Netflix has canceled The Boroughs after a single season, pulling the plug on the sci-fi series less than a month after it premiered on May 21. Despite strong reviews and a high-profile pedigree, the show could not sustain the viewership numbers Netflix needed to justify a renewal.
Executive produced by Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, the show was created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews and followed a misfit crew of retirees in a desert retirement community in New Mexico who uncover a dark supernatural secret lurking beneath its sunny facade. The core threat is an otherworldly being known as Mother, who seeks to steal the one thing the residents don’t have: time.
The series debuted to 5.6 million views in its opening weekend before climbing to 9.5 million views in its first full week. However, viewership quickly dropped to 3.7 million the following week, signaling weak long-tail growth. Netflix weighs cost against viewership when making renewal decisions, and The Boroughs carried a high price tag due to its elaborate special effects and star-studded ensemble.
The cast included Alfred Molina as Sam Cooper, Geena Davis as Renee Joyce, Alfre Woodard as Judy Daniels, Denis O’Hare as Wally Baker, Clarke Peters as Art Daniels, Bill Pullman as Jack Willard, Jena Malone as Claire Cooper, Carlos Miranda as Paz Navarro, Seth Numrich as Blaine Shaw and Alice Kremelberg as Anneliese Shaw.
The cancellation comes despite the show having already opened a writers room for a potential second season. It also arrives in the wake of Something Very Bad is Going to Happen, another Duffer Brothers-produced paranormal series that launched earlier this year and will also not be continuing. With both shows now off the table, some audience fatigue following the emotional final season of Stranger Things, which aired on New Year’s Eve, may have been a factor. The Duffers have since departed Netflix for a film and television deal at Paramount, leaving the streamer with one remaining entry in the Stranger Things universe, the animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.