Hey, fellow Stranger Things fans! While we wait for the final season to air this summer, the Duffer brothers just announced that they’ve got two new Netflix series in the pipeline, called The Boroughs and Something Very Bad is Going to Happen. Both series are in the same vein as Stranger Things in that they involve normal people that get involved with the “extraordinary.” In an intriguing twist, The Boroughs takes place in a retirement community. How very “Thursday Murder Club” of them!
At a Netflix presentation of the streaming giant’s 2025 slate for press on Wednesday, “Stranger Things” creators Ross and Matt Duffer revealed that in 2026 they will be executive producing two new shows, titled “The Boroughs” and “Something Very Bad is Going to Happen,” both of which “encompass what we feel is at the core of ‘Stranger Things,’” according to Ross Duffer – “they’re stories about ordinary people who encounter the extraordinary.”
Matt Duffer added that “The Boroughs” “probably shares the most DNA with ‘Stranger Things’ because it’s about a group of misfits who fight an otherworldly evil.”
“Only unlike ‘Stranger Things,’ it’s set in a retirement community, so that’s something different,” he quipped. “This time our misfits are a little on the older side. They ride golf carts, not bikes,” he said, in reference to the young characters in “Stranger Things” who ride their bicycles around Hawkins, Indiana. Aside from the brief description, the pair were able to share some key cast members for “The Boroughs,” including Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard and Bill Pullman.
As for “Stranger Things,” the Duffers shared a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the concluding season and revealed that they’d spent an entire year filming it, capturing over 650 hours of footage.
“It’s like eight blockbuster movies. It’s pretty insane,” Ross Duffer said, while his brother highlighted that it “was super intense and emotional to film – for us and for our actors. We’ve been making this show together for almost ten years. There was a lot of crying. There was SO much crying.”
If that weren’t enough, the Duffers also promised that Season 5 of “Stranger Things” wouldn’t mark the end of the story of the Upside Down.
“There are more ‘Stranger Things’ stories to tell and in the works. It’s a bit early at this point to talk about them, but we’re deeply involved in every one,” Matt Duffer teased.
I know I joked about it, but The Boroughs really does sort of sound like a Stranger Things version of the “Thursday Murder Club” book series, haha. That cast sounds pretty rad, too.
Alfre Woodard, Alfred Molina, Bill Pullman, and Geena Davis? Sounds like a fun time to me! But seriously, I am intrigued by both of these shows, though, and will absolutely be checking them out whenever they drop.
I’m also pretty intrigued by their comments over the Stranger Things spin-offs they’re alluding to. We know there’s a Broadway play coming next month, but as far as I know, that’s it so far. It’s too early to make any real guesses as to which characters they’ll focus on for subsequent sequels, but rumors are that it’ll be some of the more supporting characters, which means we’re probably not getting a Hopper/Joyce family spin-off. I hope that they don’t dilute the brand too much, though. That would be a shame.
photos credit: Craig Sugden For Netflix and Getty
To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone in one of their production departments read the Thursday murder club and pitched it but with monsters and they developed it. When it airs look at all the exec producers and if the authors name is one of them boom.
I’m a fan of this show but the years this has taken in real time makes it difficult to stick with. I feel like I’ve got to go back and watch last season before the final season.