Netflix’s The Boroughs Just Closed the Book on a Sci-Fi Era

The Boroughs, a new sci-fi series exec-produced by the Duffer Brothers, marks the Stranger Things creators’ last hurrah at Netflix.

Let’s get this out of the way: when you say ‘Netflix sci-fi series about a ragtag group who face monsters and bond like family’, you’d be forgiven for instantly thinking of Stranger Things. But, to my surprise, the recently-released The Boroughs lands in almost the same territory—creatures, oddball reveals, and a strange bit of hopefulness wrapped inside a fair bit of darkness. I binged all eight episodes, expecting to spot some cheap knock-off energy. Instead, I found something that’s clearly walking in the Duffer Brothers’ footsteps, but not entirely holding their torch.

Duffer Brothers: Closing the Netflix Chapter

Bit of industry news for you: summer 2025 saw the Duffer Brothers pack up shop at Netflix. They’re jumping to Paramount (deal kicks off April 2026), where they’ll be producing, directing, and writing both TV and films—so not just shuffling show credits around. The big deal is that they’re re-teaming with a couple of execs from their early days—Matt Thunell (now Paramount TV boss) and Cindy Holland (Paramount's Direct-to-Consumer chief). These were two of the rare folks who took a gamble on the Stranger Things pilot back in 2015. As the Duffers put it:

"They took a chance on us in 2015, and they’re taking a chance again – we can’t wait to create new stories together."

Despite their Netflix exit, the Duffers aren’t ditching their Upside Down roots completely. Apparently they’ll still have a hand in the Stranger Things universe—most likely sticking around as producers for Season 2 of the animated spin-off, Tales from '85, which is pencilled in for autumn 2026 release.

How's The Boroughs Actually Stack Up?

So, The Boroughs. Worth a watch? There are definitely flashes of what made Stranger Things such a phenomenon, but don’t expect to meet another Eleven or see anything as mythic as Vecna. Instead, you get a well-acted main character in Sam Cooper (played by the always reliable Alfred Molina), with thematic nods to loss, family, and finding your purpose well past the bit where most fiction would retire you quietly into the background. The show has its own monsters and mysteries, but to be honest, none of them hit you with the same punch as the Demogorgon ever did.

Critics seem sold for now—it’s got a shiny 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and mostly glowing reviews. Still, there’s a sense this was never meant to reshape the genre. The Duffer Brothers didn’t actually write or direct this one—it’s the work of Will Matthews and Jeffrey Addiss, with the Duffers involved ‘executive producer’-style. It’s clearly a Duffer world, just not fully their rules.

Netflix Swan Song: Three Final Projects

The Boroughs wasn’t the only farewell letter the Duffers left for Netflix. Here’s a quick rundown of what they’ve left behind as they set off for Paramount:

• Tales from '85 – The animated Stranger Things spin-off. Fun at times, but quite honestly, trying to work out how (and if) this fits the main story will fry your brain if you dwell on it.
• The Boroughs – This one, if you didn’t already guess.
• Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen – A tense, thriller-y limited series set against the backdrop of a wedding weekend. I actually enjoyed this one nearly as much as The Boroughs.

If you ask me, The Boroughs and Something Very Bad stand up fine on their own legs. The animated spin-off? Debatable. Still, none of them seem poised to spark quite the same internet obsession that Stranger Things did during its heyday.

The Lingering Question: Is This the New Stranger Things?

While The Boroughs is a smart, tightly crafted story with some clever creature work and a genuinely intriguing setting (retirement homes! Not your usual stomping ground for interdimensional evil, is it?), it’s just not built as a five-season event. By the time the first season wrapped, I found myself with more answers than questions—and a vague sense that maybe, just maybe, the story’s already been told. If it comes back, I’ll watch it. But I’m not expecting late-night theory threads on Reddit about Sam and his friends the way we got rabid speculation about the Mind Flayer or whose Hopper really was for years on end.

Of course, not every showrunner is going to knock out a classic every time. Sheridan’s Marshals versus Yellowstone, anyone? Lightning doesn’t always strike twice. The legacy the Duffers leave at Netflix is Stranger Things—no question. If I had to put money on it, I’d say nothing else is going to come close to that level of pop culture dominance. And that’s fine.

Final Thoughts (and Nostalgia)

I’m genuinely looking forward to what the Duffer Brothers cook up over at Paramount. You can critique the ending of Stranger Things (I’m firmly in the ‘loved it’ camp), but there’s no denying they built one of the best streaming-era worlds: Hawkins, Indiana, the Upside Down (or the Abyss, if you’re still following that bit of meta-lore)—and a cast you'd spend countless hours with, wishing you could roll up a D&D character and join the party.

The Boroughs is a solid addition to the mix, just not a new event series. And that’s alright. Sometimes, especially given how high that bar was set, good is good enough.