We just got finished watching the The Boroughs on and we are highly recommending it. \First off, this review is going to stay mostly spoiler free, and honestly, we recommend you go into the show that way as well, binge away or space it out.. there is a lot to ‘consume’ in this show.
Let’s go through some of the positives and negatives.
The biggest compliment that can be given is this: this feels a lot like Stranger Things, just with an elderly population.
As a matter of fact, the very last sequence of episode eight gave off serious vibes of the final scene from the first season of Stranger Things. And maybe that’s not surprising considering the Duffer Brothers are executive producers. To clarify, they didn’t actually write the show, but their fingerprints are definitely all over the atmosphere and tone.
Where was this spirit during Season 5!?
There’s also a mixture of classic Steven Spielberg style science fiction throughout the series, and even the theme music at times felt inspired by old-school sci-fi scores or even the theme music for M Night Shymalan’s SIGNS. Some people may call it borrowed, but honestly it feels more like a tribute to that era and genre of storytelling.
Beyond the mystery and supernatural elements, the show surprisingly carries some real emotional weight about aging, respecting the elderly, and understanding that time itself is a thief. That message becomes evident across many of the episodes, and it gives the series more heart than people may initially expect. It also chose perhaps the only Bruce Springsteen song that seems tolerable..
The acting was great, and the character development was genuinely fun to watch unfold. Geena Davis — and yes, her seemingly larger-than-normal teeth were a little distracting at times — still brought a lot of charm to the role, and she was believable enough as a younger love interest within the story.
The soundtrack was solid, the graphics and effects were fun, and nearly every episode ended with some sort of cliffhanger that kept us wanting to immediately continue.
If there’s one major complaint, it’s honestly that the episodes were too short. There just wasn’t enough episode in some of the episodes. Several ran under 47 or so minutes, and with credits lasting around five minutes each, they moved very quickly. But if anything, maybe that gives fans hope that a season two could be filmed and released faster, especially considering the glitchy ending this season leaves viewers with.
Overall, this show is highly recommended. It has a great summer feeling to it, it’s creative, it’s different, and for Stranger Things fans longing for something remotely similar, this absolutely scratches that itch. It may not be the perfect replacement, but it’s a really fun addition to the genre and definitely leaves you wanting more.
The only thing we would have changed? The song “Mother” should have played during the ending credits.
