The Boys (TV series)

This article is about the American TV series. For the 1993 CBS television sitcom, see The Boys (1993 TV series).

The Boys
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
Composer(s)	Christopher Lennertz Matt Bowen
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	24 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Eric Kripke Seth Rogen Evan Goldberg James Weaver Neal H. Moritz Pavun Shetty Ori Marmur Dan Trachtenberg Ken F. Levin Jason Netter Craig Rosenberg Phil Sgriccia Rebecca Sonnenshine Paul Grellong David Reed Meredith Glynn Garth Ennis Darick Robertson Michaela Starr
Producer(s)	Hartley Gorenstein Gabriel Garcia Nick Barrucci Jake Deuel Karl Urban Stefan Steen
Production location(s)	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Cinematography	Jeff Cutter Evans Brown Jeremy Benning Dylan Macleod Dan Stoloff Mirosław Baszak
Editor(s)	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 company(s)	Kripke Enterprises Point Grey Pictures Original Film Kickstart Entertainment KFL Nightsky Productions Amazon Studios Sony Pictures Television Studios
Distributor	Sony Pictures Television Distribution Amazon Studios
Budget	$11.2 million per episode (season 1)
Release
Original network	Amazon Prime Video
Picture format	4K (UHDTV) HDR
Audio format	5.1 Dolby Digital
Original release	July 26, 2019 (2019-07-26) – present (present)
Chronology
Related shows	The Boys (franchise)
External links
[{{#property:P856}} Website]

The Boys is an American superhero television series developed by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it follows the eponymous team of vigilantes as they combat superpowered individuals who abuse their abilities. The series features an ensemble cast that includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Chace Crawford, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, and Nathan Mitchell.

Originally intended to be a feature-length film, the comic book series adaptation began its development in 2008 with Adam McKay set to direct the film. Due to creative differences between the crew and the studios that picked up the film, the project was left in development hell. The development for the project was revived in 2016 by Cinemax, which announced that it would be reworked as a television series. Kripke was recruited to be the showrunner of the series, while Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg would be the executive producers. Amazon Prime Video obtained the rights for the series in November 2017, with production starting in May 2018 in Toronto.

The Boys premiered its first season of eight episodes on July 26, 2019. A second season premiered on September 4, 2020, with the third season following on June 3, 2022. In June 2022, the series was renewed for a fourth season. As part of a shared universe, a spin-off web series, Seven on 7, premiered in July 2021, an animated anthology series, Diabolical, premiered in March 2022, and a second live-action television series, Gen V, was ordered in September 2020. The series has received positive reviews and praise for its writing, storyline, humor, and performances of the cast. The series was nominated for six Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series in 2021.

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 that markets and monetizes them. Outside 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 corrupt superheroes.

The Boys are led by Billy Butcher, who despises all Supes, and the Seven are led by the egotistical and unstable Homelander. At the start of the series, the Boys are joined by Hughie Campbell after a superhero accidentally kills his girlfriend, and 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 drug-addicted A-Train, 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. Other superpowered individuals include Victoria Neuman, a congresswoman who publicly opposes Vought while secretly assisting the corporation, and Soldier Boy, Vought's original premier superhero.

Cast and characters

See also: List of The Boys characters

• Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher – The leader of the Boys and a former SAS operative who distrusts all Supes. He has a particular hatred towards Homelander, who he believes is responsible for the disappearance of his wife. Luca Villacis and Josh Zaharia portray younger versions of the character.
• 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 extremely powerful leader of the Seven. Beneath his public image as a noble hero, he is egotistical, megalomaniacal, and cares little about the well-being of those he professes to protect.
• Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight – A superhero with light-based powers and a member of the Seven. One of the few heroes who values protecting society, she questions her loyalty to the Seven after learning of their true character. Maya Misaljevic portrays the young Starlight.
• Dominique McElligott as Maggie Shaw / Queen Maeve (seasons 1–3) – A veteran member of the Seven with superhuman strength and durability. Once desiring to protect innocent lives, she has become disillusioned and suffers from burnout.
• Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train – A speedster member of the Seven. A-Train 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 / M.M. – A member 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 Soldier Boy caused his grandfather's death and his attorney father worked himself to death attempting to bring Vought down. Elias Leon Leacock portrays the young M.M.
• 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 the Deep's gills.
• Tomer Capone as Serge / Frenchie – A member of the Boys and an international arms trafficker skilled in munitions, ordnance, infiltration, and chemistry. Coerced into joining the group 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. Involuntarily injected with Compound V as part of a scheme to create superpowered terrorists, she joins the Boys after they rescue her.
• Nathan Mitchell as Earving / Black Noir – A mysterious member of the Seven who possesses superhuman strength and agility. Formerly a member of Payback, he was badly disfigured during his team's mutiny against Soldier Boy, rendering him mute and forcing him to conceal his physical appearance behind a dark costume. Fritzy-Klevans Destine portrays the young Black Noir in the third season. Although the character is killed by Homelander in the third season, Mitchell will return in the fourth season as a new Black Noir.
• Elisabeth Shue as Madelyn Stillwell (season 1; guest season 2) – A charismatic, scheming vice president at Vought International responsible for managing the superheroes.
• Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett (season 2–present; recurring season 1) – A publicist for Vought International who later becomes its president.
• Aya Cash as Klara Risinger / Liberty / Stormfront (season 2; guest season 3) – The first successful Compound V subject and member of the Seven with plasma-based abilities. Once a member of the Nazi Party, she holds bigoted views towards minorities and non-Supes.
• Claudia Doumit as Victoria "Vic" Neuman / Nadia (season 3–present; recurring season 2) – A congresswoman who publicly opposes Vought, but is secretly a superpowered assassin with the ability to psychically cause spontaneous combustion. Elisa Paszt portrays the young Nadia.
• Jensen Ackles as Ben / Soldier Boy (season 3–present) – The original premier superhero and leader of Payback. Thought to have been killed during the Cold War, he was secretly betrayed by his team and captured by the Soviets in order for Vought to replace him with Homelander, his biological son.

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)

Main article: The Boys (season 1)

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 the 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 secretly place a bug at Seven Tower, but Hughie initially refuses. In Central Park, Annie meets Hughie by happenstance, motivating 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 his boss and surrogate mother figure/lover at Vought International: company VP Madelyn Stillwell.
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. Stillwell tells Homelander about evidence the Deep found incriminating him for the plane crash, so she handles it while he talks to Deep. While working with the Deep, Annie promises to kill him if he tries to sexually assault her again. Stillwell uses shapeshifting Supe Doppelgänger to blackmail Senator Calhoun into allowing a vote that could enable Vought to contract superheroes to the military. Annie stops an attempted rape, unaware she is being recorded. Her agent, Ashley Barrett, reprimands her for potentially causing negative exposure and legal implications. While Homelander searches for Translucent, Frenchie places C-4 explosives in Translucent's colon, who fearfully confesses 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 C4. 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. Annie gains positive publicity for stopping the rape but subsequently learns 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 (MM), 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. Meanwhile, 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 accidentally killing her landlord during hyper-charged sex. Butcher uses this to blackmail her 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 Annie, 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. However, after Homelander accidentally destroys the control panel, he 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, Annie is quietly directed to push Vought's agenda while Butcher has Hughie use her 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. Annie 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 its toll on him. In a hospital, Butcher and MM discover Vought is using Compound V on infants to manufacture Supes years in advance. Frenchie discovers Black Noir is looking for him. While attempting to escape, he is told to leave the Female behind but releases her out of sympathy. She seemingly dies protecting him from 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 he calls off the deal when she refuses to target Homelander. 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, 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 but claims both died, and Vought covered it up. Questioning the revelation's timing, Vogelbaum regrets 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, his former supervisor. She 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 asks for Annie's help, but she refuses out of distrust. After seeing her old self reflected in her, Maeve opens up to Annie, 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 following their capture, before Annie rescues them. A-Train arrives and fights Annie until he suffers a heart attack. Hughie applies CPR, but Annie 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)

Main article: The Boys (season 2)

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 Billy Butcher framed for Madelyn Stillwell's murder. While in hiding together, Hughie Campbell, Mother's Milk (MM), Frenchie, and Kimiko learn that a superpowered terrorist with telekinetic abilities is on the loose. They attempt to inform CIA Dept. Director Susan Raynor, but an unknown assassin kills her. Against Hughie's wishes, Frenchie contacts Butcher to lead the Boys in facing the new threats. Hughie and Annie January / Starlight extort Vought International test subject Gecko into stealing a Compound V sample. Homelander's power over Vought is challenged when CEO Stan Edgar has the superhero Stormfront join the Seven without his approval. When Homelander fails to intimidate Edgar, he returns to Becca's house to see his son 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 Colonel Grace 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. Queen Maeve tells her ex-girlfriend 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, culminating 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 the police spot him. 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, where 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 two civilians 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. Noir attacks the three, 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 former Seven member 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. They bring Lamplighter to Mallory, who nearly kills him for killing her grandchildren until Frenchie convinces her to spare Lamplighter over his remorse. Stormfront tells Homelander she is the first successful Compound V subject and Vought founder Frederick Vought's widow, wanting him to lead Supes to world domination. Maeve obtains a video of Homelander abandoning a hijacked airliner they failed to save 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 Noir. Despite the loss of Lamplighter, Butcher strong-arms Vought scientist Jonah Vogelbaum into testifying against Vought. However, the hearing is attacked by the assassin who killed Raynor, resulting in the deaths of Vogelbaum and many 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 with his eye lasers but accidentally kills Becca. Butcher forgives Ryan after the boy takes his side over Homelander, while Maeve uses the plane footage to blackmail 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. The CIA takes Ryan in. Hughie gets a job with Neuman, unaware she is the assassin.

Season 3 (2022)

Main article: The Boys (season 3)

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 the Stormfront scandal, the Boys work as contractors for Victoria Neuman's Bureau of Superhuman Affairs to apprehend rogue Supes, with Hughie Campbell as their liaison. Vought CEO Stan Edgar appoints Annie January, who is now publicly dating Hughie, co-captain of the Seven to repair Vought International's reputation and unsuccessfully attempts to sell V24, a Compound V variant that temporarily grants superpowers, to U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Singer. Queen Maeve secretly works with Billy Butcher and has him investigate Payback - a disbanded superhero team whose leader Soldier Boy mysteriously died - in hopes of finding a weapon capable of killing Homelander. She also gives Butcher several vials of V24, which he considers using. Hughie encounters a man named Tony, who claims to be Neuman's best friend and calls her "Nadia". Suspicious, Hughie tails the pair into an alley, where Tony urges her to tell the truth about "Red River". She refuses, prompting Tony to retaliate before she kills him with her powers, unaware of Hughie's presence.
18	2	"The Only Man In The Sky"	Phil Sgriccia	David Reed	June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
As the Boys investigate Soldier Boy's death, Hughie visits Red River, an orphanage for superpowered children and copies its records, learning that Neuman is Edgar's adopted daughter. Frenchie and Kimiko confront Soldier Boy's widow Crimson Countess at a Vought theme park, but she escapes and mistakenly kills an innocent bystander in the process. After learning of Neuman's powers from Hughie, Butcher takes a dose of V24 and uses it to kill Soldier Boy's former sidekick, Gunpowder. Before dying, Gunpowder informs Butcher that Soldier Boy died in Nicaragua while on a CIA mission led by Colonel Grace Mallory. Mother's Milk (MM) rejoins the Boys, seeking to avenge his family's death at Soldier Boy's hands. After learning that Stormfront committed suicide, Homelander lashes out during his televised birthday celebration and goes on a spiteful rant, claiming he is the world's savior under persecution from Vought executives.
19	3	"Barbary Coast"	Julian Holmes	Anslem Richardson & Geoff Aull	June 3, 2022 (2022-06-03)
Homelander's approval rating among rural white males skyrockets after his rant, subjecting him to less scrutiny from Vought executives. Homelander, now believing himself to be untouchable and threatening genocide, pressures Annie into reinstating the Deep. Annie is also forced to publicly pose as Homelander's new lover. Fearing for the safety of her ex-boyfriend Alex / Supersonic, she pleads with him not to join the Seven. However, he does so to support her. Mallory reveals to the Boys that Payback was deployed to assist the CIA against communists in Nicaragua during the Cold War, but were ambushed during an attack by Russian and Nicaraguan soldiers that left Black Noir mutilated and Soldier Boy missing in action, supposedly killed by a Russian superweapon. Butcher is enraged at Mallory for not disclosing the weapon's existence earlier and lashes out at Ryan Butcher before storming out. He then has Frenchie contact the latter's former 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 Nina and negotiates the Boys' travel to Russia in exchange for assassinating one of Nina's targets. Upon learning of the V24, Hughie asks Butcher to let him use it. Butcher refuses, but Hughie secretly takes a dose and uses it to kill one of the Russian soldiers guarding a secret laboratory. Inside, Butcher discovers a still-living Soldier Boy, who releases an energy blast that depowers and wounds Kimiko before escaping. While escaping to stabilize Kimiko, Butcher theorizes the Russians experimented on Soldier Boy. During a press conference regarding Homelander's behavior, Neuman betrays Edgar by accusing him of corruption. In return, Homelander provides Neuman a sample of Compound V, which she injects into her daughter Zoe. Annie recruits Maeve and Supersonic to help her face Homelander. Supersonic later attempts to recruit A-Train after witnessing him being mistreated by Homelander and the Deep. However, A-Train tells Homelander of the planned coup, and Homelander later confronts Starlight with Supersonic's corpse and threatens to kill Hughie unless Annie complies with his demands.
21	5	"The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies"	Nelson Cragg	Ellie Monahan	June 17, 2022 (2022-06-17)
Frenchie admits Kimiko to a hospital, where she is overjoyed to find she has lost her powers. She and Frenchie bond and share a kiss, but Frenchie is later kidnapped by Nina. Hughie reveals his V24 usage to a disappointed Annie. Maeve gives Butcher another batch of V24 before drinking and having sex with him. She is later captured by Noir and Homelander. Ashley Barrett is named Vought's CEO after Edgar's departure. A-Train tells fellow Supe, Blue Hawk, to issue a public apology for using excessive force against African-Americans, but Blue Hawk flies into a violent rage during the event, wounding several bystanders including A-Train's brother Nathan. Upon his return to America, Soldier Boy inadvertently causes an explosion, alerting the Boys. MM, Hughie, and Butcher learn from former Vought executive, the Legend, that Soldier Boy is going after Crimson Countess before finding and incapacitating her first. Soldier Boy arrives and kills Countess as revenge for giving him up to the Russians. Butcher decides to partner with him, and Hughie goes along despite Annie's protests.
22	6	"Herogasm"	Nelson Cragg	Jessica Chou	June 24, 2022 (2022-06-24)
The Deep and Homelander uncover security footage of Soldier Boy killing Countess, leading Noir to cut out his tracking chip and disappear. Nina kidnaps Kimiko and Frenchie's former partner Cherie and forces him to choose who to execute, but Kimiko frees herself and kills Nina's henchmen while Nina escapes. Neuman privately reveals her powers to Annie and proposes an alliance, but Annie declines. Butcher and Hughie help Soldier Boy track down his former teammates in exchange for his help in killing Homelander. All parties converge at the TNT Twins' residence in Montpelier, where they are hosting "Herogasm", an annual Supe orgy. After the twins claim Noir also sold him out to the Russians, Soldier Boy accidentally releases another energy blast, destroying the building and killing the twins and multiple guests. Soldier Boy and an empowered Butcher and Hughie join forces to overwhelm Homelander, but he escapes before Soldier Boy can nullify his powers. A-Train uses his powers to kill Blue Hawk, then collapses from heart failure. A disillusioned Annie films a livestream announcing her departure from the Seven and publicly condemning Vought, Soldier Boy, and Homelander.
23	7	"Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed"	Sarah Boyd	Paul Grellong	July 1, 2022 (2022-07-01)
Hiding out in an abandoned Buster Beaver's pizza restaurant, Noir is visited by his imaginary friends, the pizzeria franchise's mascots. They re-enact his abuse at Soldier Boy's hands and the ambush in Nicaragua — he and most of the rest of Payback, sick of Soldier Boy's abuse, conspired to trade him to the Russians on Edgar's behalf. In the present, A-Train is successfully revived after receiving a heart transplant from Blue Hawk. Butcher, Hughie, and Soldier Boy seek Payback member Mindstorm, who subdues Butcher, trapping him in memories of his abusive father and the suicide of his little brother Lenny. Hughie convinces Mindstorm to revive Butcher in exchange for his freedom, but Soldier Boy kills Mindstorm shortly afterward. While retrieving Compound V for Kimiko at Vought, Annie discovers that V24 will kill users after three to five doses. Homelander confronts Annie regarding her livestream, but she records him confessing to his crimes and posts it on social media. Frenchie injects Compound V into Kimiko, healing her injuries and restoring her powers. Annie informs Butcher of V24's risks, but Butcher chooses to withhold this information from Hughie. Soldier Boy calls Homelander and reveals that he is his biological father.
24	8	"The Instant White-Hot Wild"	Sarah Boyd	Logan Ritchey & David Reed	July 8, 2022 (2022-07-08)
Homelander finds Ryan and reconciles with him. Unwilling to harm Hughie further, Butcher abandons him; Hughie then meets with Annie to apologize. Maeve escapes Vought's custody and meets with Hughie, Annie, and MM. Homelander kills Noir for withholding the knowledge of him being Soldier Boy's son. Butcher and Soldier Boy meet with the Boys, Annie, and Maeve, and trap all but Maeve in a safe room before leaving with her and Soldier Boy to kill Homelander. When Ryan attempts to save Homelander, Soldier Boy attacks him too, causing Butcher, Maeve, and the arriving Boys to fight Soldier Boy. Soldier Boy attempts to fire another blast, but Maeve tackles him out of the building while Homelander escapes with Ryan. Afterwards, the public mourns Maeve's apparent sacrifice, unaware she is alive but depowered. Butcher is terminally ill due to his usage of V24; Annie joins the Boys; Soldier Boy is in government custody; Neuman campaigns for Vice President after the Deep murders her predecessor; and Homelander and Ryan attend a rally for the former, where Homelander murders a dissenter for attacking Ryan, to the crowd's excitement and Ryan's pleasure.

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 which consisted 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 keep the writers disciplined, so he 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, and that it would consist of eight episodes, like the previous season. Kripke was already starting to write the scripts just before the series premiere revealing that it took "a lot of tiptoeing around expectations for the hit's sophomore outing". The eight scripts for the second season were completed by November 2019.

On July 23, 2020, Amazon announced that the series was being renewed 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 a then-unknown release date. On October 30, 2020, 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 was 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

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. On July 8, 2022, it was announced Nathan Mitchell (who portrayed the masked Black Noir in the first three seasons), despite his character's death in the third season, would continue to portray a new replacement Black Noir in a main capacity in fourth season of the series. On August 1, 2022, it was reported that Cameron Crovetti had been promoted as a series regular while Valorie Curry and Susan Heyward were cast as new series regulars for the fourth season. Later that month, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was cast in an undisclosed role. On December 1, 2022, Rosemarie DeWitt, Rob Benedict, and Elliot Knight joined the cast in undisclosed capacities for the fourth season.

Filming

File:The Boys Season 2 filmed at Pecaut Square Toronto I Want My Compound V.jpg

Filming of the series at Pecaut Square in Toronto

Despite the series taking place in New York City like in the comics, it was confirmed the filming would be taking place at the city of Toronto in Canada instead. In November 2017, it was announced that the filming for the series was slated to begin filming in 2018 with the hopes of releasing it on 2019. Though the series was mainly shot in Toronto, it was confirmed that additional filming would also be taking place in other cities of Canada such as Mississauga and Hamilton for a few other locations.

Principal photography for the first season took place from May 22 to September 25, 2018, in Toronto, Ontario. The crew filmed at the Roy Thomson Hall in order to get the shots of the exterior of the Seven Tower, which was digitally created through CGI. 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 fictional 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 Tim Hortons Field stadium located at Hamilton, Ontario. Lower Bay Station was used for the subway scenes. The crew also filmed at several places of interest through the city such as the Sherbourne Common and the Cathedral Church of St. James. Another shooting location was at the Parkwood Estate in Oshawa, Ontario as the mansion of Dr. Jonah Vogelbaum.

The filming for the second season took place from June 17 to November 13, 2019. 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. While filming for the second season a scene was planned to be shot at the Mel Lastman Square, however they were relocated by the Toronto City Council as the location was close to the place where the Toronto van attack occurred on April 23, 2018.

The filming for the third season took place from February 24 to September 10, 2021. The filming for the season was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, though several precautions were implemented to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. The new locations included for the season were Metro Toronto Convention Centre as Vought headquarters, Saint George Manor as the host studio of the fictional reality show American Hero, and Canada's Wonderland Medieval Faire section as Vought Land theme park.

Music

Score albums have been released for each season of the series by Madison Gate Records. 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. For the second season's soundtrack, 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. Jessie T. Usher also performed an original song for the second season's soundtrack and on September 1, 2021, the music video for "Faster" was released on YouTube. The third season's soundtrack included two songs performed by Miles Gaston Villanueva, "You've Got a License to Drive (Me Crazy)" and "Rock My Kiss", while Laurie Holden performed "America's Son" which were released on June 3, 2022. On June 17, 2022, another video was released for a song performed by Holden, "Chimps Don't Cry".

Politics

The seasons explore issues like white nationalism, white supremacy, systemic racism, and xenophobia and Kripke saw this fact as an opportunity to introduce Stormfront, a racist superhero who believes in Nazism. Kripke revealed that unlike the comics where Stormfront is male, the character would be gender swapped for the series with the intention of creating "Homelander’s worst nightmare that would be a strong woman who wasn't afraid of him and proceeded to steal his spotlight." The show contains political satire, and many consider the show to be a critique of conservatism and far-right politics. The show has also made references to corporate corruption, police brutality, sexual harassment, and homophobia. Various analogies have been made with content in the show to Black Lives Matter, the MeToo movement, and comparing Homelander to Donald Trump. Some of the showrunners have said that these analogies are intentional and made to cast a political message.

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.

Home media

The first two seasons were released on Blu-ray in a six-disc box set by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on May 17, 2022. The Butcher short film was included as well as deleted scenes and blooper reels.

Reception

Critical reception

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".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season holds an approval rating of 97% based on 105 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".

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season has a "Certified Fresh" approval rating of 98% based on 146 reviews, with an average rating of 8.05/10. 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 77 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

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

PETA awarded the third-season episode "Barbary Coast" its "Tech, Not Terror" award for using a CGI octopus.

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
2022	People's Choice Awards	The Bingeworthy Show of 2022	The Boys	Nominated
	Saturn Awards	Best Streaming Action/Adventure Television Series	The Boys	Won
		Best Actor in a Streaming Television Series	Antony Starr	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Streaming Television Series	Erin Moriarty	Nominated
		Best Guest-Starring Performance in a Streaming Television Series	Jensen Ackles	Nominated
2023	Critics' Choice Awards	Best Actor in a Drama Series	Antony Starr	Nominated
	Satellite Awards	Best Genre Series	The Boys	Pending
	Screen Actors Guild Awards	Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series	The Boys	Pending
	Visual Effects Society Awards	Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode	Stephan Fleet, Shalena Oxley-Butler, Tristan Zerafa, Anthony Paterson, Hudson Kenny (for "Payback")	Pending

Franchise

Further information: The Boys (franchise)

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.

Gen V

Main article: Gen V

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. On September 27, 2021, the untitled spin-off was given a series order by Amazon Studios. Filming of the series, titled Gen V, beginning at the University of Toronto in May 2022 and the Claireville Conservation Area, Brampton in July, intended for an October wrap.

Other media

Vought News Network

Main article: Seven on 7

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, titled Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman. 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, also appears in the third season of the series.

Supe Porn

On October 3, 2020, Eric Kripke said 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 supposedly 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. Later on, a fictional sex toy online store was added to the website, with a collection of products such as The StarMight Plug and Translucent's Glass Dildo. At the bottom of the website there is a message saying that its contents are for entertainment purpose only and not actually for sale.

External links

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