Netflix’s New 8-Part Duffer Bros Sci-Fi Series With 95% RT Score Conquers Stranger Things Season 5’s Flaw

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Netflix’s latest science fiction series is a huge success worldwide, and it’s made by the team behind Stranger Things. Interestingly, it explores themes that many felt were missing from the final season of Stranger Things itself. That popular show concluded in 2025, with its last season released in three volumes.

In 2026, the world of Stranger Things continued to expand. The Duffer Brothers, who created the original series, oversaw the first spinoff: an animated show called Stranger Things: Tales from ’85. It quickly became popular on Netflix, though it didn’t stay in the top charts as long as the main Stranger Things series.

In 2026, alongside continuing the popular Stranger Things series, the Duffer Brothers also released two new shows on Netflix as executive producers. Their first offering was the horror-thriller Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. This marked a return to the dark, mysterious sci-fi genre that the Duffer Brothers are known for, after briefly exploring a different style.

Netflix’s new sci-fi series, The Boroughs, premiered on May 21st and offers a compelling story with a fantastic cast. Alfred Molina, known for playing Doc Ock in the Spider-Man films, stars as Sam Cooper, a man navigating life as a recent widower in a retirement community. While not set in the same universe, The Boroughs shares several connections with the popular series Stranger Things.

The Boroughs Does What Stranger Things Season 5 Was Afraid Of

One of the most striking differences between The Boroughs and Stranger Things is The Boroughs‘ willingness to kill off important characters early in the story. While Stranger Things had plenty of deaths over its five seasons, it always felt like the main characters were safe. Even when characters like Hopper and Max appeared to die, the show found ways to bring them back, lessening the impact of those moments. Stranger Things couldn’t even bring itself to permanently kill off Karen Wheeler, the mother of Mike, Nancy, and Holly.

Although some viewers might think Eleven’s situation, as played by Millie Bobby Brown, is an exception, the show’s ending still didn’t definitively confirm her death. Mike offered a possible explanation that left her fate uncertain, which is consistent with how Stranger Things usually handles these kinds of moments.

The new Netflix series, The Boroughs, takes a bold approach, immediately killing off a major character, Jack Willard, played by Bill Pullman. Jack is central to the first episode, establishing the main storylines for the season, making his death a shocking twist. This willingness to eliminate a key character is something the Duffer Brothers didn’t do in the upcoming fifth season of Stranger Things.

How Stranger Things Can Turn It Around Despite The Show’s Ending

Although the original Stranger Things series concluded after five seasons, the story isn’t over. Following the release of the animated series Stranger Things: Tales from ’85 season 1, Netflix has confirmed a second season will arrive sometime in 2026. This opens the possibility of a major character death, either shortly after the main show ended or in future, yet-to-be-announced seasons of the animated spin-off.

The reason for this decision is straightforward: Nikki Baxter is a character unique to the animated series and never existed in the original live-action show. Killing off Nikki, after establishing her as important in the spinoff, would address the reluctance to eliminate major characters seen in season 5 of the original series. Because she wasn’t part of Stranger Things‘ five seasons, her death would carry more weight in the animated format than simply having her leave the story. The showrunners could learn a valuable lesson from the approach taken by The Boroughs.

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2026-05-30 17:18