The Boroughs is an American science fiction television series created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and executive produced by The Duffer Brothers.
The series premiered on Netflix on May 21, 2026. In June 2026, the series was canceled after one season.
Contents
Premise
Set in an idyllic New Mexico desert retreat, The Boroughs follows the residents of a luxury retirement community overseen by an unnervingly upbeat corporate staff. Their peaceful lives are shattered after they uncover a dark conspiracy involving a subterranean supernatural entity and a youth-stealing cult.
In a seemingly picturesque retirement community, a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don't have… time.
Cast and characters
Main
Alfred Molina as Sam, a recently widowed and retired aeronautical engineer who reluctantly moves into a retirement community known as The Boroughs
Alfre Woodard as Judy, a retired journalist and a resident at the retirement community
Denis O'Hare as Wally, a retired doctor who is dying of cancer and a resident at the retirement community
Clarke Peters as Art, Judy's husband who lives with her at the retirement community
Carlos Miranda as Paz, a security guard at the retirement community
Jena Malone as Claire, Sam's daughter.
Seth Numrich as Blaine, the CEO of The Boroughs
Alice Kremelberg as Anneliese, Blaine's wife
Geena Davis as Renee, a retired music manager and a resident at the retirement community
Recurring
Beth Bailey as Kayleigh, the transition manager at the retirement community
Ed Begley Jr. as Edward, Grace's husband who is in The Manor, the community's long-term care facility
Rafael Casal as Neil, Claire's husband and Sam's son-in-law
Nancy Daly as Mother, an ancient extraterrestrial creature
Anna Deavere Smith as Gigi, a resident at The Manor.
Eric Edelstein as Hank Williams, the head of security at the retirement community
Jane Kaczmarek as Lilly, Sam's recently deceased wife
Mousa Hussein Kraish as Dr. Mansour
Mary McDonnell as Duchess, an oracle living in The Manor
Bill Pullman as Jack Willard, a resident at the retirement community
Karan Soni as Toby
Dee Wallace as Grace, a resident of the retirement community
Production
Development
The eight-part series received a series order from Netflix in April 2023. Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews created the show and are the showrunners. Ben Taylor directed multiple episodes and served as an executive producer, alongside The Duffer Brothers, Addiss & Matthews and Hilary Leavitt on behalf of Upside Down Pictures under the company's overall deal with Netflix.
On June 17, 2026, Netflix canceled the series after one season.
Casting
Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Clarke Peters, Alfred Molina, Denis O'Hare, and Alfre Woodard were cast in September 2024. Later that month, Jena Malone, Carlos Miranda, Seth Numrich and Alice Kremelberg joined the cast. In November 2024, Rafael Casal, Ed Begley Jr., Jane Kaczmarek, Eric Edelstein, Dee Wallace and Mousa Hussein Kraish joined the cast in recurring roles.
Filming
Filming began in September 2024. Filming locations include Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Release
The series premiered on Netflix on May 21, 2026.. In its first week, according to figures reported in Deadline Hollywood, the drew in "5.6m views", debuting in second place on Netflix's TV series chart behind Nemesis, then in its second week of release. Collider reported that this accounted for 35 million hours viewed.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 97%, based on 69 reviews, with an average of rated reviews of 7.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "The Boroughs exudes excellence through its wonderfully plotted sci-fi trappings, star-studded cast, heartfelt narrative, and genuine ingenuity; a new classic through-and-through." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 71 out of 100 based on 28 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Soundtrack
The Boroughs (Soundtrack from the Netflix Series) was released on June 19, 2026.
