The Boys is an American satirical superhero television series, developed by showrunner Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video, that premiered on July 26, 2019. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it follows the eponymous team of vigilantes as they attempt to take down The Seven, a team of superpowered individuals who abuse their powers.
Originally intended to be a feature-length film trilogy, the comic book series adaptation began its development in 2008 with Adam McKay set to direct, until a series of creative differences led to the project's cancellation until it was revived in 2016 as a television series.[1][2][3] The series premiered on July 26, 2019, on Amazon Prime Video. Kripke also serves as an executive producer, alongside Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.[3][4][5][6] Filming for the series takes place in Canada despite the storyline primarily taking place in New York City.[7][8][9] With the exception of the first season, which released every episode on the same day,[10] episodes are released on a weekly basis with each season premiering its first three episodes for the remainder of the series.[11][12][13]
As of July 18, 2024, thirty-two episodes have aired throughout the course of four seasons. The series is currently set to conclude with a fifth and final season, announced on June 11, 2024, and currently in development.[14][15][16] A companion short film, Butcher: A Short Film, was released on September 10, 2020.[17]
Series overview
editEpisodes
editSeason 1 (2019)
edit| 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 |
| 2 | 2 | "Cherry" | Matt Shakman | Eric Kripke | July 26, 2019 |
| 3 | 3 | "Get Some" | Phil Sgriccia | George Mastras | July 26, 2019 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Female of the Species" | Fred Toye | Craig Rosenberg | July 26, 2019 |
| 5 | 5 | "Good for the Soul" | Stefan Schwartz | Anne Cofell Saunders | July 26, 2019 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Innocents" | Jennifer Phang | Rebecca Sonnenshine | July 26, 2019 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Self-Preservation Society" | Dan Attias | Craig Rosenberg & Ellie Monahan | July 26, 2019 |
| 8 | 8 | "You Found Me" | Eric Kripke | Anne Cofell Saunders & Rebecca Sonnenshine | July 26, 2019 |
Season 2 (2020)
edit| 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 |
| 10 | 2 | "Proper Preparation and Planning" | Liz Friedlander | Rebecca Sonnenshine | September 4, 2020 |
| 11 | 3 | "Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men" | Steve Boyum | Craig Rosenberg | September 4, 2020 |
| 12 | 4 | "Nothing Like It in the World" | Fred Toye | Michael Saltzman | September 11, 2020 |
| 13 | 5 | "We Gotta Go Now" | Batan Silva | Ellie Monahan | September 18, 2020 |
| 14 | 6 | "The Bloody Doors Off" | Sarah Boyd | Anslem Richardson | September 25, 2020 |
| 15 | 7 | "Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker" | Stefan Schwartz | Craig Rosenberg | October 2, 2020 |
| 16 | 8 | "What I Know" | Alex Graves | Rebecca Sonnenshine | October 9, 2020 |
Season 3 (2022)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1 | "Payback" | Phil Sgriccia | Craig Rosenberg | June 3, 2022 |
| 18 | 2 | "The Only Man in the Sky" | Phil Sgriccia | David Reed | June 3, 2022 |
| 19 | 3 | "Barbary Coast" | Julian Holmes | Anslem Richardson & Geoff Aull | June 3, 2022 |
| 20 | 4 | "Glorious Five-Year Plan" | Julian Holmes | Meredith Glynn | June 10, 2022 |
| 21 | 5 | "The Last Time to Look on This World of Lies" | Nelson Cragg | Ellie Monahan | June 17, 2022 |
| 22 | 6 | "Herogasm" | Nelson Cragg | Jessica Chou | June 24, 2022 |
| 23 | 7 | "Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed" | Sarah Boyd | Paul Grellong | July 1, 2022 |
| 24 | 8 | "The Instant White-Hot Wild" | Sarah Boyd | Logan Ritchey & David Reed | July 8, 2022 |
Season 4 (2024)
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Department of Dirty Tricks" | Phil Sgriccia | David Reed | June 13, 2024 |
| 26 | 2 | "Life Among the Septics" | Karen Gaviola | Jessica Chou | June 13, 2024 |
| 27 | 3 | "We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here" | Fred Toye | Ellie Monahan | June 13, 2024 |
| 28 | 4 | "Wisdom of the Ages" | Phil Sgriccia | Geoff Aull | June 20, 2024 |
| 29 | 5 | "Beware the Jabberwock, My Son" | Shana Stein | Judalina Neira | June 27, 2024 |
| 30 | 6 | "Dirty Business" | Karen Gaviola | Anslem Richardson | July 4, 2024 |
| 31 | 7 | "The Insider" | Catriona McKenzie | Paul Grellong | July 11, 2024 |
| 32 | 8 | "Season Four Finale" "Assassination Run"[a] | Eric Kripke | Jessica Chou & David Reed | July 18, 2024 |
Season 5
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 1 | "Fifteen Inches of Sheer Dynamite"[22] | Phil Sgriccia | Paul Grellong | 2026[23] |
Other media
editSeven on 7 (2021–present)
editSeven on 7 is a faux current affairs digital series serving as the center of several viral marketing campaigns for The Boys and its spin-off series Gen V. As of September 28, 2022, a total of nine "minisodes" have been released.[24][25][26]
Butcher: A Short Film (2020)
editA companion short film, set between the first and second seasons of The Boys, was uploaded on Twitter on September 10, 2020, alongside the release of the series episode "Nothing Like It in the World", with Karl Urban reprising his role as Billy Butcher.[17][27][28]
| Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Running time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butcher: A Short Film | Liz Friedlander | Garth Ennis, Eric Kripke, & Darick Robertson | September 10, 2020 | 5:08 | |
|
Evading the authorities after being framed for Madelyn Stillwell's murder, Butcher seeks help from his old friend Jock. | |||||
Notes
edit- ^ The episode was retitled from "Assassination Run" to "Season Four Finale" due to the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.[19][20][21]
References
edit- ^ Writer, Guest (February 13, 2012). "'The Boys' Movie No Longer in Development at Columbia". WhatCulture. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Bergeson, Samantha (June 25, 2024). "Adam McKay Wrote a 'The Boys' Screenplay in 2008: Comic Book Creator Says Hollywood Wasn't 'Ready' for Satirical Superheroes". IndieWire. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (April 6, 2016). "'The Boys' Drama Based on Comic Book Set at Cinemax with Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke, Original Film & Sony". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (November 8, 2017). "Amazon Orders 'The Boys' Superhero Drama Series Based on Comic from Eric Kripke, Evan Goldberg & Seth Rogen". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Turchiano, Danielle (November 8, 2017). "Amazon Greenlights Eric Kripke's Superhero Drama 'The Boys'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 31, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Radish, Christina (September 26, 2019). "Eric Kripke on Amazon's 'The Boys' and the End of 'Supernatural'". Collider. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Watson, Fay (July 26, 2019). "'The Boys' on Amazon location: Where is 'The Boys' filmed? Where's it set?". Express. Archived from the original on April 21, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Moon, Ra. "Where was 'The Boys' Filmed? Guide to All the Filming Locations". Atlas of Wonders. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Shinuda, Jonah (November 8, 2020). "Did you know Prime's biggest TV series 'The Boys' was partially filmed in Mississauga?". Insauga. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Gemmill, Allie; Bloom, Mike (May 8, 2021). "'The Boys' Season 1 release date, trailer, cast, plot, renewal, and more". Inverse. Archived from the original on December 2, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Shannon Miller, Liz (June 26, 2020). "Why It's Great News That 'The Boys' Season 2 Will Be Released Weekly". Collider. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Gelman, Vlada (January 7, 2022). "'The Boys' Season 3 Gets Premiere Date — Watch Announcement Video". TVLine. Archived from the original on January 7, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (February 22, 2024). "'The Boys': When to Expect Fourth Season Return". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Campione, Katie (May 14, 2024). "'The Boys' Renewed for Season 5 at Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Maas, Jennifer (June 11, 2024). "'The Boys' to End with Season 5 on Amazon". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Gomez, Dessi (July 18, 2024). "'The Boys' Season 5: Everything We Know So Far". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Weintraub, Steven (July 7, 2020). "Exclusive: Eric Kripke on 'The Boys' Season 2, Giancarlo Esposito's Role, and a Billy/William Butcher Short Film". Collider. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Bythrow, Nick (July 20, 2024). "The Boys Season 5 Release Window Revealed By Butcher Star In New Update". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ @therealKripke (February 5, 2023). "Ohhhhh Shit! #TheBoys #TheBoysTV @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo @Reed_Dave @jesschoutime @SPTV" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Powell, Tori B.; Shelton, Shania; Meyer, Matt; D'Antonio, Isabelle; Tucker, Emma; Yeung, Jessie; Faheid, Dalia; Orie, Amarachi; Shen, Michelle; Williams, Michael; Chowdhury, Maureen (July 13, 2024). "July 13, 2024, coverage of the Trump assassination attempt". CNN. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ Maas, Jennifer (July 18, 2024). "'The Boys' Season 4 Finale Adds Warning for Assassination Storyline After Trump Attack: 'Any Similarities' Are 'Coincidental and Unintentional'". Variety. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
- ^ Erik Kripke [@therealKripke] (November 26, 2024). "One. Last. Ride. #DayOne #FinalSeason #TheBoys @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo" (Tweet). Retrieved December 3, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Bythrow, Nick (July 20, 2024). "'The Boys' Season 5 Release Window Revealed by Butcher Star in New Update". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Nick (July 7, 2021). "'The Boys' launches Vought News digital series to fill in story gaps ahead of Season 3". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ "'The Boys': Vought News Network – Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (July 2021)". IGN. July 7, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Woinski, Bart (January 8, 2022). "'The Boys' Vought News Video: Hughie is Interrogated Over Hero Witch Hunt". Screen Rant. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ @TheBoysTV (September 10, 2020). "Wondering what Butcher's been up to? Check out 'BUTCHER: A Short Film' while you wait for tomorrow's new episode 👀" (Tweet). Retrieved August 6, 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Romano, Nick (September 10, 2020). "Watch 'The Boys' Karl Urban-centric short film to fill in some of the Season 2 gaps". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 6, 2024.