SPOILERS for The Boroughs are ahead! Read with caution, and stream the show with a Netflix subscription.
The Boroughs was executive-produced by the Duffer Brothers and shares some DNA with Stranger Things. It’s a sci-fi mystery centered around a group of friends, and it ends on one wild and ambiguous cliffhanger that could expand the world in a very unexpected way, much like the Netflix megahit was known to do. That cliffhanger in this new show on the 2026 TV schedule comes after it seems like everything is good again, as Sam, one of the main characters, glitched, indicating that all is not well.
So, what does that glitch mean? Well, while the cast wouldn’t tell me any sure answers, they did explain their theories.
Alfred Molina Shared His Take On What Sam’s Glitch Could Mean
Now, when it comes to the glitches that happen throughout The Boroughs, we know they're, as co-creator Will Matthews told me, “a manifestation of transmissions gone awry” from Mother. For example, when Sam sees his dead wife, she glitches. However, Sam’s not dead, and at the end of Season 1, after Mother is saved and Blaine is defeated, Sam is the one who glitches.
Obviously, I had to ask Alfred Molina, who plays Sam, what it meant for his character to glitch, and he told me:
Well, I think throughout the season, throughout the episodes, I always assumed, and I could be wrong, you know, what do I know? I always assumed that the glitches were evidence that whatever we were doing was being in some way observed. That we weren't alone, that somewhere everything was being sort of looked at.
He turned out to be kind of right; the glitches were transmissions gone awry from Mother, who was trying to communicate with the old folks in this community. So, to that point, Molina told me that if the glitches signified something/someone observing them, Sam glitching at the end must mean they’re still being watched:
We were being observed, and so at the end, after the gang, if you like, think that they've conquered the problem, they've conquered the monster, we've done everything right, we can relax now. Suddenly, that new glitch at the end is a whole reminder that, no, no, no, nothing really has changed.
So, while it seems like everything is all fine and dandy at the end of The Boroughs, according to Molina, this glitch could signify that someone is still watching them. However, he wasn’t the only cast member with a theory.
Geena Davis, Clarke Peters And Denis O’Hare Have A Great Theory About What Sam’s Glitch Could Allude To
When I posed this question about Sam’s glitch to Geena Davis, Clarke Peters and Denis O’Hare, who play Renee, Art and Wally, respectively, in the show on Netflix’s 2026 schedule, they had a different take on that last glitch. First of all, they made it clear they don’t actually know what is happening there, and then they tried to dive into one very interesting theory:
- Clarke Peters : You know, that’s funny you should say that, because we don’t know.
- Geena Davis : But say what you said about maybe that scene isn’t even real.
- Denis O’Hare : Did I say that?
- Geena Davis : Yes, I thought you did.
- Clarke Peters : See, this is what happens when you work with old people.
After that fun back-and-forth, O’Hare proceeded to explain the theory they’ve developed around this final scene involving Sam’s glitch. They think this dinner party they're all at at the end of the season is far too idyllic to be real, considering they all are acting like nothing happened, when in reality, they just went through a very traumatic and otherworldly experience. So, when Sam glitches, it could be signifying that this last scene is not real, as the Wally actor explained:
The whole last scene seems too happy, too idealized. Everyone is their best selves. The kids are running, you guys are getting along. We're joking. So you kind of go, ‘Is any of this real? Is any of this happening?’ And then he glitches.
Davis also added that Renee and Wally were talking about traveling, and Wally is a “terminal person,” which is “interesting.” So, how would he be able to travel?
Overall, I totally see what they’re saying. Maybe they aren’t in reality anymore. Mother was able to manipulate time and reality, and Sam got to see his dead wife because of that. So, it seems reasonable that this final scene might not have been real.
Now, to see if these theories turn out to be right, we’ll have to hope The Boroughs gets renewed for Season 2.
