{"id":634,"date":"2026-05-21T13:32:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=634"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:32:09","slug":"the-boroughs-review-netflix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=634","title":{"rendered":"Netflix\u2019s next great sci-fi show is set in a retirement community"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Four decades on, \u201980s-style science fiction adventures continue to exert their influence on modern film and TV. The idea of a group of kids teaming up to face an otherworldly threat has become a trope at this point, seen in everything from Super 8<\/em> to Stranger Things<\/em>. So on one level, The Boroughs<\/em>, a new sci-fi series on Netflix, does a lot that feels very familiar, with its tale of a mysterious alien terrorizing a small neighborhood and the team of plucky friends who band together to stop it. But The Boroughs<\/em> also does something different: Its neighborhood is a retirement community, and its group of friends are all in their 70s. That seemingly slight change makes a big difference, elevating The Boroughs<\/em> above most of its Spielberg-imitating brethren.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Boroughs<\/em> is the title of the show, but it\u2019s also the name of the beautiful retirement community in the New Mexico desert where, almost immediately, it\u2019s clear there\u2019s something wrong. Things are just a little too<\/em> perfect. Crotchety newcomer Sam (Alfred Molina) senses this early on, but it takes a while before he has an idea of just what\u2019s going on. There are hints at it, like the resident who complains about owls in the walls, but things really kick off when Sam accidentally catches an alien creature that seems to be feeding on his neighbors while they sleep. This discovery pulls him and his newly formed friend group into a larger conspiracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Boroughs<\/em> does a good job of teasing out its mystery, which steadily grows in scale over the course of its eight episodes. I won\u2019t spoil anything, but there\u2019s a direct connection between the alien and the many strange things that keep happening around the community, which only makes figuring out what\u2019s really going on \u2014 and, of course, stopping it \u2014 all the more difficult. In a classic Amblin movie circa 1985, this is the point in the story when a group of kids on bikes would get mixed up in the conspiracy and figure things out. But since we\u2019re in a retirement community, the group skews quite a bit older.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sam is the central figure, a man feeling adrift and disoriented following the sudden death of his wife and the move to a new place. But he\u2019s helped along by his neighbors. There\u2019s the perpetually cheerful Jack (Bill Pullman), who earns Sam\u2019s friendship by not taking no for an answer; retired journalist Judy (Alfre Woodard) and her husband Art (Clarke Peters), who just wants to get high and play golf; Renee (Geena Davis), a former big-shot manager in the music industry; and Wally (Denis O\u2019Hare), a doctor with a long, sad history of losing his loved ones.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There\u2019s a lot about The Boroughs<\/em> that is familiar and predictable. You can make an educated guess at where things are headed midway through the season when Art stumbles on a peach tree with seemingly magical properties. There are plot beats ripped out of the films that clearly inspired the show, like when Sam cobbles together alien-fighting weapons out of old TVs. But there\u2019s a fun twist on those familiar elements that comes from the characters and setting. Eventually the story gets so strange and convoluted that it becomes impossible for any of the crew to explain, because anyone listening will just think they\u2019re senile.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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More than anything, though, this show is carried by its cast. I enjoyed the mystery \u2014 even if the final reveal lands a little flat \u2014 but more than that I enjoyed hanging out with these elderly weirdos (to be clear, this is a compliment). Watching The Boroughs<\/em>, you can\u2019t help but want to grab a beer with the utterly charming Jack, or light up a joint with Art. Seeing Alfre Woodard whip out a gun with deadly determination, or hearing Geena Davis say she wants to \u201cstack some bodies,\u201d is an utter delight. Each member of the group has their own distinct charm \u2014 it\u2019s especially gratifying seeing Sam open up to his newfound family \u2014 along with skills that just so happen to turn them into the ideal team to fight the extraterrestrial menace.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The lovability of the cast makes it much easier to look past the show\u2019s imperfections, as does the fact that this appears to be a standalone story, and one that, at eight episodes, doesn\u2019t overstay its welcome. And while it\u2019s reminiscent of many classics, it thankfully doesn\u2019t rely solely on nostalgia, standing on its own as a great sci-fi mystery. The Boroughs<\/em> feels so much like an \u201980s movie that it probably would\u2019ve been just fine at a tight 90 minutes, but I\u2019m not going to complain about having more time to spend with these folks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Boroughs is streaming on Netflix now.<\/em><\/sub><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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