---
title: "The Boroughs"
year: 2026
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-boroughs"
fi1m_id: "the-boroughs"
imdb_id: "tt27557289"
tmdb_id: 224941
wikidata_id: "Q131538168"
fi1m_score: 73
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 8
published: "2026-09-11"
updated: "2026-09-17T16:55:18.519182+00:00"
region: "GR"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Boroughs (2026)

Created by Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews · ΓΓΤΕ 16 · Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery

## Identity

The Boroughs

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-boroughs
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** the-boroughs
- **IMDb ID:** tt27557289
- **TMDB ID:** 224941
- **Wikidata ID:** Q131538168
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27557289/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/224941, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q131538168

**Fi1m score: 73** · Critics 72 from 8 reviews

*In a sentence:* The pensioners are good company, but the monsters do rather outstay their welcome

> *The Boroughs* earns its warmth by taking its older heroes seriously. Alfred Molina and Alfre Woodard make the adventure worth following, even when the monster mystery becomes a chore.

## Synopsis

*The Boroughs* follows a group of older residents in a retirement community as a supernatural threat draws them into a mystery. Alfred Molina plays Sam Cooper, alongside Alfre Woodard as Judy Daniels, Denis O’Hare as Wally Baker and Clarke Peters as Art Daniels. Geena Davis plays Renee Joyce, with Jena Malone appearing as Claire Cooper. Across eight episodes, the residents confront monsters while dealing with ageing, grief and loneliness. Their adventure raises questions about mortality, purpose and what an older generation owes those who follow it.

## Review

The useful thing about putting a supernatural adventure in a retirement community is that the heroes need not be taught that life is fragile. *The Boroughs* is an enjoyable science-fiction series whose older cast deserves a more absorbing mystery. It gives its residents danger, silliness and a reason to depend on one another. For much of the time, the pleasure comes from watching people with lives behind them find that there is still something urgent to do.

Alfred Molina, as Sam Cooper, and Alfre Woodard, as Judy Daniels, give the series its strongest reason to persist. The loneliness and grief surrounding these characters deserve the attention that the creature plot keeps demanding. We were moved by the residents’ loneliness, particularly in the performances of Molina and Woodard. Their need to feel useful to one another makes the time spent on these people worthwhile before the mystery has supplied another question.

Denis O’Hare’s Wally Baker, Clarke Peters’s Art Daniels and Geena Davis’s Renee Joyce help make this a group worth spending time with. The humour works because the programme does not treat old age itself as sufficient reason to laugh. Writers including Will Matthews and Jeffrey Addiss let fears about death and questions about responsibility sit alongside the silliness. The residents’ responsibilities to the next generation matter alongside their immediate need to survive.

Michelle Lawler and Matthew Jensen’s cinematography and Ruth Ammon’s production design have a useful starting point in the retirement community, a place where residents might reasonably expect some peace. The setting makes the intrusion of danger unsettling before the creatures have to prove themselves. John Paesano supplies the music, though the strongest emotional pull comes from the performers and their characters’ fears. The creature effects are less persuasive, a drawback when the series devotes so much attention to the supernatural threat.

An editing team that includes Noëmi Preiswerk and Cindy Mollo has eight episodes to shape, and the balance is uneven. Too much time goes into the mystery when another stretch with the residents would do more for the programme. The threat grows complicated without becoming especially interesting, and the monster plot competes with the ensemble for attention. Those stretches drag because the series has already shown us how much more engaging its characters can be.

Against the standards of a group adventure, the choice of heroes is a welcome change, but it does not excuse familiar plotting. This kind of story needs discoveries that make us want to follow the group into the next danger, and *The Boroughs* cannot always provide them. Its warmth helps, as does its willingness to let ageing and grief occupy space normally given to another clue. We kept wishing it would have more confidence in those parts of the story.

There is still enough humour and affection here to recommend it to anyone fond of a companionable supernatural mystery. The reservations matter most if intricate plotting or frightening creatures are the chief attraction. Viewers drawn by Molina, Woodard and the chance to see older people doing something besides advising younger heroes have a better reason to begin. Try it for the company, and do not count on losing sleep.

*Fi1m score 73, published 11 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to The Boroughs, with praise clustering around its older ensemble and its treatment of ageing, grief and loneliness. Alfred Molina and Alfre Woodard draw particular approval, while the retirement-community setting gives familiar supernatural adventures a perspective the reviews largely welcome. The humour, tenderness and reflections on mortality often prove more persuasive than the monsters.

Reservations centre on uneven plotting, pacing and world-building, with several critics finding that the series struggles to distinguish itself from Stranger Things. The spread is fairly wide, though the balance remains positive rather than divided: Variety finds a captivating adventure whose characters give its themes weight. The Hollywood Reporter offers the clearest dissent, arguing that a dull mystery takes time away from the ensemble, while still crediting the performers with keeping it watchable. The broad agreement is stronger on the people than on the machinery of the sci-fi story.

## Straight answers

**Is The Boroughs worth watching?**

*The Boroughs* is worth watching for anyone fond of a companionable supernatural mystery, and we scored it 73. Alfred Molina and Alfre Woodard make the retirement-community residents good company, and the series takes ageing and grief seriously. The monster plot is the weaker part, so those after intricate plotting or frightening creatures should not expect much from it.

**How long is The Boroughs, and what is it rated?**

*The Boroughs* is rated 16 by the ΓΓΤΕ in Greece. It is a sci-fi & fantasy and mystery series.

**Where can I watch The Boroughs in Greece?**

*The Boroughs* is streaming on Netflix in Greece. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Boroughs, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Boroughs* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not for children, though it is not a frightening series. The residents face monsters, but the creature effects are unpersuasive and the danger rarely unsettles; the darker material is grief, loneliness and mortality rather than gore. Teenagers of fifteen and over should find nothing here that costs them sleep.

**How does The Boroughs compare to The Returned?**

*The Boroughs* is the warmer and sillier of the two, while [*The Returned*](https://film.one/tv/the-returned) is the finer piece of television. Both put a community up against supernatural trouble with grief in the way, but the French series builds dread its first eight episodes sustain, where *The Boroughs* loses interest in its own monsters. Choose *The Boroughs* for company and humour, *The Returned* for something that stays with you.

**What should I watch after The Boroughs?**

After *The Boroughs*, try [*Cocoon*](https://film.one/film/cocoon) (1985, Fi1m 75): Another retirement community discovers that extraterrestrial visitors can complicate the business of ageing. Then [*The Returned*](https://film.one/tv/the-returned) (2012, Fi1m 85): A French community faces supernatural trouble while grief keeps getting in the way.

### Reviews we read (9)

- **Variety**, Aramide Tinubu (90/100, inferred): The review calls the series a captivating sci-fi horror that delivers a delightful and intriguing adventure centered on unexpected elderly heroes, highlighting its examination of grief, aging, and time through strong characters and themes. [Read](https://variety.com/2026/tv/reviews/the-boroughs-review-duffer-brothers-netflix-1236755286/)
- **The Telegraph**, Anita Singh (4/5): The review calls it a cheerful, warm-hearted supernatural horror like The Goonies for seniors, with a retro Spielberg-esque adventure full of fun and silliness as retirees battle monsters. It notes the plot's lightness but warns the monster elements may drag for some. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/the-boroughs-netflix-review/)
- **Vulture** (80/100, inferred): The Netflix series is a sci-fi adventure about seniors in a retirement community that thoughtfully grapples with what the boomer generation owes those who come after them. It excels in tone, ensemble depth, and melancholy reflections on mortality and purpose, though it has familiar Netflix flaws like uneven world-building. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-boroughs-netflix-series-review.html)
- **The AV Club**, Saloni Gajjar (B): The series benefits from centering older protagonists grappling with aging, loneliness, and legacy, anchored by strong performances from Alfred Molina and Alfre Woodard. It offers fun and nostalgia but falls short of Stranger Things in plotting and engagement. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/the-boroughs-review-netflix)
- **Empire**, David Opie (75/100, inferred): The critic finds the Duffer brothers-produced series more than a simple 'Stranger Things' retread with pensioners, praising its focus on an older ensemble's perspective and strong performances from Alfred Molina and others, while noting some pacing issues, early reveals, and underwhelming effects. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-boroughs/)
- **Radio Times**, Louise Griffin (3/5): The review finds the series charming and heartfelt thanks to its ensemble cast and themes of aging and love, but criticizes its failure to establish a distinct identity or deliver compelling monsters compared to Stranger Things. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-boroughs-review/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Angie Han (45/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a clunky geriatric spin on Stranger Things with a great cast undermined by a dull plot and misallocated time on mystery over ensemble moments, though it remains watchable thanks to the performers. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-boroughs-review-alfred-molina-duffer-bros-netflix-1236602497/)
- **The Guardian**: The critic praises the witty, star-packed series set in a retirement community as funny, tender and wise, with an intelligent script that channels Spielberg's storytelling and emotional truth while nodding to monster tropes. The fine cast and focus on human fears like loneliness and death are highlighted as strengths. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/may/21/the-boroughs-review-netflix-monster-show)
- **Collider**, Greer Riddell (7/10): The series is a thought-provoking sci-fi mystery that honors classic genre elements while putting older characters at the center of the action. The critic praises the ensemble cast led by Alfred Molina and the exploration of aging and grief but notes that some narrative complexity around the monsters diverts from a clearer hero-villain setup. [Read](https://collider.com/the-boroughs-netflix-review/)

## Details

- **Created by:** Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews
- **Creator:** Jeffrey Addiss, Will Matthews
- **Director:** Augustine Frizzell, Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Ben Taylor
- **Writer:** Will Matthews, Jeffrey Addiss, Tom Hanada, Keith Sweet II, James Schamus, Jose Molina, Our Lady J, Julie Siege
- **Cinematography:** Matthew Jensen, Michelle Lawler
- **Editor:** Noemi Katharina Preiswerk, Christopher Nelson, Cindy Mollo, Misha Syeed, Jonathan Alberts
- **Music:** John Paesano
- **Production design:** Ruth Ammon
- **Costume design:** Cristina Spiridakis
- **Producer:** Joe Lotito, Jamie Vega Wheeler
- **Cast:** Alfred Molina as Sam Cooper; Alfre Woodard as Judy Daniels; Denis O'Hare as Wally Baker; Clarke Peters as Art Daniels; Carlos Miranda as Paz Navarro; Jena Malone as Claire Cooper; Seth Numrich as Blaine Shaw; Alice Kremelberg as Anneliese Shaw
- **Certificate (ΓΓΤΕ):** 16
- **Release (Greece):** 21 May 2026
- **Genres:** Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PsvUvqXoTpE

## Where to watch in Greece

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-11.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Cocoon* (1985), Fi1m 75: Another retirement community discovers that extraterrestrial visitors can complicate the business of ageing. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/cocoon.md)
- *Robot & Frank* (2012): An older man’s unlikely companion makes room for both mischief and failing memory.
- *Relic* (2020): Family fears about ageing become domestic horror, with considerably less room for comfort.
- *The Returned* (2012), Fi1m 85: A French community faces supernatural trouble while grief keeps getting in the way. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-returned.md)
- *Bubba Ho-Tep* (2002): Retirement-home horror gives its elderly heroes dignity without asking them to behave respectably.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-boroughs