The Boys Season 4 has taken a bow with a deliciously dark finale, so we’ve decided to rank every chapter of the flagship series, as well as its spinoffs Gen V and The Boys Presents: Diabolical.
Eric Kripke struck gold with the debut season of The Boys. Launching in 2019, at a time when superhero fatigue was starting to kick in, his gritty series – based on the comic books of the same name – proved to be the perfect antidote.
We’ve been on quite the journey since then, taking us to the most recent ending of Season 4, which sees Homelander on top. Victoria Neuman’s dead, Robert Singer’s been framed for the crime, and supes are now in control of America (all thanks to Sister Sage, who may have plans of her own).
Since we’ll be waiting a while for The Boys Season 5, here are all seasons of the superhero TV show and its spinoffs ranked from worst to best (or, should I say, great to the greatest).
6. The Boys Presents: Diabolical Season 1 (2022)
If the flagship series is your cup of tea, The Boys Presents: Diabolical is fun little addition, featuring a series of animated shorts with varying tones, all set within the same TV universe as the live-action show.
There are many things to enjoy about the spinoff, from its great animation to an impressive roster of voice actors from The Boys, including Antony Starr, Dominique McElligott, Colby Minifie, Chace Crawford, Elisabeth Shue, and Giancarlo Esposito.
There’s also plenty of adult humor and grisly gore, from visceral head explosions to a supe whose power involves… controlling poop (resulting in The Deep getting pink eye from a used butt plug).
Each episode varies in style and tone, making it a bit hit and miss but a fun viewing experience nonetheless. The only reason it’s last on the list is because it doesn’t quite match up to the scale and story of The Boys’ live-action world.
5. The Boys Season 4 (2024)
If you’re a fan of The Boys, Season 4 is undoubtedly worth your time. It’s funny, cynical, and has the darkest finale in the show’s history. So, why is it so far down the list?
Let’s get this out of the way: it’s still fantastic TV. One of the few downsides is that the political commentary, though utterly chortle-worthy, is a little too on-the-nose.
In Season 4 Episode 2, we see Frenchie, MM, and Butcher head to a conspiracy theorist convention called ‘Truthcon’. While it paves the way for some bonkers brutality, there are moments and quotes that could have been ripped straight from real-life (see QAnon). The same goes for Episode 3’s Pizzagate moment.
Later on in the chapter, it felt a little like it was trying to out-gross itself, with Episode 6 giving us our Season 4 version of Herogasm. There were some hilarious moments, sure, but its treatment of Hughie said a lot about how male sexual assault is handled in the show.
And perhaps this is the issue any TV series has to deal with when pushing past the first couple of seasons: it just doesn’t feel as fresh as it once did. In this case, the central battle of Vought vs. The Boys is still going on, four chapters in.
As we said in our three-star review, “Where previous The Boys seasons felt complete, certain side stories here feel shoehorned in. Some take a predictable turn, making the stakes feel lower than ever before.”
However, that’s not to say it isn’t still great TV, and the perfect antidote to those who are feeling franchise fatigue. And the finale is mind-blowingly good, paving the way for the darkest chapter yet.
This will hopefully be enjoyed so much more knowing that Kripke won’t be making the same mistake he did with Supernatural; The Boys is officially ending with Season 5.
4. Gen V Season 1 (2023)
Would a Boys series even work without Homelander and Butcher? Gen V’s debut season gave us the answer: a thousand times yes. A coming-of-age but thoroughly R-rated show that follows a whole new set of supes as they navigate their powers at Vought’s highly prestigious Godolkin University.
Don’t be fooled by the coming-of-age label – Gen V very much basks in the same adult themes the flagship series is known for. We’re talking blowhole sex scenes, exploding penises (à la The Boys Season 3), and pretty much everything that went down in the final sequence.
Gen V’s cast and the characters they play only add to the show, with impeccable performances from the likes of Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, Lizze Broadway as Emma, Maddie Phillips as Cate, and London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li.
Let’s also not forget Asa Germann’s portrayal of Sam, one of the most dangerous supes we’ve seen in a while who plays an integral role in The Boys Season 4 alongside Cate. Speaking of which, another of Gen V’s strong points was how it tied into the main timeline while also working as a standalone story.
Just because Gen V ranks lower doesn’t mean it’s not good – it simply means The Boys set an exceptionally high bar, and Gen V still maintains the standards of its predecessors. Roll on Season 2.
3. The Boys Season 2 (2020)
Let’s start off by saying The Boys’ second chapter is still a doozy, not least because, at this stage, we were all in on the joke.
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The groundwork had been laid by Season 1, allowing Kripke and his writing team to delve further into its cynical skewering of modern politics and pop culture, with Vought’s PR machine working overtime to cover up the misdeeds of its psychopathic supes.
A hilarious yet terrifying addition to the cast was Stormfront, aka Liberty, aka Klara Risinger, the supposed edgy SJW who we later find out is a 101-year-old Nazi hellbent on creating her own Aryan race. Homelander’s along for the ride, at least for the time being, with the pair making the ultimate villainous couple.
Then there’s Butcher’s hunt for Rebecca, his hilarious interactions with his surrogate son Ryan, The Deep’s inauguration into the cult-like Church of the Collective (and that heart-to-heart with his gills), and Homelander’s vomit-inducing interactions with Doppelganger’s Madelyn.
Honorable mention goes to Starlight and Hughie for being their cute selves and rocking out to Billy Joel’s ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire.’ That look Hughie gives when he realizes she knows all the words? Pure goosebumps.
But the best part of Season 2 has to be the finale, more than an hour of bone-crunching action, heartfelt interactions, the Victoria Neuman supe twist, and Homelander’s death glare, which never fails to send chills down my spine.
Though it’s painful to rank Season 2 third due to its sheer brilliance, it just doesn’t measure up to the impact of Season 1’s introduction into this world, or the hilarity and insanity of Season 3.
2. The Boys Season 1 (2019)
Starting as it meant to go on, The Boys Season 1 opened with A-Train killing Robin in grisly fashion, accidentally turning her into a human slushie. And this was only the beginning.
The debut chapter masterfully laid the groundwork for each of the characters while capturing the essence of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comics.
As opposed to the muscle-bound goodies of Marvel and DC, these supes are nasty b*stards struggling to remain human in a world corrupted by greed.
And let’s not forget the casting, which was perfect from the get-go, from the nuances in Antony Starr’s evil expressions as Homelander to Karl Urban spitting bars and c-bombs as the cockney hardman Billy Butcher.
What’s most fun of all is watching the titular gang come together, with Mother’s Milk and Frenchie reluctantly joining Butcher after Hughie gets roped into the madness. His arc is particularly enthralling to watch, arguably his biggest battle being letting go of his old self.
A great side-story is Popclaw, who’s battling Compound V abuse alongside her on-and-off boyfriend A-Train. It’s great to see these moments aren’t forgotten, with Kripke and the team naturally tying them into the narrative in later seasons to help flesh out the character arcs.
Ultimately, Seasons 2 and 3 wouldn’t have been nearly as effective if it weren’t for the groundwork laid in the first chapter. Without Season 1, we’d just be watching a bunch of sociopaths in capes playing a very messy game of tag.
1. The Boys Season 3 (2022)
The Boys Season 3 is in first place because there’s just more… more brutality, more fun, more drama, and more psycho supes. Speaking of which, the introduction of Soldier Boy was a masterstroke. Especially for non-comic fans, as it seemed like he was going to be an ally, only to then turn out to be an even nastier foe than Homelander.
Another highlight is Kimiko and Frenchie’s arc; I think it’s the first time I’ve seen a platonic relationship portrayed on-screen in this way. After sharing a kiss, they both feel weirded out, to which Kimiko perfectly explains that it’s because they’re more than lovers — they’re family (although Season 4 changed this dynamic).
Season 3 really amped up the fight sequences, culminating in the ultimate unexpected team-up as Homelander and Butcher take on Soldier Boy before Maeve steps in and sacrifices herself. The only way this could have been better is if A-Train and his new ticker were involved in some way.
And let’s not forget all of the *ahem* more explicit moments: exploding penises, dildos as weapons, octopus blowies, and the bonkers supe orgy known as Herogasm. Yet, none of these moments seem gratuitous, instead exemplifying the horror and hedonism in a world run by supes.
These moments are balanced with more serious themes, such as Butcher’s brother’s tragic suicide and his realization that, in a way, he’d turned into his abusive father. And let’s not forget Frenchie, whose dark past is revealed by Little Nina.
All in all, The Boys Season 3 is a television masterpiece, one that takes everything we love about The Boys and turns it up to 11.
The Boys Seasons 1-4 are streaming on Prime Video now. For more, check out our ranking of Season 4’s gnarliest deaths, our guides to Shape Shifter, Webweaver, and Tek Knight’s sidekick Laddio, and what the deal is with the Red River Institute.
You can also find the best new TV shows heading to streaming this month, as well as binge-worthy series and how to watch them.
