The Boys (2019)
The Boys is a 2019 sci-fi & fantasy series created by Eric Kripke and Christopher Lennertz. It stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid and Antony Starr.
Superheroes here are branded corporate assets, and the men hunting them carry no powers at all. Hughie Campbell, a mild electronics clerk, falls in with Billy Butcher, a vengeful ex-operative, after a careless 'Supe' shatters his life. Their target is Vought International, the conglomerate that packages heroes like The Seven and their smiling monster of a leader, Homelander. Adapted from the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic, the show is bloody, profane, and pointed, aiming its satire at celebrity culture, corporate spin, and the ugly worship of American power. Karl Urban and Antony Starr anchor a cast working at full, gleeful volume.
Quick answers
What is The Boys about?
Superheroes here are branded corporate assets, and the men hunting them carry no powers at all. Hughie Campbell, a mild electronics clerk, falls in with Billy Butcher, a vengeful ex-operative, after a careless 'Supe' shatters his life. Their target is Vought International, the conglomerate that packages heroes like The Seven and their smiling monster of a leader, Homelander. Adapted from the Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic, the show is bloody, profane, and pointed, aiming its satire at celebrity culture, corporate spin, and the ugly worship of American power. Karl Urban and Antony Starr anchor a cast working at full, gleeful volume.
When was The Boys released?
The Boys was released on 25 July 2019.
How many episodes does The Boys have?
The Boys has 40 episodes across 5 seasons.
Who made The Boys?
The Boys was created by Eric Kripke, Christopher Lennertz and Matt Bowen.
Where can I watch The Boys?
The Boys is available on Prime Video, Amazon Freevee, AppleTV and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch The Boys
Stream: Prime Video
Watch free: Amazon Freevee
Buy: AppleTV, Fandango at Home
Official site
https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0KRGHGZCHKS920ZQGY5LBRF7MA
Cast
- Karl Urban as Billy Butcher
- Jack Quaid as Hugh 'Hughie' Campbell
- Antony Starr as Homelander
- Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight
- Laz Alonso as Marvin T. 'Mother's Milk' Milk / M.M.
- Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep
- Tomer Capone as Serge / Frenchie
- Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro
- Nathan Mitchell as Earving / Black Noir
- Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
- Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train
- Dominique McElligott as Maggie Shaw / Queen Maeve
Similar series
Explore The Boys guides
The Boys in our writing
- Companion guide: Rebellion & Revolution
- Companion guide: Superhero Deconstruction: The Complete Guide to Capes Gone Wrong
- Companion guide: Superheroes
- Companion guide: Vigilantes & Street Justice
A few thoughts on The Boys
Fans of its cynical, blood-soaked satire should read the original Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson comic, which pushes the cruelty even further than the screen dares. Invincible, the animated series, runs a similar knife between earnest heroics and sudden brutality. For the same satirical rage at American power, Grand Theft Auto V shares the show's gleeful, ugly wit.
Superhero stories that go dark, R-rated, and cynical about power
The Boys treats its capes as corporate product and its heroes as dangerous, damaged people, and this set shares that jaded read on the genre. Watchmen, in both its graphic novel and HBO's continuation, remains the genre's founding deconstruction, Jupiter's Legacy and Titans push legacy heroes into grim, compromised territory, Harley Quinn plays the same cynicism for raunchy comedy, and Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's comic is where this started.
Comedic superhero satire that pokes fun at the whole genre
The Boys aims real satire at capes and corporate spin, and these comedies work the same angle with a lighter touch. The Tick turns superhero earnestness into deadpan parody, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law strands old cartoon heroes in courtroom absurdity, Duck Dodgers spoofs the square-jawed space-hero archetype, and My Hero follows an actually terrible superhero forced to live among the ordinary people he's supposed to protect.