because The Boroughs diverts the classic codes of the fantasy series to tell something else. No “coming of age story” here, but rather the fear of growing old, the loneliness, the crumbling memory, the weight of mourning… and the difficult apprehension of the inevitable approach of death. Under its air of an SF chronicle tinged with terror, the series mainly talks about the passing of time. And this is precisely what makes it so touching beyond its mysteries. The Boroughs places heroes at the center of the plot that television generally leaves aside.

And the casting does it well.

Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters and Bill Pullman: these former Hollywood glories, who faced Spider-Man, pirates or angry aliens, agree here to look the passage of time straight in the eye. All are over 70 years old and assume their age brilliantly, giving essential depth to this gallery of battered characters. Carried by this hyper-invested cast, the series constantly oscillates between sincere emotion, discreet humor and cosmic anguish.

Because the mysteries from elsewhere that haunt the corridors of this chic mansion are particularly exciting. And we ask for more. Even if the script sometimes takes a little too long to provide its answers, at the risk of artificially stretching certain episodes (the series is already designed over three seasons), we always want to know what awaits this endearing group of retirees. Adventure isn’t just for pimply teenagers!

The Boroughs, season 1 in 8 episodes, to watch on Netflix since May 21, 2026.