Netflix Cancels The Boroughs After First Season Despite Positive Reviews

Netflix has cancelled The Boroughs, the sci-fi mystery series created by the Duffer Brothers, after just one season. The show, which premiered last month to mostly positive critical reception, featured an ensemble cast of veteran actors including Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O'Hare, Clarke Peters, and Bill Pullman. Marketed as a geriatric take on Stranger Things or The Thursday Murder Club with science fiction elements, The Boroughs followed a group of pensioners confronting an otherworldly threat in a retirement community.

Despite the critical acclaim, the series fell victim to a familiar Netflix pattern: strong reviews failed to translate into sufficient viewership numbers. According to reports, showrunners Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews had already begun opening a writers' room for Season 2, and discussions had even occurred about shooting a second and third season back-to-back. The creative team had outlined a three-season plan for the series, making the cancellation particularly disappointing given the momentum the show had begun to gain by the end of its first run.

The cancellation of The Boroughs adds to a growing list of Netflix series cancelled after their debuts, including KAOS, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, Lockwood & Co., and The Midnight Club. The gap between critical praise and audience numbers has become an increasingly common factor in Netflix's cancellation decisions, leaving unresolved plot threads and future storylines unexplored. Viewers are left without answers regarding cliffhangers introduced in the season finale.