The Duffer Bros’ New Netflix Sci-Fi Series Reveals Wild New Trailer (And Stranger Things Fans Noticed Something)

The runaway success of Stranger Things not only gave Netflix its first proper franchise that it continues to mine for new stories, but a creative partnership that appears to show no signs of stopping. With The Duffer Brothers, Netflix has found a team that appears to know what the public is eager to watch and though they’ve already signed a first-look deal with Paramount, they have plenty of work with Netflix in the can and on the way. This year has already seen the debut of horror series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, executive produced by the Duffer Brothers. Now, their return to sci-fi has debuted a new trailer.

The first teaser for The Boroughs arrived last month, and now, just a few weeks later, Netflix has released the full trailer for the series. Executive produced by the Duffer Brothers and created by The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance team of Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, The Boroughs‘ first look had many fans noticing the similarities between the upcoming series and the classic 1985 film Cocoon, but also making sure to point out that the series appeared to be like “Stranger Things but Old People,” and now, the new trailer isn’t doing that comparison any favors.

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New The Boroughs Trailer Goes Heavy on Stranger Things Similarities

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Set against the backdrop of the New Mexico desert, The Boroughs tells the story of a picturesque retirement community where Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) is moving into. At first, Molina’s Sam appears not to trust anyone around him, until something happens one night. As revealed in the trailer and in the plot synopsis for The Boroughs, “something monstrous is stalking the manicured cul-de-sacs” of the community, forcing Sam to team up with his fellow retirees to figure out what’s going on.This “monstrous” entity that is seen in the trailer and teased in the plot, however, has only made the comparisons between this series and Stranger Things an even more prescient talking point for fans.

“Oh wow, what a cast! Its like Stranger Things with a gang of AARP members,” wrote a comment on YouTube. Another added, “Elderly Stranger Things… I’m here for it!”

Upon seeing a tease of one of the giant monsters that will seemingly be found in The Boroughs, one user wrote: “This better be why there weren’t any monsters on the X dimension of Stranger Things.”

To be frank, there’s been no confirmation or even speculation that The Boroughs has any actual narrative connection to Stranger Things in any fundamental way. The trouble, of course, is that any series that is executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, which has not only a whimsical “Amblin” tone and even the presence of creatures not from our Earth, will naturally draw some speculation and comparisons between the two. This year’s “Conformity Gate” may have stuck with some fans for the alleged missing episode of the hit show, perhaps now thinking that a secret spinoff is about to land. In truth, if Netflix were going to make a spinoff of Stranger Things, they would be shouting about it from the rooftops and not keeping it hidden under a bushel.

The good news is that the series’ plot is intriguing enough, but the cast for the series is one that should have fans interested even without knowing what the story will be. In addition to Alfred Molina, The Boroughs will also star Bill Pullman (Twister, Independence Day), Geena Davis (Beetlejuice, Last Kiss Goodnight), Clarke Peters (The Wire), Denis O’Hare (True Blood, American Horror Story), and Jena Malone (Sucker Punch, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire). The series will have other iconic star appear including Ed Begley Jr. (Young Sheldon), Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle), Eric Edelstein (Shameless), and Dee Wallace (E.T.). Look for the series to drop on Netflix on May 21.