While Stranger Things ended after a record-breaking fifth season on Netflix, the Duffer brothers continued their exploration of fantasy with a new series titled The Boroughs . Very quickly, the similarities between the two universes fueled fan speculation, with many convinced they were dealing with a hidden extension of the cult series. However, the creators were quick to clarify the situation: it is not a shared universe.
A community of retirees facing the inexplicable
Unlike Stranger Things , which focuses on a group of teenagers confronting supernatural phenomena in the 1980s, The Boroughs takes place in a contemporary setting and follows elderly characters living in an isolated senior residence in the middle of the desert.
In the heart of this seemingly peaceful place, the residents gradually discover disturbing phenomena and strange creatures that appear to be lurking around them. The narrative then shifts into a collective investigation led by these retirees, forced to cooperate despite their personal tensions and vulnerabilities.
The series thus plays on a strong contrast: characters at the end of their lives confronted with events worthy of teenage horror stories, in an atmosphere where the strange mixes with nostalgia and permanent doubt about the reality of the facts.
A false link to Stranger Things quickly dismissed
In response to fan theories suggesting a shared narrative universe, showrunner Jeffrey Addiss sought to dispel any ambiguity. He asserts that The Boroughs and Stranger Things are two entirely independent projects, despite their thematic similarities.
The Duffer brothers, producers of the new series, are not directly involved in its artistic creation, according to the project team, which emphasizes the desire to build an original universe. The similarities—mysterious creatures, retro-fantasy atmosphere, and group dynamics—stem more from a shared tone than a narrative link.
A continuation of the taste for the fantastic
Although The Boroughs has no official connection to Hawkins and the Upside Down, the series nevertheless falls within a similar tradition: that of a fantasy rooted in everyday life, where ordinary characters find themselves confronted with the inexplicable.
Featuring a cast including Alfred Molina and Geena Davis, the series also explores darker themes such as old age, loneliness, and memory. Beneath the horror elements, the show seeks to examine our relationship with time and the end of life, subverting genre conventions popularized by Stranger Things.
Netflix is thus banking on a new hybrid narrative, on the border between horror, drama and humor, without directly extending the universe of its most iconic series.
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