Netflix Cancels ‘The Boroughs’ After One Season

Netflix announced the cancellation of “The Boroughs,” a sci-fi drama produced by the Duffer brothers, after a single season. The decision came weeks after the series premiered in June 2026, cutting short a planned three-season narrative despite its top-10 placement on the platform.

Forbes

Matt and Ross Duffer, creators of “Stranger Things,” launched “The Boroughs” as their first post-Stranger Things series for Netflix. In August 2025 they signed a development deal with Paramount, moving future projects away from Netflix. The cancellation further separates the streamer from the brothers, leaving only the animated spin-off “Stranger Things: Tales From ’85” on the service.

New York Times

The series starred Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters and Bill Pullman, with the Duffer brothers serving as writers and executive producers.

New York Times

“The Boroughs” earned a 96 % Rotten Tomatoes critic score and reached #1 on Netflix’s internal top-10 list. Nielsen data placed the show at #2 across all streaming services in its debut week and at #1 the following week, surpassing Amazon’s “Spider-Noir” and HBO Max’s “Euphoria.” The series logged approximately 1.74 billion viewing minutes, dwarfing Netflix’s “The Four Seasons,” which recorded 782 minutes.

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Netflix declined to comment. A Netflix source denied that the Duffer brothers’ departure motivated the cancellation. Paramount announced the brothers’ first untitled feature will debut on November 3, 2028.

New York Times

Industry observers noted the series’ reported $10 million per-episode budget, with some estimates suggesting a total cost near $80 million. Analysts argued that the cancellation may signal Netflix’s intent to curb high-budget productions, especially as comparable titles such as “The Four Seasons” received renewal despite lower viewership.

Forbes

Sources differ on the exact production cost, citing $10 million per episode versus an overall $80 million figure. Netflix’s lack of an official rationale and the denial of anti-Duffer motives leave the precise reasons for cancellation unclear.

Forbes

• “Fortunately, the creators, who became our dear, dear friends, were able to tell us before the news came out, and we’re all terribly disappointed. Honestly, I don’t know what happened. I think it’s probably rare for a show to not get picked up and to have it announced that it’s not being picked up while it’s still in the top 10. We didn’t expect that.” — Geena Davis, Actress

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• “exploits the comic and sentimental possibilities of putting older baby boomers into action, and jeopardy.” — Mike Hale, The New York Times

New York Times

• “If it really was its high cost, that seems to be a message to bring those budgets down, as while there was certainly some amount of monster CGI here, I really cannot fathom why a show like this cost $80 million.” — Paul Tassi, Forbes

Forbes

Following the cancellation, the Duffer brothers will focus on Paramount projects, including the slated 2028 feature film. Their animated series remains on Netflix, while the abrupt end of “The Boroughs” may influence how streaming platforms evaluate high-budget, limited-run series.

Forbes