The Boroughs

The series is pretty terrific.

It is, obviously, a fine cast and any fears (deriving from the presence of the Duffer brothers, famed for Stranger Things, as producers) that some of the best actors in the business are about to be wasted on hokum are soon laid aside by an intelligent, witty script and a plot that nods to all the most entertaining monster tropes without being slavishly devoted to them.

It’s The Goonies for senior citizens, full of warmth and never taking itself too seriously.

Part Thursday Murder Club, part Stranger Things, The Boroughs may not sweep the board at the Emmys but it is an unexpectedly entertaining mix of adventure and wonder, drama and humour.

Never as intense as Stranger Things, but also never as surprising, The Boroughs charms while plucking the heartstrings as its characters, especially Sam, contend with grief, loss, and regret while displaying admirable resilience and a timeless respect for Bruce Springsteen.

It’s not as well-plotted or engrossing as Stranger Things‘ first season—again, the comparisons are inevitable—but The Boroughs offers plenty of fun and nostalgia (including a cheeky Thelma & Louise reference) in its own right.

Depth could have been distributed more evenly across the ensemble rather than focused so heavily on Sam. Even so, the cast remains one of the show’s strongest elements.

The set-up is intriguing and fun, with the first episode establishing an appealingly quirky tone that’s hopefully backed up by a worthy story across the eight episodes that will fully make proper use of these actors.

Viewers can guess the identity of the main villain almost immediately, and as the season wears on, the later revelations aren't as exciting as they probably should be. It's just as well that the show's casting choices are so strong, making this an easy series to keep streaming to the end.

The show's sprawling, starry cast is also a blessing and a curse. It has to spend a huge amount of time introducing (and making us invested in) a large ensemble of characters, resulting in the first couple of episodes feeling rather slow. But once warmed up, they’re a treat.

“The Boroughs” provides the odd sensation of nostalgia tapping into a recent piece of nostalgia. The series too often feels like a copy of a copy. So it’s up to the cast of welcome familiars to make “The Boroughs” worth a trip. They’re all more than watchable.