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The Boroughs

The Boroughs

2026Ended1 season8 episodes~45 min/epTV-MAMidcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows

In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a crew of unlikely heroes must stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don't have: time.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch The Boroughs?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists The Boroughs streaming on Netflix.

Subscription

Highlights

What stands out about The Boroughs?

The Boroughs earns 4 badges, led by Star-studded and Crowd Pleaser.

  • Reception
  • Cast

Reception

Is The Boroughs worth watching?

The Boroughs' Midcredits score is the 65th percentile of all shows, from 46K ratings across 5 sources. 78% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

65th percentile

Better received than 65% of shows

63rd percentile among Adventure70th percentile among 2020s
Acclaim (how much people like it)60th
Approval (how many liked it)67th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

73 /100

60th percentile of all shows

58th percentile among Adventure65th percentile among 2020s

Critics 71 · Audience 73

Critics and audiences broadly agree.

Rating distribution

A broad spread centered near 7.4 — solid but not unanimous.

Approval

How many liked it

78% liked it

67th percentile of all shows

65th percentile among Adventure72nd percentile among 2020s
78% rated it 7–1022% rated it 1–6

Critics 96% · Audience 78%

On Rotten Tomatoes, a bigger share of critics approved than audiences.

Reach

How many have seen it

97th percentile

46K ratings across platforms

93rd percentile among Adventure98th percentile among 2020s
TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 8% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

The series is a nostalgic, Amblin-style sci-fi mystery centered on elderly protagonists, carried by a strong cast but with a familiar, derivative plot.

Fans praised

  • powerhouse veteran cast delivers engaging performances
  • nostalgic, cozy Amblin-style atmosphere with heart
  • binge-worthy mystery with emotional weight about aging

Detractors panned

  • derivative, predictable plot lifted from Cocoon and Stranger Things
  • illogical writing with gaping plot holes and cheap conveniences
  • slow pacing stretched past its narrative limit

What stands out

Acting82

veteran ensemble elevates thin material

Atmosphere78

immersive, eerie retirement-community setting

Emotional impactDivisive60

themes of aging and loss resonate unevenly

CharactersDivisive55

endearing but archetypal, lacking depth

PacingDivisive45

starts strong, drags in middle, rushed finale

DialogueDivisive45

functional but often clunky and expository

Plot and storyDivisive40

derivative mystery with logical gaps

OriginalityDivisive30

heavily borrows from Cocoon and Stranger Things

Preferred by

Under-30s vs over-30s

Preferred by Over-30s

Over-30s scored it 14 points higher than under-30s.

Critics vs users

Preferred by Critics

Critics scored it 21 points higher than users.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 6 points apart
  • US vs non-US 2 points apart

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2026 · 8 episodes · 5.6 average across 8 rated episodes

  • S1E1

    Welcome to The Boroughs

    May 21, 202655 minTMDB rating 5.6
  • S1E2

    The Mourning After

    May 21, 202650 minTMDB rating 5.8
  • S1E3

    A Pyramid

    May 21, 202640 minTMDB rating 5.8
  • S1E4

    Forbidden Fruit

    May 21, 202648 minTMDB rating 5.5
  • S1E5

    Another Beautiful Day

    May 21, 202643 minTMDB rating 5.6
  • S1E6

    The Grey Rebellion

    May 21, 202647 minTMDB rating 5.6
  • S1E7

    Time to Go

    May 21, 202642 minTMDB rating 5.6
  • S1E8

    Triple Audible

    May 21, 202644 minTMDB rating 5.3Finale

Watch experience

What is The Boroughs like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, serious and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you wistful.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
DreadTenseHopeful
Heaviest: late
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
Adventurous · 15% of showsWarm
Told as
Three-act: Setup, confrontation, resolution — the default Hollywood shape.SerializedSingle-season story
ToneThe show holds its Spielbergian, nostalgia-affectionate material straight and warm, treating its elderly heroes and their grief with sincerity while delivering a gently spooky adventure with light comedy.
The rideThe mood is primarily one of dread and tension as the threat closes in, with a thread of hope from the unlikely heroes uniting, likely intensifying in the final season.
StructureA serialized eight-episode season that unfolds as a conventional mystery arc, with the threat and the community's secrets revealed progressively across the run.
Episode formatThe series follows one continuous story across 8 episodes, with no indication of standalone cases or procedural elements.
Season formatThe show aired one season of 8 episodes and is concluded, telling a single complete story.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Wistful · 6% of showsBittersweet
Why it leaves you this wayA warm nostalgic glow tinged with the sadness of aging, lost time and an unanswered mystery, leaving you wistful for what the show never resolved.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).MonsterInvasion
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18% (this title): Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% (this title) · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40%

Overcoming the monster: A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated. · Invasion: An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).

18% of shows fit this archetype

with Mystery underneath

Why this archetypeThe residents of a secured retirement community discover an otherworldly force preying on them and must band together to stop it — a classic monster-invasion premise told as an ensemble mystery-adventure.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9% (this title): Survival 12% (this title) · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% (this title) · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% (this title) · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Survival

Survival · 12% of showsMortality · 2% of showsCommunity: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.
Warns its theme: Presents its theme as a danger or a coming cost.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe central threat steals time, making survival and the confrontation with mortality the core concerns, while the heroes must rely on community bonds to fight back.
StanceThe series presents the theft of time as a warning about mortality and the value of community, focusing on an ensemble of residents fighting together.

The world

ContemporarySuburbanWildernessScience fiction
Orchestral modernSupportive music · original score · John Paesano
SettingA retirement community in the New Mexico desert facing an otherworldly invasion
MusicA modern orchestral score likely underscores the otherworldly threat and the emotional stakes of the residents.

Content guide

Is The Boroughs okay for kids?

TV-MA

The Boroughs is rated TV-MA. As of August 18, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (56/100), sexual content at mild (30/100), language at intense (65/100), drug and alcohol content at moderate (51/100) and frightening material at intense (64/100). Overall it is heavier than 31% of TV-MA shows.

Ratings in 28 other countries
  • UK15
  • Canada18+
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • France12
  • Ireland15
  • South Korea19
  • Brazil14
  • ArgentinaSAM 16
  • Belgium16
  • BG16
  • Greece16
  • Hungary16
  • IDD
  • IndiaU/A 16+
  • LU16
  • MA16
  • MexicoC
  • Netherlands16
  • Poland16
  • PRTV-MA
  • Russia12+
  • SingaporeM18
  • South Africa16
  • Spain12
  • Türkiye18+
  • UA16+
  • VITV-MA
Overall
Moderate · all five categories
Heavier than 59% of all showsHeavier than 31% of TV-MA shows
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 37%
Sex & Nudity
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
light for a TV-MA show
heavier than 15%
Profanity
Intense · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 45%
Alcohol & Drugs
Moderate
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 48%
Frightening / Intense
Intense
typical for a TV-MA show
heavier than 60%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

The reason to think twice is language and frightening material. Everything else sits at or below what TV-MA shows usually carry.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does The Boroughs have?

MovieCove's classifier found 6 depicted content warnings in The Boroughs: Death of a parent (moderate), Addiction or relapse (mild), plus 4 withheld here because they would spoil the plot. Each is backed by a verbatim quote from the parents' guide notes; a missing warning is not a guarantee of absence.

ModerateDeath of a parent
MildAddiction or relapse

Cast and crew

Who is in The Boroughs?

Cast

4 of the cast already had the standing of a top-10% working actor.

Geena Davis
as Renee
Established: A standing when this show came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Bill Pullman
as Jack
Jena Malone
as Claire
Established: A standing when this show came out that a top-10% working actor has today.
Alfred Molina
as Sam
Best so far: Their highest-reaching show role to date — the title is too recent to say more.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Alfre Woodard
as Judy
Established: A standing when this show came out that a top-10% working actor has today.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Clarke Peters
as Art
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Denis O'Hare
as Wally
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.Top draw: One of the 3 biggest draws in this cast: billing here weighted by career star power.
Alice Kremelberg
as Anneliese
Seth Numrich
as Blaine
Carlos Miranda
as Paz

Crew

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