The Boroughs dropped on Netflix on May 21, 2026, and the internet hasn’t stopped talking about it since. Whether you just finished the last episode or you’re still on the fence about starting it, here are 40 facts about the show that are worth knowing.
The Basics
1. The Boroughs premiered on Netflix on May 21, 2026, with all 8 episodes released at once — no weekly waiting.
2. The show was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, the same duo behind Netflix’s The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.
3. The Duffer Brothers — Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of Stranger Things — executive produce the series through their production company, Upside Down Pictures.
4. The series received a straight-to-series order from Netflix back in April 2023 — nearly three years before it aired.
5. Addiss and Matthews have been working together for over 15 years as a creative partnership.
6. The show was described by its creators as something “you could only do with the Duffer Brothers behind you — super arty and weird.”
7. The Boroughs is rated TV-MA on Netflix.
8. The series has 8 episodes in Season 1, each running approximately 56 minutes.
The Cast
9. Alfred Molina leads the cast as Sam Cooper, a recently widowed retired engineer who moves into The Boroughs reluctantly after his wife passes away.
10. Molina turned 73 years old around the time the show premiered — and still did his own physical scenes, including running and action sequences.
11. Geena Davis plays Renee, a boho-glam resident. Davis is an Academy Award-winning actress, known for Thelma & Louise and The Accidental Tourist.
12. Alfre Woodard plays Judy, one of the ex-hippie residents. Woodard is a four-time Emmy winner and one of the most decorated actresses in the cast.
13. Bill Pullman plays Jack, Sam’s gregarious next-door neighbor who throws him a welcome barbecue in the first episode.
14. Clarke Peters — best known for The Wire — plays Art, a calm and spiritually grounded member of the group.
15. Denis O’Hare plays Wally, described as sardonic and brilliant. The show’s creators specifically noted his “incredible ear for language.”
16. Jena Malone plays Claire, Sam’s daughter, who convinces him to move into The Boroughs in the first place.
17. Ed Begley Jr. and Jane Kaczmarek also appear in the series. Kaczmarek plays Lilly, Sam’s deceased wife, seen in flashbacks.
18. Seth Numrich plays Blaine Shaw, the charismatic and impeccably dressed CEO of The Boroughs who promises residents “the time of their lives.”
19. The show’s co-showrunner Will Matthews said of casting Molina: “When we met him, we were just like, ‘Oh, obviously that’s him. He’s the guy.'”
20. Karan Soni — known from the Deadpool films — also appears in the series as a character named Toby.
Production & Filming
21. The show filmed entirely in New Mexico — primarily in Albuquerque and Santa Fe — from September 16, 2024 to February 11, 2025, a 100-day shoot.
22. Netflix built 8 full houses on the ABQ Studios backlot for Sam’s cul-de-sac and the community’s downtown shops. The coffee machines in the shops actually worked.
23. The production team used 20+ real locations across New Mexico, including the Albuquerque Convention Center, Twin Warriors Golf Club, and Montessa Park.
24. The defunct Traditions Mall in Albuquerque was transformed into a vibrant town square for the series. Director of photography Matthew Jensen said: “It really was like bringing back a dead mall. In the end, it was really beautiful.”
25. During the shoot, the production hired more than 350 cast and crew members and worked with over 300 local New Mexico vendors.
26. The series also helped train the next generation of filmmakers by hiring six participants across three different industry training programs in New Mexico.
27. The show was directed across three directors: Ben Taylor (episodes 1–2), Augustine Frizzell (episodes 3–4, 7–8), and Kyle Patrick Alvarez (episodes 5–6). Ben Taylor previously directed Sex Education and Catastrophe.
The Music
28. The soundtrack was music-supervised by Nora Felder, a two-time Grammy nominee and Emmy winner — the same music supervisor who worked on Stranger Things.
29. The very first song heard in Episode 1 is David Bowie’s disco-funk classic “Golden Years” — playing as Sam arrives at the community for the first time.
30. The soundtrack also features tracks from Bruce Springsteen, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bob Seger, Etta James, Lauryn Hill, Tina Turner, Johnny Cash, Bill Withers, Santana, The Lovin’ Spoonful, Heart, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
31. Joe Keery — who played Steve in Stranger Things — has a song featured in The Boroughs under his music project name, Djo.
32. The original score was composed by John Paesano, known for his work on The Maze Runner, Daredevil, Invincible, and Penny Dreadful: City of Angels. The score album was released digitally on May 21, 2026, the same day as the show.
33. The creators built a Spotify playlist of 2,000 songs during the writing process. Addiss said composer Paesano repeatedly “won” against major songs when competing for a scene — resulting in the score being used more than originally planned.
Reception & Numbers
34. The Boroughs holds a 95%+ critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes — which, according to some outlets, actually surpasses Stranger Things‘ early critical reception.
35. The show holds an 8.2/10 on IMDb, based on over 1,700 user reviews within the first 48 hours of release.
36. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes sits at 81%.
37. In its first four days on Netflix, The Boroughs received 5.6 million views and 35.3 million hours viewed globally, debuting at #2 on the Netflix Global Top 10 English TV list.
38. Stephen King praised the show on social media, calling it “an absolute delight” and adding that it’s “actually worth it” to watch all the episodes.
39. Rotten Tomatoes critics called it “a new classic through-and-through” — praising its “wonderfully plotted sci-fi trappings, star-studded cast, heartfelt narrative, and genuine ingenuity.”
40. The creators have already confirmed the show was designed with a multi-season arc in mind — but as of May 2026, Netflix has not yet officially renewed it for a second season.
The Boroughs is streaming now on Netflix. All 8 episodes of Season 1 are available.
