Netflix's The Boroughs Rockets To Near-Perfect Rotten Tomatoes Score

So, Stranger Things finally wrapped up its massive run back in December with that gloriously bonkers two-hour finale. The people of Hawkins are officially off our screens. After nearly ten years of weird monsters and Eighties nostalgia, plenty of viewers found themselves at a bit of a loss – because if you’ve invested this much time in one group of kids running around with flashlights, what on earth are you supposed to watch now?

If you’ve spent the last few months floundering for a replacement, you’re not alone. Fortunately, Netflix has been quietly prepping a new show to help plug the Upside Down-shaped hole in everyone’s schedule. The Boroughs has just arrived, and honestly, it couldn’t be leaning into the comparison more if it tried. For a start, it’s got the Duffer Brothers themselves exec-producing, and the creators (that’s Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, for anyone keeping track) are clearly going for the same sci-fi horror vibe – with a twist.

The Boroughs: Stranger Things, but swap the BMX bikes for stairlifts

Here’s the pitch: The Boroughs is an eight-part series, set not in small-town Indiana but in sun-baked New Mexico. Instead of following plucky teenagers, it’s basically 'what if Stranger Things, but with pensioners?'. And yes, critics seem to be loving it so far; review roundups keep blasting out phrases like 'Stranger Things for seniors'. Obviously, that’s deeply silly, but also sort of accurate. And the Duffers are fully in on the joke – after all, they’re signing off as executive producers. If anyone knows their way round an interdimensional plotline, it’s those lads.

What you need to know

• Episode count: 8 episodes, all streaming now on Netflix.
• Genre: Supernatural, sci-fi horror – very much in the same family as Stranger Things, but with older protagonists.
• People behind it: Created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (they’re the folks who made The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). Executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer, aka the Duffer Brothers, so you know they’re not just slapping their label on any old nonsense.
• Vibe: Think alien nastiness, weird goings-on, and a group of not-exactly-sprightly friends having to deal with it, with plenty of sharp humour thrown in.
• Reception: Early critics' reviews have been glowing, so it’s not just the Stranger Things-shaped marketing doing the heavy lifting.

A new gang, new mysteries, and possibly... better hair?

Now, if you’re hoping for kids cycling about with walkie talkies, you might be disappointed, but the new crew of unlikely heroes – all retirement age, mind – have their own unique approach to meddling in ominous, world-threatening secrets. Imagine your nan and grandad tackling thudding alien invasions and you’ll probably get the idea. Depending on your tolerance for weirdness and Northern Soul playlists, it could be right up your street.

As the Duffers themselves put it:

'Addiss and Matthews have created something truly wild and original, but also, rather weirdly, familiar – like all good horror, it feels like coming home to a new type of nightmare.'

The bottom line is, if you’re sulking about Stranger Things vanishing off your watchlist and best-of-lists, The Boroughs might be worth a bash. Just prepare yourself for bingo cards instead of Dungeons & Dragons dice – and frankly, that’s probably an improvement.