Netflix just released the first images for its upcoming series, The Boroughs, aneight-episode mystery thriller series that arrives in May. And fans are already comparing it Stranger Things. And it’s no wonder why. Matt and Ross Duffer (The Duffer Brothers) are the producers of the new mystery show.
But this doesn’t take place in Hawkins and it doesn’t feature any of the kids from Netflix’s number 1 sci-fi series. Instead, it focuses on a character named Sam Cooper, played by Alfred Molina, a grieving widower who moves into a retirement community hoping for some peace and quiet. Well, there’s no such luck for him. Instead, he finds something lurking beneath. What could it be? A demogorgon? Not quite. At least we don’t think so.
Molina is joined by an impressive cast that includes some of the finest actors in Hollywood, like Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, and Bill Pullman. That’s quite a list. Between them, as creators Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews joked, there’s “something like 350 years of craft” on screen. “We knew they would be great. We didn’t expect them to be so fun. They can make you laugh or cry with just a look. Makes it whole lot easier on us writers.”
Addiss and Matthews, who previously worked on The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, wanted a tricky tonal mix. “From the beginning, we knew we wanted The Boroughs to feel equal parts scary, mysterious, exciting and emotional.”
That’s what drew the Duffer Brothers’ attention. “For years, we’ve wondered why no one has made a film like Ron Howard’s wonderful Cocoon since, well, Cocoon,” they said. When the idea of “a story about retirees and monsters” hit their inbox, they were completely sold.
They were clear about one thing, however: the show wouldn’t make fun of aging adults. “This wouldn’t treat aging as a punchline. Instead, it would treat its characters as real people facing real challenges… along with a few supernatural ones.”
No, the Duffers promise the same emotional engine that powered Hawkins and the kids we all grew to love in Stranger Things. “While the characters are a little older than the kids in Stranger Things (they ride golf carts instead of bikes), the spirit is very much the same.”
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