Plot: In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a grieving newcomer’s monstrous encounter inspires him to join a misfit crew of unlikely heroes who uncover a dark secret that proves their “golden years” are more dangerous, and they are more formidable, than anyone expects.
Review: The Duffer Brothers have certainly been busy. Since the conclusion of Stranger Things, the siblings have signed a new deal with Paramount, which would see them depart their longtime creative partnership with Netflix, but not before ushering in two new series. While only serving as producers, The Duffers helped deliver the creepy Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, and now are back with The Boroughs. Hewing closer to Stranger Things’ formula, The Boroughs could easily be chalked up as a variation of their 1980s-set series, only with septuagenarians as the stars instead of teenagers. While The Boroughs does owe a lot to the Amblin Entertainment library of Steven Spielberg’s production company from the 1980s. Led by Alfred Molina, The Boroughs is a series that draws on horror, sci-fi, and thriller genres but leans toward adventure and mystery, with some comedic elements, making it ideal summer entertainment and the perfect follow-up for those looking for the next Stranger Things.
The Boroughs follows recently widowed Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) as he relocates to the senior living community that gives the series its name. A retired engineer, Sam, reluctantly moves, as his wife, Lily (Jane Kaczmarek), has already paid for the new home. As he arrives, Sam meets the community, including ladies’ man Jack (Bill Pullman), former reporter Judy Daniels (Alfre Woodard) and her hippie husband Art (Clarke Peters), former music manager Renee (Geena Davis), and retired doctor Wally (Denis O’Hare), who welcome Sam despite his reservations. Sam learns that his home was formerly owned by Edward (Ed Begley Jr) and Grace (Dee Wallace) and that there may be more than meets the eye under the surface of the seemingly idyllic village. That mystery quickly reveals itself as a creature that stalks the residents and soon unites the seniors into a team trying to figure out what is really going on in The Boroughs.
The series boasts a solid setup that draws from classic 80s films, including Poltergeist, Batteries Not Included, and Cocoon, while wrapping all of the genre conceits into the Stranger Things formula. There are monsters to be dealt with and mysterious authorities trying to get their own way, but at the heart of the story is an ensemble easy to root for. Each actor brings an energy that clicks together. All of the main cast are in their early seventies, but their extensive careers show their experience as actors. Alfred Molina has long been a solid supporting actor and gets a welcome showcase as the lead of The Boroughs. He plays Sam as a grumpy guy who slowly comes out of his shell thanks to the diverse personalities of his neighbors and new friends. Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun in this world, and it comes through in the sense of wonder and adventure blended with an equal amount of scares. Geena Davis delivers one of her best roles in quite some time as the bad girl of the group, but every character gets a solid amount of development that allows you to invest in the life-or-death stakes of this story.
The eight-episode series makes great use of each episode, with the mystery unfolding quickly in the first episode and keeping you engaged through to the final chapter. The supporting cast that includes Seth Numrich and Alice Kremelberg as Blaine and Anneliese Shaw, the couple who run The Boroughs, as well as Jena Malone and Rafael Casal as Sam’s daughter and son-in-law, and Carlos Miranda as Paz Navarro, a security guard, all add to the layered supporting cast of this world. We don’t spend much time with the other residents of the desert community, but the world of The Boroughs is a fully realized microcosm. Once the truth of what is going on is revealed, the little hints and teases peppered through the early episodes begin to pay off. The series also works because it has the tone and feel of a family-friendly 80s movie, albeit with a heftier dose of profanity than we would have gotten back in the day. The series explores mature themes like aging and the limited time ahead, as well as the weight of grief, but it never gets mired in sadness. The series is dark but never bleak.
Created by showrunners Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, creators of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance and The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim, The Boroughs has the same sense of nostalgia as Stranger Things but without the retro callbacks. There are some fun easter eggs, including a nod to Alfred Molina’s debut role in Raiders of the Lost Ark and Geena Davis’ iconic turn in Thelma & Louise, but the references are kept to a minimum. The closest comparison I can find to this series is J.J. Abrams’ Super 8, which was a nod to Steven Spielberg’s work. The Boroughs’ directors, Ben Taylor, Augustine Frizzell, and Kyle Patrick Alvarez (The Stanford Prison Experiment), blend solid special effects work and a cinematic scale to give the series a feel far bigger than its small, gated-community setting. The score by John Paesano, along with some nicely curated classic songs, makes the series feel like it belongs on the big screen rather than on Netflix. No knock against Netflix, but this series feels far bigger than most of their recent shows, and it’s the best binge I have had in a long time.
The Boroughs is a blast of fun and adventure from the first episode through the finale, with an ending that is a satisfying conclusion or could set up potential future seasons. Alfred Molina is great in a long-overdue lead role, along with standout performances from Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters, Geena Davis, and Denis O’Hare. There are a lot of surprises in store for audiences, as what you think this series is about is so much better than what the trailers tease. The perfect blend of scary, exciting, funny, and heartfelt that will take you back to the best summer blockbusters from years past. The Duffer Brothers may not have created The Boroughs, but their work on Stranger Things helped pave the way for this series. There is something for everyone to enjoy in this series, which will appeal to the young and the young-at-heart with just enough genre trappings to appeal to the scaredy-cats as well as the horror buffs. The Boroughs is the perfect binge for the long holiday weekend.
The Boroughs premieres on May 21st on Netflix.
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