Ahead of The Boys season 4’s release date on June 13, 2024, Amazon Prime Video announced that the show’s fifth outing will be its last — and I couldn’t be more relieved. The news comes on the heels of The Boys season 5’s renewal and frames the fourth outing in a new light. The Emmy-nominated hit show adapts Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book series of the same name, which, in turn, follows the exploits of the titular vigilante team of regular folks who take on superpowered individuals, known as Supes, who abuse their powers.

On the Supes’ side is Vought International, a corporation that makes, markets, and monetizes self-serving superheroes. The best of the best makeup The Seven, The Boys‘ universe’s (corrupt) version of the Justice League. Led by the egotistical and unstable Homelander (Anthony Starr), the Seven are far from th heroes Vought makes them out to be in the media. That fact, along with some very personal grievances, prompts The Boys’ leader, Billy Butcher (Karl Urban), to seek revenge against all Supes. The Boys season 3’s ending revels in Butcher and Homelander’s antagonistic relationship, promising a massive and climactic brawl.

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.

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.

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.

The Boys Season 6 Happening Would Lower The Show’s Stakes

With A Finale Locked In, Anything Could Happen In The Boys Season 5

In the case of something like The Boys, a finite ending is the best possible news. Although Amazon Prime Video should’ve withheld word of The Boys season 5 renewal until after the fourth outing’s eight-episode run, the fifth-and-final season announcement raises the stakes for The Boys‘ next installment. All the show’s main players will have to make it to the fifth season — and I think it’s a miracle they’ve lasted this long — but with no season 6 in sight, The Boys season 5 leaves its characters’ fates very much up in the air.