Stranger Things meets The Thursday Murder Club in trailer for Duffer Brothers' starry new sci-fi The Boroughs

A group of retirees must band together to defeat an otherworldly threat in Netflix's new sci-fi The Boroughs (executive produced by the Duffer Brothers), with the first trailer showing the unlikely heroes in action.

The action-packed teaser shows Alfred Molina's Sam reluctantly moving into The Boroughs, a seemingly picturesque retirement community.

But while we're told the place is a "new beginning", there seem to be mysterious supernatural forces at play, as the unlikely group o of heroes, played by a starry cast including Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters and Denis O’Hare, arm themselves and decide to take on the threat themselves.

We're shown teases of the forces at play – a tentacle here and a mysterious orb at light there – but it seems they're a mix of terrifying and wondrous encounters for our golden oldies.

There are plenty of fun moments in the trailer that haven't passed fans by, including a nod to the end scene of Davis's iconic movie Thelma and Louise.

Meanwhile, plenty of viewers are also seeing parallels to Stranger Things, and noticing the series may be inspired by 1985 movie Cocoon, which follows elderly residents at a retirement home who regain the vigour of their youth after swimming in a pool containing alien cocoons.

The Duffer Brothers recently told Tudum of the new show: "While the heroes in The Boroughs have a few more years on them than the kids from Stranger Things, they are a similarly lovable bunch of misfits, and we can’t wait for you to join them on an adventure that is at turns scary, funny, and deeply touching."

Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews created the eight-episode series and will act as the showrunners, with the pair explaining to Tudum: "From the beginning, we knew we wanted The Boroughs to feel equal parts scary, mysterious, exciting and emotional.

"The challenge was to create a world that could hold all of these different tones at once. Which is why it was so fun to work with the Duffer Brothers — the masters of balancing heart and horror."

The Boroughs will arrive on Netflix on 21 May 2026.

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