The Boys was a real change in tone from Eric Kripke’s first TV hit, Supernatural. Its realistic, absurd, grotesque approach to superheroes never fails to leave me shocked – and desperate to tell anyone who has witnessed the depravity.
I was also a devoted fan of Kripke’s show on the CW. Over the course of Supernatural’s 15 seasons, I’ve gone to conventions, hung out on Tumblr, and even managed to dedicate part of my dissertation to the Winchesters and co fandom.
In that time, I witnessed a downward trajectory in quality as Supernatural was gradually milked for all it was worth, and now I fear the same thing will happen to The Boys.
In 2020, the showrunner said on Twitter that he came up with the rough idea of ending The Boys after five seasons because “creatively, five seems like a good round number.” Many fans (myself included) were inclined to agree. After all, many stellar shows with satisfying endings haven’t lasted beyond that number — that includes Breaking Bad, The Wire, Ozark, and Succession.
But as the fourth season of The Boys approaches, the writer seems to be backtracking on this statement.
Spoilers for Supernatural and The Boys below
In an interview with Inverse, Kripke said, “I’ve learned since then not to try to call seasons like the person who, and this without hyperbole, is literally the most wrong in the history of entertainment about the number of seasons that their show should last. »
Amazon Prime Video, naturally, appears to agree with the decision, with director Vernon Sanders telling Entertainment Weekly the following: “It’s probably premature to talk about it beyond saying we believe in Eric, what if Eric is interested in continuing the story. , we will be the first to really work with him on what it is.
This attitude is perhaps not surprising. The Boys continues to be one of Amazon’s biggest shows, and if it continues to make money, why cancel the money train?
And therein lies the problem. For some executives, it doesn’t matter if the quality of a show deteriorates as long as it makes money. With that in mind, guess what other series was supposed to last five perfectly formed seasons, only to have that decision reversed? That’s right. Supernatural.
Jack Rowand/The CW/Warner Bros
Jack Rowand/The CW/Warner Bros
Jack Rowand/The CW/Warner Bros
Jensen Ackles, who plays Dean Winchester, told SFX magazine: “I know [creator] Eric Kripke had a five-year plan outlined when he started the series, so he had a main skeleton, but filling in all the details is something that kind of comes as you go along.
When you watch the show, it’s clear that there was some sort of direction over the first five seasons. Sure, it went from a monster-of-the-week format with just two brothers hunting various horrors in Season 1, to a showdown between the archangels and the devil himself in Season 5. But those threads were all connected and there was still some cohesion.
After the episode Swan Song, Kripke stepped down as showrunner. And then the glory days were over.
The head writer changed several times over the next ten years, and the quality of the plots varied greatly. Some of the biggest complaints that have arisen stem from the drawn-out Leviathan storyline in Season 7, all the way up to the arrival of the British Men of Letters in Season 12.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t a total downfall after Kripke. Season 11 comes to mind as a highlight, which follows our heroes battling an entity called The Darkness, Castiel being possessed by Lucifer, and the creative episode Baby, filmed entirely from the iconic Impala.
The series also delivered on its promise of bizarre episodes, which remain beloved by the fandom. This includes The French Mistake, in which Sam and Dean enter a parallel universe where they are actors on the set of Supernatural, and their real lives are a work of television fiction.
However, almost every other season has been rough, with only a few diamonds in the rough. That’s because, a lot of times, new writers don’t know what to do with our casting. The story became so sprawling and expansive that it found itself filled with plot holes and contradictions.
Dean, Sam, and Cas have been killed and brought back to life so many times that by the time the final season rolled around, the stakes seemed especially low. This made the final episodes of season 15 a kick in the teeth for fans. Seeing Dean and Cas lost to inconclusive and unsatisfying deaths, with minimal explanation or payoff (or in the angel’s case, none), was demoralizing.
And of course, Sam lived a long and happy life. But his story was only told through short flashforwards, with a blurred woman, a thrifty wig and an X Factor version of Carry On My Wayward Son superimposed. The ending was so poorly received that rumors of a revival circulated widely, which audiences hoped might finally promise some answers.
As a long-time fan, the term “sunk cost fallacy” came to mind as the credits rolled and I stared blankly into space, wondering why I had invested over 236 precious hours of my life into this stupid series. I don’t want that same feeling to repeat itself for The Boys.
The CW/Warner Bros.
The CW/Warner Bros.
The CW/Warner Bros.
So far, the quality of the evil superhero series has been pretty consistent. Season 2 didn’t quite live up to the novelty of the first installment, but the third installment was a return to form and showed us that we are far from done with the debauchery and political machinations of the Supes and Vought.
Now we come to season 4, and it feels like we’re heading toward a climax similar to Supernatural.
Butcher’s days are numbered due to his excessive use of Temp V24, and he has yet to speak to the Spice Girls about his plight. Ryan is slowly being corrupted by his father and we don’t know if he will see the light. Plus, secretive and stunning supe Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to securing a powerful government position.
But one fact has always remained true. Homelander is the big boss of the series, the real villain. Can the show maintain his character and keep him interesting beyond five seasons? I doubt.
If our ragtag heroes defeat him, who will take his place as the new big bad? Again, Supernatural has repeatedly tried to fill this role, and they’ve always come back to Lucifer – with varying degrees of success.
Main video
Main video
Main video
The thing is, it’s not like The Boys universe would be over if the main series ended in a few years. The Gen V spinoff received praise from audiences and critics, and was renewed for another season. There are plenty of other stories Kripke could explore in this universe without whipping the same superheroes to death.
Five seasons are enough to bring The Boys to a satisfying conclusion. If the writers go beyond that, I pray it won’t be much more.
If this is intended to be another long-term run, I’ll see you in a decade when we see an elderly, wig-wearing Hughie living his life through a vague montage, set to the ballad backdrop of We Didn’t Start . Fire.
