The Boroughs is already Netflix’s breakout hit of 2026, but it’s creating a phenomenon beyond just streaming numbers: film tourism is about to explode in New Mexico.
Unlike many TV productions that rely heavily on sets and soundstages, The Boroughs was strategically filmed across New Mexico’s most visually striking real-world locations. The result is a show so authentically rooted in the Southwestern landscape that it feels less like a fictional world and more like a place you could pack a bag and visit tomorrow.
The production spanned five months (September 2024 to February 2025) and shot at over 20 distinct locations across the state, from Albuquerque’s historic neighborhoods to Santa Fe’s iconic adobe architecture. Netflix Studios Albuquerque served as the production hub, while everything from abandoned shopping malls to public parks became crucial pieces of the puzzle.
What makes this particularly exciting for travelers and film enthusiasts is that most of these locations are open to the public. You can walk the same streets the elderly residents of The Boroughs walked, visit the actual filming sites, and experience the landscape that made this show so visually haunting.
Here’s everything you need to know about where The Boroughs was filmed, and how to plan your own viewing pilgrimage.
Where is The Boroughs set?
The series is set in a fictional gated retirement community also called The Boroughs, located somewhere in the New Mexico desert. No such retirement community exists in real life. The production built it, found it, and assembled it piece by piece from real New Mexico locations, all of which you can visit or at least recognise
Is The Boroughs based on a real place?
The Boroughs is not a real retirement community. The concept was inspired loosely by the idea of an American planned retirement village, similar in spirit to The Villages in Florida. Production designer Ruth Ammon and her team were responsible for bringing the fictional world to life. The result was so convincing that viewers genuinely searched for it online after watching.
The Boroughs Filming Locations
Filming began on September 6, 2024 in Albuquerque at the Aperture Plaza at Netflix Studios and concluded after five months on February 8, 2025. The production shot at more than 20 locations across the state and hired more than 350 cast and crew during the 100-day shoot, working with more than 300 local vendors.
The full list of confirmed filming locations is below.
| Location | What It Represents in the Show | Open to Public? |
| Netflix Studios Albuquerque Backlot | The cul-de-sac, Sam’s home, and the village’s downtown shops | No (guided tours available) |
| Traditions Mall (Algodones) | The retirement community’s town square and commercial areas | No (private property) |
| Old Town Albuquerque | Streets, evening scenes, and community pathways | Yes |
| First Plaza Galleria, Albuquerque | Corporate office interiors | No |
| Albuquerque Convention Center | Large interior scenes | Yes (public building) |
| Expo New Mexico Fine Arts Gallery | Community gathering spaces | Yes |
| Old Ramada Inn, Albuquerque | Various interior sequences | No |
| Twin Warriors Golf Club | Golf course and outdoor community scenes | Yes |
| Montessa Park | Outdoor community recreation scenes | Yes |
| Albuquerque’s Sunport Pool | Swimming pool scenes | Yes |
| Sandia Foothills, Albuquerque | Background desert terrain and exterior sequences | Yes |
| Canyon Road, Santa Fe | Street scenes and daily life in the community | Yes |
| Los Cerrillos, Santa Fe | Surrounding landscape and exterior shots | Yes |
Netflix Studios Albuquerque Backlot
The fictional retirement community’s cul-de-sac and the village’s downtown shops were all built for the production at the Netflix Studios Albuquerque backlot. Showrunner Jeffrey Addiss noted that you could walk into those shops, turn on the coffee machines, and they would actually work. The lot contains 12 sound stages, production offices, and support spaces. Netflix operates a site that provides audiences a chance to explore the lot from the comfort of their home, and guided tours are available for fans who want to see it in person.
Traditions Mall, Algodones
One of the most visually striking locations in the series is one most viewers would never guess was a long-abandoned shopping centre. The defunct outlet mall between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, known as Budaghers or Traditions, served as the headquarters for the company that owns the retirement community in the show.
The marketplace closed in 2008 after a financial crash caused a planned sale to fall through. The Boroughs is its longest production to date. Director of photography Matthew Jensen described the transformation of the mall into a vibrant town square as like bringing back a dead mall, noting that in the end it felt alive and felt like a real place.
Also read: Where is Dutton Ranch being filmed? Every Real Location Revealed
Albuquerque: The Heart of the Production
Most of the shooting was done in Albuquerque, especially around the Sandia Foothills. The Boroughs joins a long list of dramas filmed there, including Eddington, Honey Don’t, Love Lies Bleeding, Better Call Saul, and Stranger Things.
Sections of Old Town Albuquerque were also used, where historic adobe-style buildings and narrow streets added texture to the show’s mystery-heavy atmosphere. Some evening scenes reportedly transformed the district into dimly lit pathways that looked charming during the day and quietly unsettling after dark.
The production also filmed at Albuquerque’s Sunport Pool, one of the city’s oldest pools. Netflix paid for some of the property’s repairs while filming there.
Santa Fe
The state capital Santa Fe also features in the series, particularly Canyon Road and Los Cerrillos. Santa Fe’s distinctive adobe architecture, earthy colour palette, and historic small-town character provided the backdrop for scenes depicting daily life within the community. The city’s unique visual identity, made up of low-slung terracotta buildings, turquoise skies, and a palpable sense of timelessness, made it ideal for a story in which time itself is the central threat.
Why did the showrunners choose New Mexico?
The choice was not accidental. Co-creator and co-showrunner Jeffrey Addiss was direct about it: “We fought to shoot in New Mexico. We wanted those big open skies. We wanted that sense of beauty and openness.” New Mexico’s combination of desert isolation, recognisable Southwestern architecture, and an established film industry infrastructure made it the natural home for the show. The state has become one of the country’s premier film production destinations, and Netflix has established a major studio hub in Albuquerque that serves as the backbone for productions of exactly this type.
The Boroughs Cast
| Actor | Character |
| Alfred Molina | Sam Cooper |
| Geena Davis | TBC / ensemble lead |
| Alfre Woodard | Judy Daniels |
| Bill Pullman | Ensemble lead |
| Clarke Peters | Art |
| Denis O’Hare | Wally Baker |
The series was executive produced by Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things. It was created and written by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.
Is The Boroughs worth watching?
The critical response to the show has been overwhelmingly positive since its debut.
| Platform | Score | Based On |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 95% | Verified critics |
| Metacritic | 72 / 100 | 13 critics |
| IMDB | Not yet confirmed | Audience votes |
| Netflix Global Top 10 | No. 2 | 5.6M views in first 4 days |
