Strap in folks, because it's shaping up to be a hell of a week for TV news. Today, Amazon is taking part in its first-ever upfront presentation, where it shows off all its upcoming series in order to sell advertising space to prospective buyers. We've already seen a trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2, which comes out on August 29. Now, there's more good news: Amazon's subversive adult superhero show The Boys has been renewed for a fifth season!
“’The Boys’ is an unabashed and bold series that continues captivating our customers all over the world by piercing the cultural fabric season after season,” said Amazon MGM Studios head of television Vernon Sanders, according to Variety. “We are proud of this series that has grown into a global franchise, and we are thrilled that Eric Kripke and the creative team have more engaging stories to tell for all the loyal fans.”
The Boys is due to start airing its fourth season on June 13. Starring Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, the leader of the show's titular superhero-killing squad, and Antony Starr as Homelander, the sadistic supe in charge of the morally destitute corporation Vought Enterprises. The Boys is a show that always has a lot to say about society and our current moment, and with season 4 set to explore a fraught political election in the midst of a U.S. election year, that trend will continue. To hear showrunner Eric Kripke tell it, that's all part of what makes the show so fun to work on.
“The Boys could be the best job I’ll ever have. What other show allows me to write about politics, capitalism, family, and exploding genitalia, though not in that order," said Kripke. "The cast and crew are deeply grateful to Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios for the opportunity to tell this story for another season. My only problem is that since this year promises to be free of any conflict or misinformation, we’re not sure what to write about.”
“Since its premiere, devoted fans across the globe have been down with The Boys for this unapologetically wild ride,” added Katherine Pope, president of Sony Pictures Television Studios. “And we couldn’t be more proud of our producers, writers, cast, and crew who bring this genius insanity to life. Now, with a fifth chapter to their story, we can’t wait to see where Eric Kripke and The Boys go next.”
Wherever The Boys goes after season 4, you can bank on it being an entertaining ride. It's fast becoming one of Amazon's most successful TV universes, between the mothership show, the college-age spinoff Gen V, the animated anthology show The Boys Presents: Diabolical, and another live-action spinoff in development that's set in Mexico. It's also worth noting that this announcement isn't for "the fifth and final season" of The Boys, it's just season 5; that to me implies Amazon thinks there's a good chance the mothership show probably still has more gas in the tank beyond this newly announced season. We'll be watching this series for years to come.
But first, there's The Boys season 4. Its first three episodes drop on June 13; after that, they'll air once per week until the finale on July 18.
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