Netflix Cancelled Duffer Brothers' The Boroughs One Month After Premiere; Know Why

Executive

produced by Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, The Boroughs was released on May 21 on Netflix. But less than a month after its premiere, the sci-fi series has been cancelled. It is the third project produced by the Duffer Brothers after their debut series, Stranger Things, ended on December 31, 2025, on Netflix. Last year, it was announced that the Duffers are headed to Paramount to make their first feature film for the big screen. So why did Netflix cancel the series that featured veteran actors Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard and Bill Pullman? A few factors came into play.

Netflix cancels The Boroughs after one season

According to a report in Deadline, the streaming service was close to renewing the series created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, who are also showrunners onThe Boroughs. The show had already started a writers' room for Season 2 and sources had shared that both Season 2 and 3 could have been filmed together.

However, the ratings for the sci-fi series, seen as a senior citizen version of Stranger Things, were less than promising. For its opening weekend, The Boroughs pulled in 5.6 million views. The numbers grew in its first full week to 9.5 million views, but by its second week, it was down to 3.7 million views. The show remained part of Netflix’s weekly top 10 each week but had dropped down to eighth place in the list of English-language TV shows.

What is The Boroughs about?

The English show filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, took place at a retirement community. A newcomer to the place ends up facing a monster and joins a misfit crew of unlikely heroes who set out to protect their own. Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, Jena Malone, Dee Wallace, Ed Begley Jr. and Malcolm in the Middle's Jane Kaczmarek are also part of the cast.

Duffer Brothers left Netflix for Paramount

Last year, before the premiere of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, it was announced that the Duffers would leave Netflix in April 2026 for a four-year deal with Paramount. Earlier this week, it was revealed that their first film, which is still untitled, is releasing in theatres on November 3, 2028.

After Stranger Things ended, the Duffers also executive produced the limited series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen and the animated Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. The second season of the animated series is being released later this year. After that, no other projects with the Duffers remain at Netflix.