It seems like any popular show or movie will necessarily pop out a dozen spin-offs, sequels, and connected projects.Gen Vis the first spin-off ofThe Boys. It took the iconic comic book adaptation into a college setting, translating its sharp satire, brutal action, and compelling drama into a new context. WhileThe Boyshas a prescribed expiration date to keep the show from overstaying its welcome, the franchise it created might not have to die with it.
The Boysand its surrounding universe exist in an interesting space. It initially dropped in 2019, three months afterAvengers: Endgameprovidedthe Marvel Cinematic Universewith its biggest fireworks display. Now, five years later,The Boysis still doing superhero satire while the genre implodes at the box office. All but the most devoted fans seem sick of superheroes, hanging an uncomfortable question on the long-term viability of a show likeThe Boys.
The BoysWill End After Season Five
The Boysshowrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that season five would be the final season ofThe Boys. He suggested that he would need atleast five seasons totell the full story. A few headlines suggested the possibility of Kripke extending the series beyond that initial guess. This sparked panic in a ton of fans who viewed Kripke’s previous show,Supernatural, as a potential worst-case scenario.Supernaturalran for fifteen seasons, far outliving any fan expectations. Thankfully, Kripke has guaranteed thatTheBoyswill tell a complete story and end before overstaying its welcome. There are countless guesses from fans and critics as to howThe Boysmight end. The promise of a definitive conclusion guarantees something interesting. One of the most common concerns surrounding the ongoing series was that the plot of the third season would repeat over the next several.Butcher would find away to finish off Homelander, back out at the last minute, and let the antagonist continue to grow worse. That story will end, but that doesn’t have to end the world.
Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters
Stars
Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizzie Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, etc.
Streaming On
Amazon Prime Video
Despite acouple of crossovers and cameos,Gen Vis a standalone series set in the universeThe Boysestablished. It introduces a new cast of characters and a new setting. One of the interesting things aboutThe Boyshas nothing to do with the characters. The writers, directors and showrunners do an incredible amount of work dreaming up the world that would exist within the central premise. The first season ofThe Boyssaw Hughie, a normal man, stumble into the seedy underbelly of supe culture and the underground movement working to stop it.Gen Vsteps into the front-facing upside of living life with Compound V, then allows its shiny, happy characters to wander into the darkness. It unveils new systems within the same world, allowing fans to learn more about a universe with never-ending developments. The personal journeys of the characters will likely continue beyond whateverendingThe Boysfinds.
The BoysDoesn’t Have to be the End
Unless Eric Kripke blows up the world or kills everyone with adrop of Compound V, there could be countless new stories in the world ofThe Boys. The most notable risk would be outlasting the appeal of the superhero satire genre. There’s no reason to think that superhero media as a movement will ever go away. It ebbs and flows over time, and it will likely enter a quiet period over the next couple of years.Gen Vdoesn’t have the risk of appearing like a cash-in. The nextBoysspinoff might, butGen Vis a smart, sharp, and considered series that deserves its spot. There’s no reason to expect that the show will have to die after its predecessor reaches its natural end point.Gen Vcan keep the world alive beyond the boundaries of the original series. It has enough similarities to continue the movement, but it also has enough differences to maintain its own identity.Gen Vmust proveits ability to stand on its own and outlasting the original series might be the perfect way to accomplish that feat.
Gen Vdoesn’t have to be restrained by the natural conclusion ofThe Boys. The risk of one franchise overstaying its welcome is very real, but there are endless options for new development in a universe that only has two shows at the moment.Gen Vshould runits course and there’s no reason it couldn’t spawn another spin-off or two. Every new series in this franchise can maintain its connection with a few stylistic choices.Gen Vcan live on as long as it has an interesting story to tell. A lot of people have to die in these shows, but the shows should stay alive.
