The Duffer Brothers' Netflix Series The Boroughs Draws From Cocoon

After building the mass appeal of Stranger Things on 1980s pop nostalgia, the Duffer Brothers are repeating the formula as producers of the new Netflix sci-fi series The Boroughs. Slated for a May 21, 2026 release, The Boroughs revolves around a serene group of retirees who are suddenly visited by a mysterious extraterrestrial species interested in usurping the time they have left on Earth.

Geena Davis and Bill Pullman headline a cast that also includes Clarke Peters, Alfre Woodard, Alfred Molina, Jena Malone, Denis O'Hare, Ed Begley Jr., Dee Wallace, and more. The premise echoes Ron Howard's 1985 film Cocoon. That film follows retirees in Florida who discover Antareans preserved in rock-like cocoons in a neighbor's swimming pool; by submerging themselves they receive a return of youthful energy.

Cocoon was both a critical and commercial success, won two Academy Awards, and became the sixth-highest-grossing movie of 1985, but it was overshadowed at the box office by Back to the Future and is unavailable to purchase or stream in 2026.

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