Before The Boys season 4 premieres on June 13, 2024, Amazon Prime Video confirmed that the show’s fifth season will be its final – and I couldn’t be more relieved. The announcement comes just after The Boys season 5 was renewed, and it casts a new perspective on the fourth season.

The Emmy-nominated blockbuster show is based on Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book series of the same name, which follows the exploits of the titular vigilante team of ordinary people who take on superpowered individuals known as Supes who abuse their abilities.

On the Supes’ side is Vought International, a company that creates, markets, and monetizes self-serving superheroes. The Seven, the (corrupt) version of the Justice League in The Boys’ universe, are portrayed by the greatest of the best. The Seven, led by the egotistical and unstable Homelander (Anthony Starr), are not the heroes that Vought portrays in the media. That knowledge, along with some deeply personal grievances, drives The Boys’ commander, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), to seek vengeance on all Supes. The Boys season 3 finale celebrates Butcher and Homelander’s hostile friendship, teasing a major and climactic confrontation.

The Boys’ Concept Doesn’t Have The Longevity To Run Beyond 5 Seasons

Amazon Prime Video’s Superhero Satire Can’t Stay Sharp Forever

Based on early The Boys season 4 reviews, the superhero satire’s incisive commentary, laugh-out-loud parody, and over-the-top violence doesn’t feel as sharp as in past outings. That doesn’t worry me so much. In fact, it’s almost to be expected. The Boys TV show debuted in 2019 — arguably at the height of the superhero media craze. That’s the same year the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) hit a high note, deploying the epic culmination of a decade’s worth of superhero movies with the release of Avengers: Endgame. The Boys seized a moment that’s since fallen apart.

“As the rest of the media landscape shifts, The Boys season 4 doesn’t hold the same meta-narrative position.”

With movie-goers so entrenched in the superhero genre’s lexicon and tropes, The Boys was easy for viewers to pick up. The show’s black comedy, gratuitous violence, and admirable ability to “go there” — the darkest or grossest place a superpower allows — was something of a relief from the MCU’s sentimental leanings. As the rest of the media landscape shifts, The Boys season 4 doesn’t hold the same meta-narrative position. Still, separate from the properties it’s commenting on, I think The Boys is incredibly clever, visceral, and, best of all, unflinching, but it’s hard to maintain that momentum.

Gen V Has Proved The Boys Spin-offs Can Work Really Well

The Boys’ Spin-off Was A Huge Standalone Hit With Fun Crossover Moments

With The Boys seasons 2 and 3 marking real high points for the series, the fourth and fifth installments just need to stick the landing. I believe The Boys‘ shared universe, which includes the ultra-successful spin-off Gen V, is where the franchise’s future lies. The second live-action TV series set in the world of The Boys, Gen V centers on young-adult superheroes attending the supposedly prestigious Godolkin University School of Crimefighting. When Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), a hemokinetic Supe with a tragic backstory, arrives at Godolkin, the school’s dark secrets are gradually revealed.

“…Gen V’s cast of characters and larger story are compelling in their own right.”

While Marie’s misadventures will affect The Boys season 4, Gen V‘s cast of characters and larger story are compelling in their own right. In particular, Gen V‘s Supe virus will shape The Boys‘ ending — be it in season 4 or 5. Amazon Prime Video, and TV series creator Eric Kripke, has the rare opportunity to serve up a fitting conclusion to The Boys‘ five-season narrative, all while continuing the franchise. And Gen V proves that even after the parent series comes to a natural conclusion, I want to continue revisiting the world of The Boys.

In the case of The Boys, a definitive conclusion is the best possible news. Although Amazon Prime Video should have kept word of The Boys season 5 renewal until after the fourth season’s eight-episode run, the fifth and final season announcement enhances the stakes for the show’s next installment. All of the show’s core characters will have to make it to the fifth season — and I believe it’s a marvel they’ve lasted this long — but with no season 6 on the horizon, The Boys season 5 leaves its characters’ destinies very much in the air.