Netflix's 'The Boroughs' Debuts to Strong Critical Reception From 'Stranger Things' Team

Netflix's latest supernatural offering has arrived. The eight-episode mystery series, helmed by The Duffer Brothers as co-executive producers, launched on the platform Thursday (May 21) and is already drawing substantial critical attention.

The ensemble cast includes Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O'Hare, Clarke Peters, Bill Pullman, Carlos Miranda, Jena Malone, Seth Numrich, and Alice Kremelberg.

The story follows Sam Cooper (Molina), a new resident at The Boroughs, a retirement community nestled in New Mexico's desert landscape. What appears to be an idyllic setting takes a sinister turn when Sam encounters something terrifying in the night. Dismissing him as confused, local authorities leave Sam to seek help from a group of community outsiders—a former journalist with keen instincts, a spiritually-minded neighbor, a jaded music industry veteran, and a resourceful physician. Together, this unconventional team races to uncover the mystery threatening their quiet neighborhood before time slips away.

The response from critics has been largely positive. The series currently sits at a 92% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

The Daily Beast describes it as "a consistently surprising new-by-way-of-old-school genre affair that appears primed to be the streamer's next big thing."

CBR awarded it 7 out of 10, calling it "an engrossing, comfortable series elated by a high-profile cast."

Time magazine notes it ranks as "easily the best of the three Netflix series the Duffers have shepherded since Stranger Things ended last year" and highlights how it "shares that franchise's Spielbergian juxtaposition of horror and heart."

Collider also gave it 7 out of 10, cautioning against surface-level comparisons: "It's a lazy comparison; The Boroughs deserves more than to be discussed as a copy."

Screen Rant awarded 6 out of 10, observing that "the heartwarming charm and familiar sci-fi nostalgia manages to overcome its pacing and derivative flaws to deliver an entertaining, easy-to-watch mystery."

TV Guide scored it 6.5 out of 10, writing that the series "has more than enough wit and emotional depth to carry us through some more predictable plot points, foregrounding characters who do, for once, live up to the overused descriptor of unlikely heroes."

ComicBook.com gave it 4 out of 5 stars, describing it as "a witty, charming ode to great 1990s sci-fi stories, with a big slice of Stephen King thrown in."

Mashable praised its thematic depth, saying it "tells a meaningful tale about aging and grieving, all wrapped up in an irresistible adventure."

The Seattle Times offered a more critical take, suggesting the show "looks and feels like far too much of modern streaming television, halfheartedly bringing a bunch of compelling actors together only to do very little with them."