Senior citizens take center stage in Netflix's 'The Boroughs'

MINNEAPOLIS - There's never been a better time on TV for senior citizens to flex their muscles. Steve Martin (80) and Martin Short (76) are chasing killers on "Only Murders in the Building," Harrison Ford (83) and Helen Mirren (80) are riding high in the Western "1923″ and Kathy Bates (77) is running circles around opposing lawyers in "Matlock."

But no drama shows more respect to our elders than "The Boroughs," a sci-fi adventure series now streaming on Netflix.

Alfred Molina, 73, stars as Sam Cooper, a recent widower who moves into an isolated retirement center against his will.

"A place people come to die," he says when his daughter drops him off.

Not so fast. Cooper and his neighbors, played by familiar faces like Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman, Clarke Peters and Geena Davis, soon find themselves battling strange creatures who could lead them to either the grave or the fountain of youth.

It's "Stranger Things" meets "Cocoon."

"I've always been a fan of making TV that crosses barriers," said writer and co-executive producer Yona Speidel. "We're not just writing off retirees as people sitting in the desert drinking margaritas all day. Let's make them strong, fighting monsters and dealing with serious issues."

Speidel, whose credits include "Pose" and "Transparent," knows what it's like to be undervalued. She's one of the first trans artists to work steadily on television.

"Any of us in life who goes through our existence without feeling like outsiders are very lucky," she said. "But the more you feel like the outsider, the more your heart opens up to others who might feel the same."

The shoot, which took place in Albuquerque, New Mexico, between August 2024 and February 2025, gave her and her colleagues a chance to mingle with Hollywood legends like Davis, 70, who hasn't had such a juicy role since headlining the short-lived series, "Commander in Chief" 21 years ago.

One of Speidel's favorite memories from "The Boroughs" experience is going to see "A League of Their Own" in a movie theater with Davis.

Seth Numrich, who plays the evil owner of the senior center, was in awe of Molina, a three-time Tony nominee and veteran of classics like "Boogie Nights" and "Spider-Man 2."

"If you could design the perfect leading man in a company of actors, he would be that," said Numrich, 39, who grew up in Minnesota before making his mark in Broadway productions of "War Horse" and "Leopoldstadt." "He would ask someone like me, who is still relatively new to all this, if I needed anything from him in a scene. You just don't get that a lot. It inspires me to be like him if I'm ever in a position like that."

Numrich, who lives in Brooklyn but frequently visits his parents in Edina, said it was clear that his older castmates were thrilled to be in the forefront of a story.

"You get to a certain age in this profession and you end up in the periphery of a project," Numrich said. "You might end up playing Grandma in a rocking chair drinking tea rather than the one running through tunnels chasing monsters."

Numrich said some cast members, like Peters, were worried about looking silly. But they all appreciated the chance to play fully rounded complicated characters.

In addition to going up against youthful enemies like Numrich's character, they smoke weed, cheat on their partners and wig out to Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road."

There are lots of pop culture references that baby boomers will dig, including David Bowie's "Golden Years," "Poltergeist" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark," which marked Molina's screen debut. (He's the doomed dude who promises to throw Indiana Jones the whip if he throws him the idol). There's even a cameo from Dee Wallace, the mom in "E.T."

No surprise that the eight-part series was executive produced by the Duffer Brothers, who created "Stranger Things," another series chock-full of '80s nostalgia.

Numrich hopes "Boroughs" will get younger viewers to visit their parents' touchstones, much like they did with "Stranger."

"I love that Kate Bush became so huge on Spotify because of her song ["Running Up That Hill"] being on that show," he said. "I hope our stories can also cross generations."

But this is mainly a tale for more seasoned viewers - and Numrich already knows a couple that are big fans.

"My parents saw it this morning and thought it was so good," he said. "But they did say, ‘Please don't put us in that retirement community.'"

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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 12:00 PM.