Made In New Mexico: Building ‘The Boroughs’ From the Ground Up

Welcome to The Boroughs, where you’ll have the time of your life. (If you survive the night.)

The new mystery-adventure series from executive producers The Duffer Brothers centers on a picturesque New Mexico retirement community of the same name. When a terrifying nighttime encounter reveals that something monstrous is stalking the manicured cul-de-sacs, a grieving newcomer is inspired to join a misfit crew of unlikely heroes who uncover a dark secret that proves their “golden years” are more dangerous, and they are more formidable, than anyone expects.

Given the series’ setting and our expansive Netflix Studios Albuquerque space, it was only natural that the series filmed in New Mexico. “We fought to shoot in New Mexico,” said co-creator and co-showrunner Jeffrey Addiss. “We wanted those big open skies. We wanted that sense of beauty and openness.”

But The Boroughs didn’t just pass through town — it settled in, building eight houses on the backlot of ABQ Studios. “The Boroughs doesn’t exist, and we had to bring it to life,” said Addiss. “When you see Sam’s cul-de-sac, we built that. When you go downtown and see The Boroughs and all those shops, we built that. You could go into those shops and turn on those coffee machines and they would work. What this production did and what our production designer did is a feat.”

As if that wasn’t enough work, production also transformed the nearby defunct Traditions Mall into a vibrant town square. “It really was like bringing back a dead mall,” said director of photography Matthew Jensen. “In the end, it was really beautiful and felt alive and felt like a real place.”

The Boroughs, which incorporated clean technology like batteries and solar to power set, shot at more than 20 other locations across the state, including Albuquerque Convention Center, First Plaza Galleria, the Expo New Mexico Fine Arts Gallery, the Old Ramada Inn, Twin Warriors Golf Club and Montessa Park.

During the 100-day shoot, production hired more than 350 cast and crew and worked with more than 300 local vendors. Several of these vendors, like native New Mexican Mark Steinig of Maleko Grip & Rigging, have worked on numerous Netflix New Mexico productions including American Primeval, The Harder They Fall, Ransom Canyon Seasons 1 and 2 and Rez Ball. “As a vendor, we wouldn’t have been able to stay in business and avoid bankruptcy if it were not for Netflix,” he said. “Netflix is keeping the New Mexico film dream alive.”

Behind the scenes, The Boroughs also helped the next generation of talent by hiring six participants across three different training programs. These included the Next Up IATSE Training Program (NUIT), which provides on-set production training in departments like locations, set dressing, special effects, and sound, the Next Up Post PA Program (PATH) which educates about the post-production process through classes and on-the-job training, and the Production Accounting Clerk (PAC) Program, where participants get to train as an accounting clerk on a studio production, in addition to receiving mentorship by a Netflix production finance executive, networking opportunities, and resume and interview preparation.

“I got an opportunity to be a clerk on The Boroughs, and I loved it; it was really interesting, and the experience was great. I was provided a mentor with the PAC program, so we would meet every two weeks to discuss any questions that I had. What an honor and privilege it has been to work for a great production,” said Diane Archuletta, who worked on the PAC Program.

Added Kiera Richard, who worked on the Next Up Post PA Program (PATH): “I think being on The Boroughs was a great experience. I had the time of my life. Everyone was very welcoming and organized. I was on from the beginning til the end of post so it was really amazing to see everything come together from the cuts, VFX renders, and sounds. I would 100% do it all over again.”

Fans are already flocking to The Boroughs since its May 21st debut, with the series landing at #2 on the Global Top 10 English TV List with 5.6M views in its first four days.

Now that The Boroughs has moved in, it’s time to take a peek inside. Season 1 is now streaming — only on Netflix.