Why The Boys Season 2 Isn’t Releasing All At Once

Forum 3 years ago

Why The Boys Season 2 Isn’t Releasing All At Once

Showrunner Eric Kripke explains why The Boys season 2 isn't releasing all at once. Within its first season, Amazon Prime's The Boys established itself as a superhero show unlike any other thanks to its gruesome acts of violence and decidedly un-heroic supes. The season finale ended with a jaw-dropping cliffhanger that was a major departure from the comics on which the series is based: The wife of brash vigilante Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) is actually alive and has been raising the son of Homelander (Antony Starr), the sadistic Superman-esque leader of the Seven. Fans were left reeling and eagerly awaiting the second season.

Like most streaming shows, The Boys season 1 dropped all eight of its episodes at once. It's become common practice for audiences to binge-watch shows almost immediately after they premiere, whether they come from Amazon, Netflix, or somewhere else. However, The Boys season 2 has adopted a different strategy: The first three episodes arrived on Amazon last Friday, but the remaining five installments will roll out weekly. This decision was met with some surprise from fans, and in some cases, even prompted intense displeasure. Those who dislike the new plan have begun review bombing The Boys as they demand Amazon to switch it back.

However, Amazon wasn't even the one who came up with the idea. In a new interview with Collider, Kripke explained the decision to release The Boys season 2 weekly came from him and the producers. Why? "Our feeling was that when it airs all eight at once, it becomes a sugar rush of a binge," said Kripke. He then elaborated by saying this:

People burn through it in a week or two. There’s an intense amount of activity and then it sort of fades, and then everyone's kind of off to the next thing. There’s so many great moments in season 2, we want to give it time to marinate so people can reflect on it and talk about it before they move on to the next thing and maybe just be in the conversation a little bit longer. I think a little anticipation for the fans is healthy, I think it helps the experience.

Kripke makes an excellent point: When it comes to streaming shows, there's a great deal of hype around them when they first premiere, and it usually lasts for a few weeks after. However, the conversations around those shows often fade quickly, which can feel disappointing when one's waited over a year to watch it. By spreading out The Boys season 2, Kripke and the producers have ensured their show can remain in the forefront of the current pop culture conversation for longer than it might have had every episode arrived at once. Some viewers might feel differently, but since this strategy worked for The Mandalorian on Disney+, why shouldn't it work for The Boys?

It's only been a few days, but it's safe to say The Boys season 2 has dominated television news, whether it's because of Patton Oswalt's truly strange cameo or the arrival of mysterious new supe Stormfront (Aya Cash). Since there's still five episodes left to go, expect a lot more news from The Boys to emerge in the coming weeks. If this strategy pans out, fans should probably expect it to hold for the already-announced season 3. Who knows? Weekly episodes might become the new normal once again.