While Stranger Things has come to an end, the Duffer brothers are not done with their work at Netflix. In fact, they have executive-produced a show premiering on the 2026 TV schedule called The Boroughs, and it has big Stranger Things energy. Along with that, it turns out that a challenge the brothers faced in making their megahit actually really helped this new show get off the ground.
Now, the Duffer brothers are executive producers on this new show on Netflix’s 2026 schedule that was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. The Stranger Things creators had been fans of Addiss and Matthews's last show, Dark Crystal, and said they wanted to work on their next project together. So, they pitched the brothers The Boroughs, a story that takes place in a retirement village and follows a group of older folks as they try to solve a mystery involving a terrifying monster.
Sounds kind of like Stranger Things with old people, right? Well, the Duffers know that, as they said, the two programs share “DNA,” and Addiss and Matthews know that, too. Actually, The Boroughs creators were able to get their show off the ground thanks to the success of the Duffers’ program, as Matthews explained during an interview with SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend:
We first pitched to the Duffers, and then to Netflix with the Duffers. We benefitted from Stranger Things having been a success with that age cast, because one of the things they had to struggle with selling it was it’s a show about kids, but it’s not just for kids. Because that worked for them, we didn’t have to push as hard on this being a show about older folks that’s not only for older folks. Netflix got that pretty quickly, because we really do think of the show as for everybody.
The challenge Stranger Things faced was that it was led by children, but it was decidedly not a children’s show. I mean, when they were working on Season 1, Millie Bobby Brown was 11 years old; however, an argument can be made that 11-year-olds probably need at least an adult present to watch Season 1 with a Netflix subscription. So, if kids couldn't watch a show starring kids, who would?
It turns out, everyone. This proved not to be a problem at all. Stranger Things was a massive success, and that’s putting it lightly. So, when The Boroughs, an adventure led by older characters, came around, there wasn’t a worry that it would only appeal to older folks. It can appeal to people of all ages.
Speaking to that point and the importance of representing this demographic, Addiss said:
The people that I know who are older are full of life and doing amazing things, and that hasn’t really been represented on screen. Yet, at the same time, older characters are often not listened to, not taken seriously, marginalised, which is often how kids feel. So there are real parallels between The Boroughs and Stranger Things, they’re just on entirely different points on the timeline.
I totally see what he’s saying, and while I’d never thought about those parallels, it's totally true. So, I’m very excited to see The Boroughs to examine both its similarities and differences to Stranger Things.
Now, while Stranger Things made stars of its cast, The Boroughs is made up of established stars. The series is led by Alfred Molina, and also stars Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfre Woodard, Clarke Peters and Denis O’Hare. They make up a Scooby gang that’s not dissimilar to that of the Stranger Things kids, as they set out to figure out what’s going on with the monsters in their community.
So, to see this show that got made, in part, thanks to a challenge Stranger Things faced, you can stream The Boroughs on Netflix starting May 21.
