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“The Boroughs” is Netflix’s best original series of the year so far, and I don’t say that lightly, considering how many new shows I watch on the streamer. This sci-fi mystery, currently sitting in the No. 1 spot (and very much deserving it), is a nostalgic treat packed with Spielberg-like charm and cosmic energy. It doesn’t just deliver alien drama, but also an emotional story at its core, alongside visuals we don’t see enough of in modern sci-fi originals.
This Netflix series is set in a seemingly idyllic retirement community in the New Mexico desert, where a grieving newcomer joins a group of misfit residents after a terrifying encounter reveals a hidden otherworldly threat. Together, they uncover dark secrets and battle a force stealing their remaining time.
If you’ve already binged all eight episodes of “The Boroughs” and are missing it like I am, there’s no better time to dive into some similar shows. “Stranger Things” will be the first pick that comes to mind for most people, especially given the Duffer brothers connection, but I’ve instead rounded up some lesser-known series you might not have seen yet. So, here are five of the best shows like “The Boroughs” and where to stream them now.
‘Night Sky’
The most tonally similar to “The Boroughs” is Prime Video’s original series “Night Sky,” a sci-fi drama that explores aging, grief, and how companionship can survive across the literal universe. It’s an elegant, genre-blending series that delivers a deeply human relationship story wrapped inside a cosmic mystery box. Because of its more emotional themes, “Night Sky” ultimately plays as an intentionally slow, poetic viewing experience. Even though it was canceled after one season due to high production costs, it’s still worth watching.
Irene (Sissy Spacek) and Franklin York (J. K. Simmons) are an elderly couple living in rural Illinois who discover a hidden chamber beneath their property that leads to a strange, empty world. For years, they keep it secret, using it as a private escape from their quiet life. Their routine changes, however, when a mysterious young man appears and seems connected to the chamber. The couple is soon forced to confront everything they thought they understood about their world and their past.
Stream on Prime Video
‘The X-Files’
If you haven’t heard of “The X-Files,” where have you been? This is a monumental sci-fi procedural drama that defined a generation of TV. Created by Chris Carter for the Fox network, the show evolved from a niche cult obsession into a global pop culture juggernaut, ultimately running for 11 seasons, spawning two feature films, and raking in 16 Primetime Emmy Awards and 5 Golden Globes. The entire structural foundation of the series rests on the legendary partnership between its two leads: one being a believer and the other being a skeptic.
FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are assigned to investigate unusual, unresolved cases known as “X-Files.” Mulder is driven by a belief in unexplained phenomena, while Scully approaches each case with scientific analysis and skepticism. Together, they travel across the United States reopening cold cases involving strange occurrences, missing persons, and unexplained events.
‘Tales from the Loop’
Even though “Tales from the Loop” doesn’t revolve around aliens, it shares a grounded tone with “The Boroughs,” often unfolding as survival stories set in a quiet rural town. Its most defining feature is its source material: it was adapted directly from a narrative art book of digital paintings by Swedish retro-futurist artist Simon Stålenhag. In fact, the production team went to great lengths to preserve the original artwork’s painterly aesthetic, a commitment that helped earn the series an Emmy nomination.
“Tales from the Loop” is set in a small town built above an underground research facility known as “the Loop,” where scientists attempt experiments that produce strange and unpredictable effects in the surrounding world. The series follows different residents of the town as they encounter unusual phenomena linked to the facility, and shifts in reality that disrupt everyday life. Each episode focuses on a different character or family, with their stories gradually connecting through the presence of the Loop.
Stream on Prime Video
‘From’
I had to include one of my favorite shows of all time on this list. “From” leans more toward horror, but it still works as a dense puzzle box that traps its characters physically and emotionally. The show has actually grown into one of the biggest word-of-mouth genre hits on TV, frequently championed by horror icons like Stephen King. One of the biggest talking points around “From” is its creative DNA: it is executive produced by Jack Bender and Jeff Pinkner, both key creative forces behind the legendary sci-fi phenomenon “Lost.”
“From” follows a group of people who become trapped in a small, isolated town that they cannot leave. No matter which road they take, they always end up back inside the town limits. As they try to survive day-to-day life, they also face dangerous creatures that emerge from the surrounding forest each night. The residents, led by Sheriff Boyd Stevens (Harold Perrineau), work to maintain order while searching for answers about how they arrived and whether escape is possible.
Stream on MGM+
‘3 Body Problem’
“3 Body Problem” is a sprawling, high-concept sci-fi drama with a massive scale. It avoids the soft science-fantasy approach of franchises like Star Wars, instead focusing on “hard sci-fi” grounded in real-world physics, orbital mechanics, sociology, and existential uncertainty (complicated terms, I know). There’s no small-town alien setup here, but it does offer a powerful look at human friendship and the lengths humanity will go to in order to survive an impending crisis.
Five brilliant scientists across different countries begin experiencing unexplained scientific anomalies, including disruptions in physical laws and disturbing phenomena affecting their peers. As they investigate the source of these events, they uncover a connection to a mysterious virtual reality game and a larger situation involving first contact with an alien civilization. The story also follows past events in 1960s China involving astrophysicist Ye Wenjie (Zine Tseng), whose actions set major events in motion.
Stream on Netflix
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