The Boys (TV series)

For the 1993 CBS television sitcom, see The Boys (1993 TV series).

The Boys
File:The Boys Title Card.png
Genre	Action Black comedy Drama Satire Superhero
Based on	The Boys by Garth Ennis Darick Robertson
Developed by	Eric Kripke
Starring	Karl Urban Jack Quaid Antony Starr Erin Moriarty Dominique McElligott Jessie T. Usher Laz Alonso Chace Crawford Tomer Capone Karen Fukuhara Nathan Mitchell Elisabeth Shue Colby Minifie Aya Cash Claudia Doumit Jensen Ackles
Composers	Christopher Lennertz Matt Bowen
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	20 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Eric Kripke Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg James Weaver Neal H. Moritz Pavun Shetty Ori Marmur Dan Trachtenberg Ken F. Levin Garth Ennis Darick Robertson Jason Netter Craig Rosenberg Phil Sgriccia Rebecca Sonnenshine Paul Grellong David Reed Meredith Glynn Michaela Starr
Producers	Hartley Gorenstein Gabriel Garcia Nick Barrucci Jake Deuel Karl Urban Stefan Steen
Production locations	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Cinematography	Jeff Cutter Evans Brown Jeremy Benning Dylan Macleod Dan Stoloff Mirosław Baszak
Editors	David Trachtenberg Nona Khodai David Kaldor Cedric Nairn-Smith William W. Rubenstein Jonathan Chibnall Ian Kezsbom Tom Wilson
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	55–68 minutes
Production companies	Kripke Enterprises Point Grey Pictures Original Film Kickstart Entertainment KFL Nightsky Productions Amazon Studios Sony Pictures Television
Original release
Network	Amazon Prime Video
Release	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26) – present (present)
Related
The Boys Presents: Diabolical

The Boys is an American superhero television series developed by Eric Kripke for the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which was originally published by DC Comics under its Wildstorm imprint before moving to Dynamite Entertainment, it follows the eponymous team of vigilantes as they combat superpowered individuals who abuse their abilities. The series stars an ensemble cast that includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, and Karen Fukuhara as the vigilantes and Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crawford, Jessie T. Usher, and Nathan Mitchell as members of "the Seven", an elite superhero group run by the conglomerate Vought International who, while maintaining a lofty façade, are shallow celebrity figures prone to committing horrendous crimes in secret. The series also stars Elisabeth Shue in the first season, while Colby Minifie and Aya Cash joined the cast for the second season. Claudia Doumit and Jensen Ackles joined for the third season.

The first season premiered on July 26, 2019. Ahead of the second season premiere, the series was renewed for a third season in July 2020, which was released on June 3, 2022. In June 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season. The series has received critical acclaim for its writing, storyline, humor, and the performances of the cast (particularly Urban and Starr) and has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2021.

An animated anthology spin-off series, The Boys Presents: Diabolical, premiered on March 4, 2022. Another live-action spin-off, The Boys Presents: Varsity, was ordered in September 2020.

Premise

The Boys is set in a universe where superpowered individuals called Supes are recognized as heroes by the general public and work for a powerful corporation known as Vought International, which markets and monetizes them. Outside of their heroic personas, most are arrogant, selfish, and corrupt. The series primarily focuses on two groups: the Seven, Vought's premier superhero team, and the Boys, vigilantes looking to bring down Vought and its fake superheroes.

The Boys are led by Billy Butcher, who despises all Supes, and the Seven are led by the unstable and violent Homelander. At the start of the series, the Boys are joined by Hughie Campbell after the superhero A-Train accidentally kills his girlfriend while high on drugs. Elsewhere, the Seven are joined by Annie January, a young and hopeful heroine forced to face the truth about those she admires. Other members of the Seven include the disillusioned Queen Maeve, the insecure Deep, the mysterious Black Noir, and the white supremacist Stormfront. The Boys are rounded out by tactical planner Mother's "MM" Milk, weapons specialist Frenchie, and superpowered test subject Kimiko. Overseeing the Seven is Vought executive Madelyn Stillwell, who is later succeeded by publicist Ashley Barrett, themselves overseen by Vought CEO Stan Edgar, who also maintains opposed governmental control via his adoptive daughter Congresswoman Victoria Neuman.

Cast and characters

See also: List of The Boys characters

Main

• Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher – The leader of the Boys and a former SAS operative who distrusts all Supes (individuals with superpowers). He has a particular hatred towards Homelander, who he believes is responsible for the disappearance of his wife.
• Jack Quaid as Hugh "Hughie" Campbell Jr. – A civilian tech specialist who joins the Boys after his girlfriend Robin is killed by A-Train.
• Antony Starr as John / Homelander – The leader of the Seven and the strongest superhero in the world. Beneath his public image as a noble hero, he is egotistical, sadistic, and cares little about the well-being of those he professes to protect. Starr also portrays Doppelgänger acting as Homelander in the second season.
• Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight – A Christian superhero with light-based powers and a member of the Seven. One of the few Supes sincere about helping and saving innocent people with her abilities, she questions her loyalty to the Seven after learning of their true character. Maya Misaljevic appears as young Starlight in season 3.
• Dominique McElligott as Maggie Shaw / Queen Maeve – A veteran member of the Seven with superhuman strength and durability. Although she once wanted to protect innocent lives like Starlight does, she has become disillusioned by the corruption of Supe society and suffers from burnout.
• Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train – A speedster member of the Seven. He is obsessed with maintaining his status as the fastest speedster in the world, resulting in him becoming addicted to Compound V.
• Laz Alonso as Marvin T. "Mother's" Milk / MM – the second-in-command of the Boys who is responsible for organizing and planning their operations. Formerly a medic in the United States Marine Corps, he joined the Boys after his father, who was an attorney, worked himself to death while attempting to bring down Vought through the legal system. Elias Leon Leacock appears as young Marvin in season 3.
• Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep – A member of the Seven who possesses the ability to communicate with aquatic life and breathe underwater. He is looked down upon by the other members of the Seven due to his status as the group's token aquatic hero. Patton Oswalt voices his gills.
• Tomer Kapon as Serge Sergei / Frenchie – A French member of the Boys and an international arms trafficker skilled in munitions, ordnance, infiltration, and communications. Coerced into joining the group by Mallory to protect his criminal friends, he seeks redemption for his past crimes by fighting against Vought.
• Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female – A mute member of the Boys with super strength and regenerative healing who speaks through sign language. Involuntarily injected with Compound V as part of Homelander's scheme to create superpowered terrorists, she joins the Boys after they rescue her.
• Nathan Mitchell as Earving / Black Noir – A silent member of the Seven who possesses superhuman strength and agility and conceals his physical appearance behind a dark costume. Fritzy-Klevans Destine portrays a young Black Noir in season 3, which revealed that he became mute and disfigured during a battle with Russians during the Cold War.
• Elisabeth Shue as Madelyn Stillwell (season 1; special guest season 2) – The charismatic, scheming vice-president of Hero Management at Vought International. Shue also portrays Doppelgänger acting as Stillwell in the second season.
• Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett (season 2–present; recurring season 1) – A publicist for Vought International who later succeeds Stillwell.
• Aya Cash as Klara Risinger / Liberty / Stormfront (season 2; special guest season 3) – The first Supe ever created and a new member of the Seven with several powers, including longevity and the ability to discharge lightning from her hands. A former Nazi, she has been alive for about 100 years and holds bigoted views towards minorities and non-Supes.
• Claudia Doumit as Victoria "Vic" Neuman / Nadia (season 3; recurring season 2) – A congresswoman who publicly opposes Vought and secret Supe, who uses her powers to assassinate the corporation's enemies on behalf of her adoptive father Stan Edgar. Elisa Paszt portrays young Nadia.
• Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy (season 3) – A legendary Supe with superhuman strength and speed who was apparently killed during the Cold War.

Recurring

• Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr. (season 1; guest season 3) – Hughie's father. He cares deeply for his son, but does not believe Hughie has the confidence to stand up for himself after his mother abandoned the pair. Pegg was the visual inspiration for Wee Hughie in the comic book series from which the series is drawn.
• Alex Hassell as Translucent (season 1) – A member of the Seven who can turn invisible by changing his skin into a diamond-hard carbon meta-material that warps light around him.
• Shaun Benson as Ezekiel (season 1) – A homophobic Christian Supe with elastic powers who is secretly gay himself.
• Ann Cusack as Donna January – Starlight's mother. She groomed Annie to be a superhero since childhood out of a vicarious princess-by-proxy mentality.
• Jess Salgueiro as Robin Ward (season 1) – Hughie's girlfriend who was killed by A-Train in a high-velocity impact in the pilot episode. She periodically made appearances as a hallucination seen by Hughie.
• Jennifer Esposito as Susan Raynor (season 1; guest season 2) – The deputy director of the CIA.
• Jordana Lajoie as Cherie – Frenchie's former criminal associate and lover, a weapons specialist.
• Malcolm Barrett as Seth Reed – A Vought public relations writer.
• Christian Keyes as Nathan Franklin (season 1; guest season 3) – A-Train's older brother and trainer.
• Brittany Allen as Charlotte / Popclaw (season 1) – A former actress and Supe in a secret relationship with A-Train.
• Mishka Thébaud as Shockwave (seasons 1–2) – A rival speedster to A-Train.
• Shantel VanSanten as Becca Butcher (seasons 1–2; voice guest season 3) – Butcher's wife, whose disappearance motivates his battle against the Seven.
• Nicola Correia-Damude as Elena (seasons 1–2) – Queen Maeve's ex-girlfriend.
• Giancarlo Esposito as Stanford "Stan" Edgar (seasons 2–3; guest season 1) – The corrupt CEO of Vought International and Stillwell's superior. Justiin Davis appears as young Stan Edgar in season 3.
• Laila Robins as Grace Mallory (seasons 2–3; guest season 1) – The former deputy director of the CIA and informal founder of the Boys. Sarah Swire portrays a young Mallory in season 3.
• Langston Kerman as Eagle the Archer (season 2) – An archery-themed Supe who introduces the Deep to the Church of the Collective.
• Jessica Hecht as Carol Mannheim (season 2) – Eagle the Archer's "teacher" and therapist who recruits the Deep into the Church of the Collective.
• Abraham Lim as Kenji Miyashiro (season 2) – Kimiko's younger brother who possesses telekinetic abilities.
• Cameron Crovetti as Ryan Butcher (seasons 2–3) – Becca's and Homelander's son. The character was briefly portrayed by Parker Corno in the first season.
• Katy Breier as Cassandra Schwartz (seasons 2–3) – A member of the Church of the Collective who married the Deep.
• Shawn Ashmore as Lamplighter (season 2) – A former member of the Seven with pyrokinesis.
• Goran Višnjić as Alastair Adana (season 2) – The leader of the Church of the Collective.
• Miles Gaston Villanueva as Alex / Supersonic (season 3) – A religious Latino Supe formerly known as Drummer Boy and Starlight's ex-boyfriend. Luca Oriel portrays the younger Drummer Boy in his music videos.
• Laurie Holden as Crimson Countess (season 3) – A former member of the superhero team Payback and Soldier Boy's ex-girlfriend, who can shoot fireballs from her hands.
• Sabrina Saudin as Also Ashley (season 3) – Ashley’s assistant who is also named Ashley.

Guest

Introduced in season 1

• Dan Darin-Zanco as Doppelgänger (seasons 1–2) – A shapeshifting Supe who works for Vought
• David Reale as Evan Lambert – A Vought public relations writer alongside Seth
• Débora Demestre as Isadora (season 1) – Vought's suit designer
• Brit Morgan as Rachel Saunders (season 1) – Becca's sister and Butcher's sister-in-law
• Haley Joel Osment as Charles / Mesmer (season 1) – A former child actor and member of Teenage Kix, a Supe who can read minds via skin-to-skin contact
• Jackie Tohn as Courtenay (season 1) – A Vought production assistant
• John Doman as Jonah Vogelbaum (seasons 1–2) – The Vought scientist who created and raised Homelander in a sterile laboratory
• Alvina August and Frances Turner as Monique (seasons 1 and 3) – MM's ex-wife and mother of their daughter, Janine. August portrayed the character in the first season and Turner portrays her in the third.
• Brendan Beiser as Jeff (season 1) – A Vought operative who oversees the Deep's sabbatical in Sandusky
• Nalini Ingrita and Liyou Abere as Janine – MM's and Monique's daughter. Ingrita portrayed the character in the first two seasons and Abere portrays her in the third.
• Ana Sani as Anika (seasons 1-2) – A geolocation technician at Vought
• Krishan Dutt and Samer Salem as Naqib (seasons 1–2) – A Supe terrorist with explosive-based powers. Dutt portrayed the character in the first season and Salem played him in the second.
• Jim Beaver as Robert "Dakota Bob" Singer – The US Secretary of Defense. Singer's surname is a reference to Beaver's character Bobby Singer on the Kripke-created TV series Supernatural.
• Billy Zane as himself (seasons 1 and 3) – Zane makes a cameo as himself in a Popclaw film and a comic convention in the first season and also portrayed Alastair Adana in the Vought film Not Without My Dolphin in the third season.

Additionally, Jimmy Fallon, Mike Massaro, Seth Rogen, and Tara Reid appear as themselves.

Introduced in season 2

• David W. Thompson as Matthew Culbert / Gecko – Starlight's former childhood friend, a Supe with regenerative abilities and test subject at Vought
• Chris Mark as Blindspot – A blind Supe with super-hearing who attempts to join the Seven
• Adrian Holmes as the voice of Dr. Park – The head of the compound that Becca is being held prisoner in
• P. J. Byrne as Adam Bourke (seasons 2–3) – A film director helming a film for Vought starring the Seven titled Dawn of the Seven
• Dawnn Lewis as Valerie Hunter – A witness to a racist murder of Stormfront's in the 1970s
• Howard Campbell as Myron Hunter – Valerie's brother and a victim of a racist murder of Stormfront's
• Barbara Gordon as Judy Atkinson – Butcher's aunt who takes care of his dog Terror
• Andrew Jackson as Love Sausage – A Compound V test subject with a prehensile penis that can stretch to enormous lengths
• Jason Gray-Stanford as Dennis – A man whose car Butcher and Starlight take to drive Hughie to the hospital
• Ess Hödlmoser as Cindy – A telekinetic Compound V test subject
• Michael Ayres as Jay – Frenchie's deceased former criminal associate and best friend
• John Noble as Sam Butcher – Butcher's estranged father
• Lesley Nicol as Connie Butcher – Butcher's mother
• Charley Koontz as Tommy Petersen – A college student radicalized by Stormfront

Kym Wyatt McKenzie and Birgitte Solem portray Butcher and Stillwell in a reenactment of the latter's death.

Greg Zajac, Anthony Lake, and Dylan Moscovitch play pornographic impersonators of Homelander, Jack from Jupiter, and the Deep.

Chris Hansen, Maria Menounos, Greg Grunberg, Nancy O'Dell, Katie Couric, and Christopher Lennertz appear as themselves.

Introduced in season 3

• Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman – A television host working for Vought who has Homelander and the Deep on his show. Edison reprises his role from the web series Seven on 7.
• Brett Geddes as Termite – A gay Supe with shrinking powers. Termite previously made a CGI cameo in the first season premiere at the secret "Supes Club".
• Kyle Mac as Tony – Neuman's erratic childhood friend, secretly a Supe himself with super-strength.
• Matthew Gorman as Todd – Monique's new boyfriend after her separation from MM.
• Jasmin Husain as Silver Kincaid – An Afghani-British Supe and one of the last contestants for a spot on the Seven.
• Abigail Whitney as Moonshadow – An African-American Supe and one of the last contestants for a spot on the Seven.
• Sean Patrick Flanery as Gunpowder – A member of Payback and Soldier Boy's former sidekick. Gattlin Griffith portrays a younger Gunpowder in a flashback.
• Jack Fulton as Lenny Butcher – Butcher's deceased brother, who appears in Butcher's hallucinations.
• Katia Winter as "Little Nina" Namenko – A Russian crime boss who once employed Frenchie and is currently hunting for Cherie.
• Jack Doolan as Tommy TNT – One half of the TNT Twins and a member of Payback.
• Kristin Booth as Tessa TNT – One half of the TNT Twins and a member of Payback.
• Ryan Blakely as Mindstorm – A member of Payback with telepathic abilities.
• Nick Wechsler as Blue Hawk – A Supe involved with a case of excessive violence against black people.
• Joel Labelle as Swatto – A member of Payback with the abilities of a fly who was killed by Russians during the Cold War.
• Jasmin Geljo as Oligarch – A Russian oligarch targeted by the Boys at the order of Little Nina. He has the same penchant for vibrators as the comics version of Little Nina.
• Olivia Morandin as Zoe Neuman - The daughter of Victoria Neuman who later gets injected with Compound V that was provided to her mother by Homelander.

Charlize Theron cameos as Stormfront in Dawn of the Seven, while Jaz Sinclair appears as Marie Moreau in a photograph, ahead of starring as the character in the spin-off Varsity.

Introduced in short films

• David S. Lee as Jock – A former Royal Marine Commando and an old friend of Butcher's from whom he seeks help.

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally released
			First released	Last released
1	8		July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
2	8		September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)	October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09)
3	8		June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)	July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08)

Season 1 (2019)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	1	"The Name of the Game"	Dan Trachtenberg	Eric Kripke	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
Hugh "Hughie" Campbell suffers mental trauma after his girlfriend Robin is killed in a high-velocity impact with celebrity superhero A-Train. Lawyers offer a $45,000 settlement, which Hughie hesitates to accept. Aspiring superhero Annie January auditions as "Starlight" and is accepted to join the superhero group the Seven following Lamplighter's retirement. Arriving at the Seven's headquarters, she is greeted by the Deep, who blackmails her into performing oral sex on him. Vigilante Billy Butcher offers Hughie a chance to expose superhero corruption, taking him to a secret "Supes Club" to show him security footage of A-Train laughing about Robin's death. Butcher asks Hughie to take the settlement money and to secretly place a bug at Seven Tower, but Hughie initially refuses. In Central Park, Annie meets Hughie by happenstance and they motivate each other to stand up for themselves and face their challenges. Hughie plants the bug, but Translucent discovers it and confronts him. Butcher arrives and helps Hughie incapacitate Translucent. Elsewhere, Homelander destroys the mayor of Baltimore's plane while in flight, killing all passengers, in response to the mayor's attempt to blackmail Vought.
2	2	"Cherry"	Matt Shakman	Eric Kripke	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
Butcher and Hughie take Translucent to former partner Frenchie, who makes a meta-bullet to pierce the hero's diamond-hard skin, but it fails to kill him. Butcher turns to CIA Dept. Director Susan Raynor for the "Mallory files", but she refuses. Vought VP Madelyn Stillwell tells Homelander about evidence the Deep found incriminating him for the plane crash, so she handles it while he talks to the Deep. While working with the Deep, Starlight promises to kill him if he tries to sexually assault her again. Stillwell uses shapeshifting Supe Doppelganger to blackmail Senator Calhoun into allowing a vote that could enable Vought to contract superheroes to the military. Annie stops a rape, unaware she is being recorded. Her agent, Ashley, reprimands her potentially causing negative exposure and legal implications. While Homelander searches for Translucent, Frenchie places C-4 explosives in Translucent's colon, who fearfully reveals A-Train was with his girlfriend Popclaw before he killed Robin. The Boys learn Homelander is nearby, so they cannot risk killing Translucent with the C-4. While Frenchie and Butcher create a distraction elsewhere, Translucent escapes and convinces Hughie to let him go. However, Hughie changes his mind and detonates the C-4, killing Translucent.
3	3	"Get Some"	Phil Sgriccia	George Mastras	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
Hughie moves out after telling his father how he truly feels. Starlight gains positive publicity for stopping the rape but subsequently learns that Stillwell wants her to wear a revealing costume. She declines, but Stillwell forces her to do so lest she lose her job. Butcher brings in his former friend, Mother's Milk, to run surveillance on Popclaw by having Hughie install spyware on her computer, through which they learn that A-Train takes a drug called Compound V. Butcher wants to expose them before Supes can be allowed into the United States Armed Forces but requires a vial of Compound V from A-Train's upcoming race with another speedster, Shockwave. Beforehand, Hughie meets Annie and invites her to lunch, where they open up to each other while A-Train secretly uses Compound V to win and publicly announces he is single, breaking his promise to Popclaw to announce their relationship. With MM deducing Popclaw swiped some vials, the Boys find her heartbroken, high, and in the midst of killing her landlord during hyper-charged sex. Butcher uses this to blackmail Popclaw as an informant. At Vought headquarters, Homelander presents Translucent's remains to Stillwell along with Butcher's message, "COMING FOR YOU".
4	4	"The Female of the Species"	Fred Toye	Craig Rosenberg	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
Following Popclaw's tip, the Boys find a Triad hideout holding an imprisoned Japanese woman they call "the Female". Frenchie frees her, and she kills her guards before running off. While MM finds evidence she was a test subject, Hughie goes bowling with Starlight, bugging her phone at Butcher's request. With their Compound V supply compromised, A-Train has Popclaw go into hiding while he searches for the Female. Stillwell sends Homelander and Queen Maeve to save a hijacked airliner, but after he accidentally destroys the control panel, Homelander abandons the plane and its passengers, forcing Maeve to leave with him before she can rescue them. After the Female kills a woman associated with her captors, Frenchie tracks her to Penn Station, and makes a momentary connection with her before losing her in the crowd just as A-Train arrives and tries to kill her. Frenchie attracts a crowd to distract A-Train, allowing the Female to escape. The Boys corner her, but she attacks them before Butcher uses knockout gas. Stillwell is pleased to see Homelander use the airliner tragedy to push for militarized Supes, rousing the crowd with a speech, all while Maeve grieves for those she and Homelander allowed to die.
5	5	"Good for the Soul"	Stefan Schwartz	Anne Cofell Saunders	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
At the Believe Expo, Starlight is quietly directed to push Vought's agenda while Butcher has Hughie use Starlight to meet Ezekiel, the Expo host and their next lead. Feeling guilty for letting the airliner crash, Maeve visits her ex-girlfriend Elena, but leaves before explaining herself fully. Butcher talks with his sister-in-law, Rachel, over putting a tombstone to his wife Becca. After A-Train kills Popclaw for betraying him, he returns to her apartment and finds surveillance footage of Frenchie. Once Ezekiel is alone, Hughie extorts him for information about Compound V while Homelander rallies the crowd with an impromptu hardline speech. Starlight breaks script to speak candidly on Christianity, her sexual assault, and the compromises she made for her corporate employer. Hughie later sympathizes with her, telling her about Robin's death and the toll it took on him. In a hospital, Butcher and MM discover Vought is using Compound V on infants to manufacture Supes years in advance. Frenchie discovers that Black Noir is looking for him, and while attempting to escape, he is told to leave the Female behind, but releases her out of sympathy. She seemingly dies protecting him from Black Noir, but her wounds immediately heal.
6	6	"The Innocents"	Jennifer Phang	Rebecca Sonnenshine	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
Now informed, the Boys know Vought has used super charities to smuggle Compound V disguised as vaccines and make super-babies since 1971. With Ashley fired, Stillwell demands Annie comply with her designed image, but she refuses, remarking that firing her after reporting a sexual assault would hurt Vought's image. Aware it was the Deep, Stillwell has him publicly apologize and transfers him to Sandusky, Ohio, for a "sabbatical". Butcher brings Hughie to a superhuman survivors' support group, but leaves after yelling at them for doing nothing to get justice. Butcher later tells Hughie that Homelander raped his wife, who went missing shortly afterward. Frenchie and MM get help from telepath Mesmer to see into the Female's mind, learning her name is Kimiko and that she was kidnapped by the Shining Light Liberation Army terrorist group. They also learn that Vought is making Compound V-boosted terrorists to push their agenda for militarizing Supes. Butcher tells Raynor, but when she refuses to target Homelander, he calls off the deal. Mesmer gives Homelander surveillance photos of the Boys. Butcher finds out about Hughie and Annie, warning him not to fraternize with the enemy and threatening to tell her about Translucent.
7	7	"The Self-Preservation Society"	Dan Attias	Craig Rosenberg and Ellie Monahan	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
Hughie and Annie have sex at a hotel, unaware Butcher has followed them. A depressed Deep finds his transfer dull and is sexually assaulted by a fangirl. Holding a meeting discussing Hughie killing Translucent and extorting Ezekiel and A-Train killing Robin, Homelander accuses Starlight of co-conspiracy, but Maeve defends her. When A-Train calls Hughie, claiming he is holding his dad hostage, the Boys deduce Mesmer betrayed them, for which Butcher later murders him. Hughie obtains Compound V to distract A-Train and allow Kimiko to cripple him. Homelander asks Vought scientist Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum about Becca, who informs him she was pregnant with his child before claiming both died and Vought covered it up. Questioning the revelation's timing, Vogelbaum expresses regret raising him in a lab, calling Homelander his "greatest failure". Butcher asks Raynor to protect Hughie and MM's families in exchange for evidence. As Raynor charges Stillwell and Vought, she learns of the superhuman terrorist Naqib. Annie confronts Hughie, who explains Vought's use of Compound V before Butcher arrives to exfil him and shoots her.
8	8	"You Found Me"	Eric Kripke	Anne Cofell Saunders and Rebecca Sonnenshine	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26)
The Pentagon classifies Compound V as a controlled substance and the Boys as fugitives while Annie confronts her mother. Angry at being racially profiled while out of costume, an injured A-Train relapses with Compound V. Butcher takes Hughie to Colonel Grace Mallory, who refuses participation, but informs them about Homelander's connection to Stillwell and warns Hughie about Butcher's desire for vengeance. The Deep learns Stillwell has denied his return to the Seven and suffers an emotional breakdown. Hughie leaves to ask for Annie's help, but she refuses out of distrust. After seeing her old self reflected in her, Maeve opens up to Starlight, asking her to be herself. Homelander confesses to Stillwell that he secretly made the super-terrorists and they have sex. At a black site, Hughie helps Frenchie and MM free Kimiko before Starlight rescues them. A-Train arrives and fights Starlight until he suffers a heart attack. Hughie applies CPR, but Starlight takes over so he can escape. Butcher takes Stillwell hostage and fits her with explosives to bait Homelander, who kills Stillwell himself. Butcher detonates the explosives, but Homelander saves him and reveals to him that Becca was hidden away to raise Homelander's son.

Season 2 (2020)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
9	1	"The Big Ride"	Phil Sgriccia	Eric Kripke	September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)
The Boys become wanted fugitives, with Butcher framed for Stillwell's murder. In hiding together, Hughie, MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko learn that a superpowered terrorist with telekinetic abilities is on the loose. They attempt to inform Raynor, but she is killed by an unknown assassin. Against Hughie's wishes, Frenchie contacts Butcher to lead the Boys in facing the new threats. Hughie and Annie extort Vought test subject Gecko into stealing a Compound V sample. Homelander's power over Vought is challenged when CEO Stan Edgar has superhero Stormfront join the Seven without his approval. When Homelander fails to intimidate Edgar, he returns to Becca's house to see Ryan. The Deep joins Alastair Adana's Church of the Collective in an attempt to regain favor with the Seven.
10	2	"Proper Preparation and Planning"	Liz Friedlander	Rebecca Sonnenshine	September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)
Butcher arranges a deal with Mallory to capture the superpowered terrorist in exchange for Mallory finding Becca's location. The Boys later learn the terrorist is Kimiko's younger brother, Kenji, whom they manage to subdue. A-Train threatens to expose Annie's involvement with the Boys when he awakens from his coma, but Annie counters with the knowledge that he murdered Popclaw. Homelander forces himself into the secluded facility Becca and Ryan are living in so he can become a father figure to his son and teach him about his powers. Drugged by the Church of the Collective, the Deep hallucinates his gills encouraging him to value himself. Maeve tells Elena she fears Homelander will kill her if he finds out about their relationship.
11	3	"Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men"	Steve Boyum	Craig Rosenberg	September 4, 2020 (2020-09-04)
Homelander pushes Ryan into using his powers, which culminates in Ryan attacking Homelander to protect Becca. Using the sample she acquired from Gecko, Annie secretly leaks that Compound V is responsible for giving superheroes their powers. Edgar responds by sending the Seven after Kenji when he is spotted by the police. The Boys attempt to bring Kenji to a CIA safehouse, but the Seven's arrival results in Kenji escaping. Disobeying Homelander's orders, Stormfront kills Kenji, slaughtering several minority civilians in her pursuit, and frames Kenji for their deaths. Edgar uses the destruction to argue that superheroes are necessary to prevent such incidents while casting Compound V as the work of rogue scientists led by Stillwell.
12	4	"Nothing Like It in the World"	Fred Toye	Michael Saltzman	September 11, 2020 (2020-09-11)
Mallory provides Butcher with information on a superhero called Liberty and Becca's location. Butcher infiltrates the facility, but Becca refuses to leave because he does not accept Ryan. Black Noir discovers Butcher's infiltration. Threatened by Homelander, Annie joins Hughie and MM in investigating Liberty. The three discover that Liberty is Stormfront, who committed a racially charged murder in the 1970s. Growing more unstable from Stormfront usurping his popularity, Homelander removes the physically-weakened A-Train from the Seven and outs Maeve's relationship with Elena. Frenchie realizes his efforts to protect Kimiko are motivated by guilt over his past crimes. The Church of the Collective enters the Deep into an arranged marriage. "Butcher: A Short Film" was released the day before this episode's release. In this film, Butcher is on the run, after being framed for Stillwell's murder. Butcher seeks help from his old friend Jock, only to beat him to death after Jock calls the police on him.
13	5	"We Gotta Go Now"	Batan Silva	Ellie Monahan	September 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
Protests emerge against Homelander when a video of him killing a civilian surfaces. Stormfront helps Homelander regain popularity and the two enter a sexual relationship. Butcher plots his retirement at his Aunt Judy's house after failing to rescue Becca, prompting Hughie and MM to intervene. The three are attacked by Black Noir, but Butcher has Edgar call him off by threatening to release information on Ryan. Annie discovers Stormfront has been in contact with Edgar regarding the Sage Grove psychiatric hospital. A confrontation between Annie and Stormfront ensues over the former leaking Compound V to the public and the latter's past as Liberty. Maeve reveals to Elena that she is planning Homelander's downfall and recruits the Deep to assist her.
14	6	"The Bloody Doors Off"	Sarah Boyd	Anslem Richardson	September 25, 2020 (2020-09-25)
Infiltrating Sage Grove, MM, Frenchie, and Kimiko discover captive Compound V patients. Frenchie recognizes an orderly as Lamplighter, causing a scuffle that allows patients to break out. Forced to work together to survive, the Boys learn from Lamplighter that Vought is attempting to stabilize Compound V in adult subjects. Mallory attempts to kill Lamplighter for killing her grandchildren, but spares him at Frenchie's behest. Stormfront tells Homelander she is the first successful Compound V subject and Vought founder Frederick Vought's widow, wanting him to lead the superpowered to world domination. Maeve obtains a video of Homelander abandoning the airliner as leverage against him. Unstable patient Cindy escapes Sage Grove. A-Train is lured into the Church of the Collective.
15	7	"Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker"	Stefan Schwartz	Craig Rosenberg	October 2, 2020 (2020-10-02)
Congresswoman Victoria Neuman schedules a hearing against Vought, with Lamplighter as the chief witness. After Vought uncovers Annie's betrayal, Hughie convinces Lamplighter to join him in a rescue attempt, which results in the latter immolating himself. Annie escapes with the help of Maeve, who subdues Black Noir. Despite the loss of Lamplighter, Butcher strong-arms Vogelbaum into testifying against Vought. However, the hearing is attacked by the assassin who killed Raynor, resulting in the deaths of Vogelbaum and others. Meanwhile, Homelander and Stormfront manipulate Ryan into leaving Becca. A-Train grows suspicious of the Church of the Collective. Maeve and Elena break up over the former failing to save the airliner.
16	8	"What I Know"	Alex Graves	Rebecca Sonnenshine	October 9, 2020 (2020-10-09)
Learning from Becca about Ryan's capture, Butcher makes a deal with Edgar to help Vought reclaim him at Homelander's cabin. However, Butcher reneges on the deal and attempts to save Becca and Ryan from Stormfront. When Stormfront attacks his mother, Ryan cripples her, but accidentally kills Becca. Butcher forgives Ryan after the boy takes his side over Homelander's while Maeve uses the airliner footage to force Homelander into letting them go. With Stormfront's Nazi past leaked, Edgar halts his plan to sell Compound V as the Boys are cleared of all charges and Annie is reinstated into the Seven. Adana also has A-Train rejoin, but not the Deep, before the assassin kills Adana. Ryan is taken in by the CIA. Hughie gets a job with Neuman, unaware she is the assassin.

Season 3 (2022)

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
17	1	"Payback"	Phil Sgriccia	Craig Rosenberg	June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
One year after Stormfront's public controversy, Butcher and most of the Boys work as contractors for Neuman's Bureau of Superhero Affairs to apprehend problematic Supes, with Hughie as their liaison. Edgar offers Annie, who is now publicly dating Hughie, co-captaincy of the Seven to rebuild Vought's reputation, to Homelander's dismay. Edgar also attempts to sell V24, a new Compound V variant that provides temporary enhancements, to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Singer to no avail. Maeve secretly meets with Butcher, asking him to look up Payback, a superhero group whose popularity faded after the Seven was formed, and find out the truth about the death of their leader, Soldier Boy, in hopes of finding a secret weapon called B.C.L. RED, said to be capable of killing Homelander. She also gives him several V24 vials, which he contemplates using. While leaving work, Hughie spots a man named Tony, who claims to be Neuman's best friend and calls her Nadia. He follows the pair into an alleyway, where Tony urges her to tell the truth about "Red River". She refuses, prompting Tony to retaliate before she kills him, unaware of Hughie's presence.
18	2	"The Only Man In The Sky"	Phil Sgriccia	David Reed	June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
While the Boys investigate Soldier Boy's death, Hughie visits Red River, an orphanage for superpowered children and copies its records. Frenchie and Kimiko confront Crimson Countess, Soldier Boy's widow, at Voughtland, but she escapes, mistakenly killing a Homelander mascot in the process. Butcher confronts Soldier Boy's former sidekick Gunpowder, but is injured in the ensuing gunfight. Butcher calls Hughie and agrees to stop using violence, but a disillusioned Hughie informs him about Neuman's powers, changing his mind. Butcher takes a dose of V24 and re-confronts Gunpowder, easily defeating him and learning that Soldier Boy died in Nicaragua while on a mission for the CIA led by Mallory. Angered by the discovery, Butcher kills Gunpowder. On his ex-wife's advice, MM rejoins the Boys. In preparation for his upcoming birthday celebration, Homelander pressures Annie to act deferential toward him, but she rebuffs him with Edgar's support. After Stormfront commits suicide hours before the celebration, Homelander melts down during the festivities, ranting that Vought's executives are attempting to control him and insisting that the world needs him because he is the "real hero".
19	3	"Barbary Coast"	Julian Holmes	Anslem Richardson & Geoff Aull	June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
Following Homelander's rant, his approval ratings among rural white men skyrocket, leading Vought's executives to take a more passive attitude toward his actions, much to Homelander's delight. Amidst pressure from Homelander during the reality TV show American Hero, Annie's childhood friend and ex-boyfriend Alex / Supersonic joins the Seven while the Deep is reinstated. Homelander then announces that he and Annie are in love, to which she reluctantly acquiesces. Meanwhile, Mallory reveals Payback was deployed to assist the CIA in fighting a communist government in Nicaragua during the Cold War, but were destroyed during an attack by Nicaraguan and Russian soldiers, with Black Noir being critically injured and Soldier Boy being reportedly killed by a Russian superweapon. Enraged that Mallory did not reveal the superweapon's existence to him earlier and still suffering from V24's side effects, Butcher storms out and blames Ryan for Becca's death. Butcher later forces Frenchie to contact the latter's old boss, "Little Nina" Namenko, to arrange transport to Russia.
20	4	"Glorious Five Year Plan"	Julian Holmes	Meredith Glynn	June 10, 2022 (2022-06-10)
Butcher meets with Namenko and negotiates to have the Boys taken to Russia in exchange by killing an assigned target. Upon learning of the V24, Hughie asks Butcher to let him use it. The latter refuses, but Hughie secretly injects himself with a dose anyway. As the Boys infiltrate a secret laboratory, they are overwhelmed by Russian soldiers until Butcher and Hughie use their powers. Butcher discovers and opens a pod containing a still-living Soldier Boy, who releases an energy blast that renders Kimiko powerless and wounded. The Boys retreat to stabilize her while Soldier Boy escapes. Neuman holds a conference to address Homelander's situation, but betrays Edgar by publicly accusing him of committing crimes. In return, Homelander provides Neuman with a dosage of Compound V, which she injects into her daughter Zoe. Annie recruits Maeve and Alex to help her stand up to Homelander. Alex later attempts to do the same with A-Train after witnessing the latter being mistreated by Homelander and the Deep. Homelander confronts Annie with Alex's corpse, having killed him after learning of her plot from A-Train. After threatening Hughie's life, she tearfully submits to him.
21	5	"The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies"	Unknown	Unknown	June 17, 2022 (2022-06-17)
22	6	"Herogasm"	Unknown	Jessica Chou	June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
This episode adapts the titular volume.

Production

Development

Between 2008 and 2016, a film adaptation of The Boys had been in various stages of development at both Columbia Pictures and Paramount Pictures. Adam McKay expressed interest in directing, and Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay were in charge of the screenplay. McKay expressed interest in casting Russell Crowe as Billy Butcher and Simon Pegg as Hughie, as well as shooting the film in 3D. On April 6, 2016, it was announced that Cinemax was developing a television series adaptation of the comic book. The production was being developed by Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg, and Seth Rogen. Kripke was set to write the series while Goldberg and Rogen were set to direct. Executive producers were reported to include Kripke, Goldberg, Rogen, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ori Marmur, James Weaver, Ken Levin, and Jason Netter. Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson were set as co-executive producers. Production companies involved with the series included Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, and Sony Pictures Television.

On November 8, 2017, it was announced that Amazon had given the production a series order for a first season consisting of eight episodes. The series had reportedly been in development at Amazon for a number of months preceding the series order announcement. It was also reported that the previously announced creative team was still attached to the series. Kripke wanted to retain a sense of reality to the show, and to keep the writers disciplined decided "Anything that comes out of this drug is viable, and anything that doesn't we're not allowed to do". He did not want to fall into the overused convention of killing off female characters to motivate the heroes and also saw an opportunity to surprise readers of the comics by changing the story of Butcher's wife Becky.

On April 30, 2018, it was announced that Dan Trachtenberg would direct the series' first episode. He replaced Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who dropped out due to scheduling conflicts.

Ahead of the series premiere, on July 19, 2019, at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con, it was announced that Amazon had renewed the series for a second season, which premiered on September 4, 2020. It was also confirmed that the second season would consist of eight episodes, like the previous season. The eight scripts for the second season were completed by November 2019. In December 2019, a teaser trailer for the second season was released, which confirmed that it would be released in 2020, although the exact date remained unknown until June 2020, when another trailer was released.

Ahead of the second-season premiere, on July 23, 2020, Amazon renewed the series for a third season at the aftershow hosted by Aisha Tyler for the 2020 San Diego Comic-Con@Home. The third season began filming in early 2021 with an unknown release date. On October 30, 2020, Erick Kripke revealed that the third season would adapt the miniseries comic book Herogasm, which is centered around superhero orgy festivals. It would be adapted for the season's sixth episode, which would be named "Herogasm" after the miniseries. Kripke stated that "Herogasm" had "the craziest dailies he [had] ever seen" and "that people [were] not ready to watch it". However, the part of the comic book story in which Soldier Boy is depicted as a superhero who has yearly sex with Homelander in an attempt to gain membership in the Seven will not be used, and instead, Soldier Boy will be depicted as the "Homelander before Homelander", a superhero from World War II brought out of retirement. Kripke also revealed that instead of portraying Soldier Boy as innocent like he is depicted in the comics, he would be worse than Homelander.

On June 10, 2022, Amazon renewed the series for a fourth season.

Casting

Filming of the series at Pecaut Square in Toronto

On December 18, 2017, it was announced that Erin Moriarty had been cast in the lead role of Annie January / Starlight. On January 17, 2018, it was reported that Antony Starr, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crawford, Jessie Usher, and Nathan Mitchell had joined the main cast. In March 2018, it was announced that Laz Alonso, Jack Quaid, and Karen Fukuhara had been cast in series regular roles. On April 5, 2018, it was reported that Karl Urban had been cast in the series' lead role of Billy Butcher. On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Elisabeth Shue had been cast in the series regular role of Madelyn Stillwell. On June 25, 2018, it was reported that Tomer Kapon had joined the main cast in the role of Frenchie. On August 30, 2018, it was announced that Jennifer Esposito had been cast in the recurring role of CIA Agent Susan Raynor. On October 5, 2018, it was announced during the annual New York Comic Con that Simon Pegg had been cast in the role of Hughie's father. According to the artist Robertson, Hughie was drawn in the comics to resemble Pegg after he saw Pegg in the sitcom Spaced, but Pegg thought he was too old to play the role of Hughie in the TV series.

On September 5, 2019, Goran Višnjić and Claudia Doumit were cast in recurring roles for the second season. A month later, Patton Oswalt was announced in an unspecified role. Aya Cash was confirmed to be portraying superhero Stormfront in March 2020 following contract negotiations that began when the second season was announced. On August 10, 2020, it was reported that Shawn Ashmore was cast as Lamplighter for the second season. A week later, Jensen Ackles joined the cast for the third season as Soldier Boy. On October 30, 2020, Claudia Doumit and Colby Minifie were promoted to series regulars for the third season. On March 26, 2021, Katia Winter joined the cast in the recurring role of Little Nina for the third season. On June 23, 2021, Miles Gaston Villanueva, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Nick Wechsler were cast as Supersonic, Gunpowder, and Blue Hawk, respectively, for the third season in undisclosed capacities. Two days later, Laurie Holden joined the cast as Crimson Countess in a recurring role for the third season. On October 5, 2021, Frances Turner, Kristin Booth, and Jack Doolan joined the cast as Monique and twins Tessa and Tommy, a.k.a. the TNT Twins, in recurring roles for the third season.

Filming

Principal photography for the first season began on May 22, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario, and was scheduled to last until September 25, 2018. Cast member Laz Alonso posted on his Instagram photos and bloopers of the series with the crew and other cast members during the show's filming. Additional filming took place in Mississauga, Ontario.

For the exterior of the Vought International company headquarters, the crew used Roy Thomson Hall, which is located in Toronto's entertainment district. The building's structure was digitally altered and extended to become the Seven Tower. For the interior of the tower, including some of the rooms and the modern lobby where the company celebrates the corporate parties, the interior of Roy Thomson Hall was used. For Times Square, the crew filmed in Yonge–Dundas Square in Toronto and proceeded to digitally alter it. A-Train's race with Shockwave was filmed at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field stadium. Lower Bay Station was used for the subway scenes. The crew also filmed at the zinc-clad pavilion of the Sherbourne Common waterfront park for the funeral service for the victims of the hijacked plane. For the mansion where Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum lives, the crew filmed at Parkwood Estate in Oshawa, Ontario. For the scene where Annie refuses to help Hughie, the crew filmed at the Cathedral Church of St. James in Toronto.

Principal photography for the second season took place from June 17 to November 13, 2019, in Toronto, like the previous season. For Translucent's funeral ceremony, the crew filmed at the Meridian Arts Centre which is located at the North York district in Toronto. The crew filmed at the Wet 'n' Wild Toronto Waterpark for the scene where the Deep is arrested, with some CGI modifications in order to recreate the series' fictional Splash Zone Sandusky park. For the scenes of the church of the Collective, filming took place at the Scottish Rite Club in Hamilton, Ontario. To create the Sage Grove psychiatric hospital, the crew filmed at the Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care complex which is located in the city of St. Thomas in Ontario.

Principal photography for the third season took place from February 24 to September 10, 2021.

Music

Score albums were released for the series' first and second seasons. Christopher Lennertz served as composer of the show's score. During an interview at the 2019 Comic-Con, he stated that his work for The Boys was the "craziest thing" he has ever done, after collaborating with Seth Rogen for Sausage Party. Erin Moriarty provides her own vocals for the song "Never Truly Vanish", which was nominated for an Emmy. The music video for "Never Truly Vanish" was released on YouTube on June 4, 2021, and on September 1, 2021, the music video for "Faster" was released on YouTube.

Season 1

All music is composed by Christopher Lennertz

The Boys (Music from the Amazon Original Series)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Translucent Alive"	1:15
2.	"Truck Robbery"	1:34
3.	"Butcher"	2:39
4.	"Starlight"	1:17
5.	"On the Trail"	0:55
6.	"Homelander and Stillwell"	2:16
7.	"Race of the Century"	1:04
8.	"Boys Arrive"	1:19
9.	"Hughie Stalls Starlight"	1:23
10.	"Maeve Spars"	0:37
11.	"Start the Race"	2:00
12.	"Popclaw Climaxes"	0:56
13.	"Hijacking"	2:45
14.	"Kidnapping Translucent"	1:10
15.	"Ass Bomb"	2:42
16.	"Translucent Explodes"	4:06
17.	"Hughie Trashes Room"	1:29
18.	"Translucent Visits Hughie"	1:13
19.	"Planting Bug Plan"	0:51
20.	"Dock Patrol"	1:50
21.	"I'm the Hero"	3:15
22.	"Vought"	1:14
23.	"Starlight Teams Up"	0:43
24.	"Frenchie's First Kill"	1:35
25.	"Homelander's Speech"	1:42
26.	"Butcher's Pep Talk"	2:28
27.	"Rescue the Female"	1:35
28.	"Frenchie Lost Female"	1:46
29.	"Dead Shooter"	0:57
30.	"Hospital Shootout"	1:12
31.	"Graveside Sledgehammer"	2:24
32.	"Maeve's Girlfriend"	1:57
33.	"NICU"	0:51
34.	"Tent Confrontation"	1:22
35.	"Starlight's Speech"	2:13
36.	"Come In"	1:50
37.	"Black Knight Not"	1:07
38.	"Kimiko's Backstory"	1:20
39.	"Subway Chase"	1:01
40.	"Mesmer and Homelander"	1:36
41.	"The Mesmerizer"	0:30
42.	"Butcher Tells Hughie"	1:53
43.	"Hughie Kisses Starlight"	1:03
44.	"Robin's Memory"	2:02
45.	"SBS"	2:09
46.	"Always a Choice"	2:39
47.	"Supe Terrorist"	1:36
48.	"A-Train Shows Up"	1:34
49.	"Shoot Out"	2:49
50.	"I Got Teddy"	2:40

Season 2

All music is composed by Christopher Lennertz except where noted

The Boys: Season 2 (Music from the Amazon Original Series)

No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Never Truly Vanish"	Erin Moriarty	3:34
2.	"Her Brother"		0:51
3.	"Break Every Bone"		2:19
4.	"Faster" (featuring Aimee Proal)	Jessie T. Usher	2:34
5.	"Standoff"		1:23
6.	"Father and Son"		0:51
7.	"Meeting Blindspot"		0:39
8.	"A Billion Dollar Liability"		2:22
9.	"Fake News"		2:09
10.	"Homelander in Hallway"		0:34
11.	"Rebecca's Drive"		1:11
12.	"Pitch"		1:05
13.	"Halloween Store"		1:39
14.	"Brother and Sister"		2:56
15.	"Don't Lie to Me"		1:44
16.	"Sharks!"		2:06
17.	"Flame On"		1:39
18.	"Helicopter Attack"		2:06
19.	"Red Cross Center"		2:28
20.	"Explosion and Black Noir Faceoff"		3:56
21.	"Back to the Cabin"		3:41
22.	"Black Noir on Roof"		1:22
23.	"Real Action"		1:33
24.	"Still on the Roof"		0:56
25.	"Elevator"		1:08
26.	"Church of the Collective"		1:52
27.	"I Heard the Goldfish"		1:37
28.	"Light Up the Room"		1:33
29.	"Cindy"		2:38
30.	"He's OD'ing"		1:32
31.	"Let Them Go"		1:20

Release

On September 26, 2018, the official poster for the series was released. On October 5, 2018, in tandem with the series' panel at the annual New York Comic Con, a teaser trailer for the series was released. On January 24, 2019, another teaser trailer was released via Seth Rogen's official Twitter account. The series premiered on July 26, 2019, after another teaser was released. Ahead of the premiere, Amazon renewed The Boys for a second season, which premiered on September 4, 2020. On July 22, Slipknot released a new single called "Solway Firth" with an accompanying music video which featured clips and audio from the show. On June 26, 2020, it was announced that season two would debut on September 4, 2020, with the first 3 episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis. The second season's official trailer was released on August 4, 2020. On January 6, 2022, it was reported that the third season would premiere on June 3, 2022, with the first 3 episodes available immediately and the rest debuting on a weekly basis until the season finale on July 8.

A companion short film titled Butcher, set between the first and second season, was released on September 10, 2020, with Karl Urban reprising his role as Billy Butcher. Characters from The Boys also appeared in an episode of Death Battle sponsored by Amazon Prime Video, which was released on September 17, 2020.

Reception

Critical reception

Critical response of The Boys

Season	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
1	85% (105 reviews)	74 (19 reviews)
2	97% (102 reviews)	80 (15 reviews)
3	95% (55 reviews)	75 (19 reviews)

Season 1

On Rotten Tomatoes, the first season holds an approval rating of 85% based on 105 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Though viewers' mileage may vary, The Boys' violent delights and willingness to engage in heavy, relevant themes are sure to please those looking for a new group of antiheroes to root for." On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Christopher Lawrence of the Las Vegas Review-Journal wrote: "Irreverent, deliciously cynical, The Boys follows the greed and corruption behind the superhero industrial complex." Mel Campbell of Screen Hub commented: "Shockingly violent and pointedly political, this Amazon series is an ironic but refreshing antidote to supe franchising. ... The Boys throws our ugly cultural obsessions back in our faces." Daniel Fienberg from The Hollywood Reporter, in a positive response, commented: "I'll have to check in again on The Boys after a few more episodes to get a sense of whether or not the encroaching cynicism topples what I find initially promising here." Graeme Virtue from The Guardian gave the series four of five stars and wrote, "While both have an appealing innocence, it is Moriarty's maltreated but undaunted Starlight who, appropriately, feels like she is preventing the whole thing from collapsing into darkness." Kristy Puchko at IGN gave the first episode a score of 7.2/10 and appreciated how the story came from the comics but with clever changes. Puchko praised the cast, particularly Moriarty: "Moriarty brings a nuance to her performance that refuses to let Starlight feel like a two-dimensional damsel. She's not naïve. She's hopeful. And she's a fighter. The Boys makes all of that clear in short order." She concludes:

"The Boys could still be a thrilling ride as it subverts the expectations of the family-friendly genre, with dark twists and unapologetically graphic scenes of sex and violence. The premiere ep has a lot of heavy lifting to do in exposition, yet Kripke works in some stunner moments, jolts of fun, and stellar action sequences."

Liz Shannon Miller of The A.V. Club wrote: "Karl Urban proves to be a thoroughly committed performer as Billy Butcher, whose dedication to taking down "supes" of course has a personal edge, but then again, when you see what men like the blatantly fake and evil Homelander (Antony Starr) are getting up to it makes sense that he's devoted his life to taking down the cause." Matthew Dessem from Slate commented: "The Boys is an expert deconstruction of superhero stories, with an appropriately wintry view of institutional power, be it corporate, governmental, religious, or caped." Andrew Wyatt from Cinema St. Louis praised the series for its humor and themes, writing: "Yes, it's cynical and ultra-violent, but what distinguishes The Boys is its sincere fascination with its characters' anxieties, compulsions, and human failings." Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting praised the series for its entertaining story, rating it 4.5 out of 5 and wrote: "Not a frame is spared in crafting this nuanced and darkly humorous universe drenched in blood and violence. All eight episodes are expertly crafted and constructed to tell one cohesive story that will make you gasp, guffaw, and cheer in equal measure." Matthew Gilbert from The Boston Globe wrote: "The premise of the Amazon black comedy is never not fun, and the more we learn about this bizarro world, as the supes go on the late-night talk shows and stage team-up photo ops on various crimes, the better. ... The cast is fine, particularly Shue, who is icily effective; Quaid, whose neurotic but brave fumblings are endearing; and Urban, who is Hughie's gonzo guide. But the real star of The Boys is the situation itself."

Season 2

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an approval rating of 97% based on 102 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "The Boys comes out swinging in a superb second season that digs deeper into its complicated characters and ups the action ante without pulling any of its socially critical punches." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 80 out of 100, based on 15 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Eric Deggans of NPR described the second season as "a wonderfully subversive, cynically entertaining piece of work". Brian Tallerico of Vulture commented: "The season premiere introduces new cast members without losing focus of what worked about the first year, and just about all of it bodes well for where the next seven episodes could be going." Roxana Hadadi from The A.V. Club wrote: "All of those elements feel most in line with The Boys as author Garth Ennis imagined the series: A portrait of shared capitalist and nationalist corruption, entwined together to create a morass of exploitation and abuse." Ben Travers from IndieWire gave the series a "B" grade rating and commented: "The Boys is still an imperfect beast, but it gets so many parts right – I haven't even talked about the skilled stunt work or expertly staged action scenes – that you're likely to get caught up in its gorging satire." Lorraine Ali from Los Angeles Times wrote: "Pulling dark humor out of that caustic cauldron is not just a skill, it's a warped superpower. Even the most super-skeptic of viewers can agree about that." Sonia Saraiya from Vanity Fair commented: "Even in the midst of stunning brutality, the show has a sardonic sense of humor that keeps the story crackling." Dan Jolin from Empire praised the series for its dark humor and Antony Starr's performance and wrote: "Appropriately enough, Starr remains the, er, star of the show, the very embodiment of its black-hole-dark comedy concept: with great power comes a complete disregard for any form of responsibility, accountability or morality." Liz Shannon Miller of Collider wrote: "Perhaps the most important thing that Season 2 does is push the show's scope beyond the realm of capes and tights; its messages aren't subtle, but then again, neither is putting on a costume and fighting crime."

On Amazon, season 2 of the series saw initial audience review bombing with 49 percent of 1400 reviews left by September 6, 2020, providing a one-star rating, most of which praised the available episodes but criticized Amazon's weekly release schedule.

At the 1st Critics' Choice Super Awards, the series received five nominations: Best Superhero Series, Best Actor in a Superhero Series (Starr, Urban), Best Actress in a Superhero Series (Cash) and Best Villain in a Series (Starr), completely sweeping its genre at the event.

Season 3

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 95% based on 55 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Managing to up the ante on what was already one of television's most audacious satires, The Boys' third season is both bracingly visceral and wickedly smart." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Alison Foreman of The A.V. Club graded the season an "A-" and wrote, "Packed with fun-as-ever action, surprise cameos, and searingly salient commentary, The Boys season three ticks nearly all the boxes for those seeking on-screen catharsis amid real-world frustration, impatience, and grief." The Guardian's Lucy Mangan rated the season with a 4 out of 5 stars and said, "[The Boys] goes from strength to strength. Between the actors, the writers or the viewers, it's hard to say who's having the most fun."

Audience viewership

In October 2019, Nielsen announced it had begun tracking viewership of Amazon Prime programs. It said The Boys had attracted 8 million total viewers in its first 10 days of release, making it one of the most successful original programs on Amazon Prime. For the second season, the first three episodes drew a 7.2 percent share of streams relative to the top 100 most-watched TV shows on Reelgood within its opening weekend, beating the third season of Stranger Things (5.8 percent) and The Mandalorian (4.4 percent). The show's audience increased 89 percent compared to the first season. Nielsen ratings revealed that 891 million minutes of the show has been watched, placing it number three on the Nielsen list, just behind Cobra Kai (2.17 billion minutes) and Lucifer (1.42 billion minutes). It became the first non-Netflix show to appear on the Nielsen Top 10 Streaming Shows list.

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
2020	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour)	Wade Barnett, David Barbee, Mason Kopeikin, Brian Dunlop, Ryan Briley, Chris Newlin, Christopher Brooks, Joseph T. Sabella and Jesi Ruppel (for "The Name of the Game")	Nominated
2021	British Fantasy Award	Best Film/Television Production	The Boys: "What I Know" (season 2, episode 8)	Won
	Critics' Choice Super Awards	Best Actor in a Superhero Series	Antony Starr	Won
			Karl Urban	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Superhero Series	Aya Cash	Won
		Best Superhero Series	The Boys	Won
		Best Villain in a Series	Antony Starr	Won
	Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards	Best Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama	Karl Urban	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama	Aya Cash	Nominated
		Best Streaming Series, Drama	The Boys	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Drama	Giancarlo Esposito	Nominated
	Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Music Score and Musical for Episodic Long Form Broadcast Media	Christopher Brooks (for "Nothing Like It in the World")	Nominated
	MTV Movie & TV Awards	Best Fight	"Starlight, Queen Maeve, Kimiko vs. Stormfront"	Nominated
		Best Hero	Jack Quaid	Nominated
		Best Show	The Boys	Nominated
		Best Villain	Aya Cash	Nominated
	Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards	Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics	"Never Truly Vanish" – Christopher Lennertz and Michael Saltzman (for "The Big Ride")	Nominated
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (One-Hour)	Alexandra Fehrman, Rich Weingart and Thomas Hayek (for "What I Know")	Nominated
		Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Season or a Movie	Stephan Fleet, Shalena Oxley-Butler, Kat Greene, Rian McNamara, Tony Kenny, Steve Moncur, Julian Hutchens, Anthony Paterson and Keith Sellers	Nominated
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Drama Series	Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Craig Rosenberg, Phil Sgriccia, Rebecca Sonnenshine, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Michael Saltzman, Michaela Starr, Gabriel Garcia and Hartley Gorenstein	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series	Rebecca Sonnenshine (for "What I Know")	Nominated
	Saturn Awards	Best Performance by a Younger Actor in a Television Series	Erin Moriarty	Nominated
		Best Superhero Television Series	The Boys	Won
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series	The Boys	Nominated
	Writers Guild of America Awards	Television: Dramatic Series	Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Anslem Richardson, Craig Rosenberg, Michael Saltzman and Rebecca Sonnenshine	Nominated

Spin-offs

The Boys Presents: Diabolical

Main article: The Boys Presents: Diabolical

On December 5, 2021, at the Brazil Comic-Con, Prime Video announced that The Boys Presents: Diabolical, an animated anthology series, had been given an eight-episode series order. On January 18, 2022, it was announced that the series would premiere on March 4, 2022.

The Boys Presents: Varsity

On September 24, 2020, it was announced that a spin-off centered on a superhero college had been fast-tracked into development upon the ratings success of the series' second season. Described as being "part college show, part Hunger Games", the spin-off is to be set "... at America's only college exclusively for young adult superheroes (and run by Vought International)" and is described as "an irreverent, R-rated series that explores the lives of hormonal, competitive Supes as they put their physical, sexual, and moral boundaries to the test, competing for the best contracts in the best cities". On October 2, 2020, Kripke stated the series would focus on the G-Men team that had been mentioned in the first season, a parody of the X-Men. In March 2021, Lizze Broadway, Jaz Sinclair, Shane Paul McGhie, Aimee Carrero, and Maddie Phillips were cast to star. On April 15, 2021, Reina Hardesty joined the main cast. On September 27, 2021, the untitled spin-off was given a series order by Amazon Studios. On March 10, 2022, Carrero and McGhie exited the series. A few days later, Chance Perdomo joined the main cast in a recasting, replacing McGhie. On April 25, 2022, Hardesty left the series. On May 9, 2022, London Thor was cast to replace Hardesty. Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn also joined the cast as series regulars. Two days later, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi were cast in recurring capacities.

Other media

Supe Porn

On October 3, 2020, Eric Kripke confirmed that the in-universe pornographic superhero film scenes briefly glimpsed in the second season The Boys episode "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker" had been produced in full, expressing interest in releasing them under the name Supe Porn to the website of the same name, registered to Sony Pictures, as well as formally requesting Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Antony Starr and the other followers of his Twitter page to join him in petitioning Prime Video and Amazon Studios to allow the potential web series to be uploaded.

Vought News Network

Ahead of the premiere of the third season, the series had released video segments in the form of in-universe news reports from the Vought News Network channel on YouTube. Each of the seven segments contains seven stories that tease events in upcoming episodes and introduce new cast members, and acts as a bridge between Season 2 and 3. Matthew Edison, who plays news anchor Cameron Coleman, will also appear in the third season of the series.

No.	Title	Original release date
1	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (July 2021)"	July 7, 2021 (2021-07-07)
An update on America's favorite hero, Homelander/ Meet the new man: Victoria Neuman announces FBSA hire/ Where is Alastair?: Church of the Collective head missing amidst new allegations
2	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (August 2021)"	August 7, 2021 (2021-08-07)
Is Starlight headed for a supernova?/ Making Waves: Deep's bombshell allegations about Church of the Collective/ Wall They've Got: Homelander fans stand up against super-terrorists
3	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (September 2021)"	September 7, 2021 (2021-09-07)
Is the FBSA Strong Arming Vought?/ San Diego Superhero Sees Popularity Soar!/ A-Train's New Single Speeding up the Charts
4	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (October 2021)"	October 7, 2021 (2021-10-07)
Starlight Sells Out – Heroine's costume is almost as popular as Homelander's this halloween/ Black Noir hunts serial killer to keep tri-state area safe/ FBSA oversteps again as they target Ezekiel
5	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (November 2021)"	November 7, 2021 (2021-11-07)
Victoria Neuman Gives Herself a Virtual Victory Parade/ A Train: "I Promise To Have A New Race As Fast As Possible"/ Payback's Legendary Hero Gunpowder Teaches Kids About The 2nd Amendment
6	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (December 2021)"	December 7, 2021 (2021-12-07)
Silent Knight Brings Bulletproof Cheer/ Gecko On Vought's Naughty List/ Starlight Awarded Top Honor at Holiday Benefit
7	"Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (January 2022)"	January 7, 2022 (2022-01-07)
Anticipation High for Vought Hero Draft/ Tiny Hero's Big Film Premiere/ A Fair & Balanced Conversation with the FBSA

External links

• Official website
• Official YouTube Channel for Vought International
• The Boys at IMDb