Netflix star speaks out as 'terribly disappointed' over abrupt cancellation of recent hit show
Netflix has no shortage of cultural phenomena, with global obsessions like Squid Game, Ozark, and Wednesday, to name a few. Among the hits this year was Stranger Things which, even with its divisive two-hour finale, many critics will safely brand as one of the best shows of all time.
The Duffer Brothers softened the blow of saying goodbye to Hawkins by dropping an animated spin-off on the platform back in April, giving fans one more trip back to the upside down world.
So when Matt and Ross Duffer announced they were staying with the streaming giant as executive producers on a brand new supernatural series, sci-fans were ready.
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The Boroughs follows a group of residents in a seemingly perfect retirement home who begin to uncover a sinister supernatural presence lurking beneath the surface.
The all-star cast features Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O'Hare, Bill Pullman, and Clarke Peters. But, despite receiving a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and making Netflix's top 10, the story has officially come to a close after just eight episodes.
Davis has now broken her silence on the decision to discontinue The Boroughs.
"Fortunately, the producers, who became our dear, dear friends, were able to tell us before the news came out, and we're all terribly disappointed," the Beetlejuice actress told The Hollywood Reporter. "Honestly, I don't know what happened."
She added: “I think it's probably rare for a show to not get picked up and to have it announced that it's not being picked up while it's still in the top 10. We didn't expect that."
That said, Davis advises watchers to give the show a go anyway as the creators were advised to make season one 'its own thing' with no cliff-hanger.
“There's a tiny hint at the end that maybe everything isn't fixed, but it is a complete story,” she explained.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, The Boroughs was cancelled due to its expensive production budget. Each episode reportedly cost upwards of $10 million (£7.5 million) to produce and despite the show's praise, viewing figures did not reach the level Netflix needed to justify the kind of spend going forward.
Deadline added that the 'elaborate production, along with its all-star cast, made for a high price tag.'
One critic on Rotten Tomatoes described the show: "The writing is tight, the pace is heart-quickening, and the acting is superb. “The Boroughs” cleverly intersperses the outlandish with the real-world frustrations of being discarded after a certain age, interweaving the real with the surreal"
Another wrote: "Despite some flaws, we believe 'The Boroughs' deserves better than an early retirement."