Just announced yesterday, the story of The Boroughs will be coming to an end as Netflix has cancelled the show after one season. Executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, this sci fi entry has been described as Stranger Things with senior citizens, and it seemed to get off to a good start. It spent four weeks in the Netflix Top 10, hitting the Number 1 slot in its second week and averaging 32.6 million hours watched per week. In addition, it has received good marks from critics and viewers, currently holding a 97% Tomatometer Score (based on critics’ reviews) and 79% Popcornmeter Score (based on audience response) at Rotten Tomatoes. It sure seemed like it was on track for a second-season renewal, but the bar for that is pretty high at Netflix.
Word is that the show is expensive to produce, and seeing as it dropped out of the streamer’s Top 10 after four weeks, it likely does not have the completion rate that execs at that company are looking for. That tracks how many viewers watch the current season all the way through and allegedly determines the likelihood they will stick around for a new season, though it also defeats the whole purpose of viewing on demand. Still, viewership was on the lower side for the series, falling notably below other genre originals from the streamer this season like Stranger Things Season 5 (131.6 million average weekly hours), Wednesday Season 2 (80.7 million average), and One Piece Season 2 (60.1 million average). The creative team had at least two more seasons planned, but those will likely not happen now, and it seems like a longshot that the property will get shopped around due to its high costs and the fact that Netflix holds the licensing.
Cancellations have been rare in the 2025-25 season, but this brings the Cancellation/Renewal score to 14 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (24% of shows tracked) vs. 34 renewed (59%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons on our Cancellation Watch Page.
The Boroughs is set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community in the New Mexico desert, but when a grieving newcomer begins investigating a series of strange events, he joins a group of fellow senior residents who discover that an otherworldly threat is hiding beneath the community’s peaceful surface. Together, they must unravel a dark conspiracy and confront a force that is literally stealing the one thing they have the least of—time. It stars Alfred Molina, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters, Carlos Miranda, and Geena Davis.
We are coming to the end of the current season, and there are still quite a few shows waiting for word on their fates. Be be sure to stay tuned to CancelledSciFi.com and our social media sites for the latest updates on all the current sci fi and fantasy shows.
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