Netflix's new sci-fi show looks like it could rip up the genre's rulebook

Netflix is far from the only one of the biggest and best streaming services to figure out that people absolutely love sci-fi right now. It, like Apple TV, Prime Video and others, continues to invest eye-watering sums in new series and movies that explore "what if" questions, and it just unveiled a new example that takes the genre to some very interesting places.

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The Boroughs, which just got its first trailer and confirmation of a 21 May release date, is from the same executive producers as Stranger Things, suggesting it could be quite a big bet from Netflix, although it has one major twist. Where Stranger Things starred a cast of, well, children at the start, The Boroughs instead flips things and goes with a cast of elderly actors.

The Boroughs | Official Teaser Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

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Okay, so "elderly" feels rude, but I had to make it clear that they're not just older than teenagers, and the whole point of The Boroughs is that it's set in a retirement community. We see Alfred Molina's character being dropped off their by his daughter (presumably), and starting to get used to a slower pace of life.

That will clearly be disrupted, though, by the presence of extremely unsettling things in the community, including glimpses in this trailer of what seem to be aliens. We see a creepy little hand opening an oven at one point, and even more brief looks at some other angles of limb-ful little guys.

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Crucially, though, I think there's a clear tonal overlap between The Boroughs and Stranger Things. The latter knew how to play with the border between horror, tension and comedy, and it seems from this trailer like the new show will do at least some of the same. There are quips and wise-cracks, and it looks like we'll get to know a decent-sized little cast.

Other than Molina, that includes Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters and Denis O’Hare, so it's quite a decent lineup. What'll be really interesting is finding out whether the show can sustain its mysteries through a whole season, of course. We'll know more about that in late May when it arrives on Netflix.