The article contains spoilers for The Boys season 4.

The Boys actor Antony Starr responded to the Prime Video superhero series ending with season 5. The announcement that The Boys season 5 would be the last was clarified in subsequent interviews by showrunner and executive producer Eric Kripke, who explained that he felt it was the right time for the series to bow out. Even though Prime Video would have welcomed more episodes, Kripke said he was excited to stay true to his five-season plan.

Participating in a panel for Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz with fellow actors from The Boys, Starr got candid about the fact that The Boys is ending with season 5. The actor shared that he’d previously been part of a series that went on beyond the right ending point, and he did not mince words about what that was like. Starr said, in part: “I’ve been involved in a show that did this, it was f–king horrible.” Read the full quote below:

“[Kripke] started the show saying that this was always in his head to go five seasons. And, of course, I don’t know about you guys, but I was sitting there going, ‘Pff, we’ll see. Oh, we shall see. It might only go two.’ But, no, the show has done well.”

“I think everyone wants to go out on a strong note, and I think there’s nothing worse – and I’ve been involved in a show that did this, it was f–cking horrible – you do that last season and it’s s–it. And you get remembered very poorly and you’ve got to kind of wear that. I like to think that we will go out on a really strong note and I think we all deserve it.”

Why The Boys Season 5 Being The Last Is The Right Move

It Gives The Show Some Needed Urgency.

Like any television show that lasts long enough, The Boys has established patterns and tropes. The heroes will try to put an end to Homelander every season, without making much progress, and the main characters tend to be more or less safe. That last part is especially jarring, given that the high stakes and unstable characters should mean that the narrative is more chaotic.

But with the recent revelations in season 4, episode 6, “Dirty Business,” that status quo looks to be finally shaken. A virus that would wipe out all superpowered characters, even the good ones and the generally harmless, is a serious potential endgame. It gives the Emmy-nominated Prime Video show a jolt of forward momentum that would likely not have the same kick if not for the knowledge that the final episodes are in sight. That indeed may be why Prime Video decided to announce the final season well ahead of time.

A-Train’s potential death and his showdown with Homelander also get a boost from the knowledge that the adaptation is ending because it suddenly feels like anything is on the table for The Boys cast. Similarly to Supernatural, which was also created by Kripke, there may indeed still be some good stories if the raunchy superhero series carries on beyond five seasons. But, as Starr says, it’s better to end with a clear stopping point since it makes things feel more important.

Source: Happy Sad Confused with Josh Horowitz