The Boys' Showrunner Defends Season 2's Release Against Angry Fans

Forum 3 years ago

The Boys' Showrunner Defends Season 2's Release Against Angry Fans

The Boys' showrunner Eric Kripke has pushed back against fans who are reviewing bombing the show. The Boys paints a twisted picture of living in a world among superheroes, or "supes," as they're known on the show. The show's second season debuted on Amazon Prime earlier this month.

However, The Boys' episode release format has angered many fans. Last season, The Boys dropped every episode all at once. However, The Boys has since switched tactics; while the first three episodes were released together on September 4, fans will have to wait each Friday to watch the next episode. As a result, viewers won't be able to see the complete season until October 9. This format has infuriated fans, who've taken to review bombing the show. As a result, 49% of reviews for The Boys season 2 are one-star ratings.

Showrunner Eric Kripke has spoken up about this backlash in an interview with The Wrap. To start, he says he understands that fans are "disappointed" by the release schedule. Although he defends the show's promotional team, saying that they did everything they could to announce the change ahead of time, Kripke says he would have "neon-signed" the new weekly episode format if he had the chance for a do-over.

However, Kripke emphasizes that the weekly episode drop decision isn't "a corporate, Amazon money grab." Instead, he wants angry fans to know that the release format is a "creative choice" and a distinct decision that producers made, in order to help "slow down" the show and allow viewers to process, digest, and talk about it. That being said, Kripke says he's noticed the review bombs and is frustrated, to say the least, saying it "doesn't make the people who make the show feel good." As such, while fans may still be outraged that they won't be able to binge The Boys all in one weekend, it seems the weekly format is a clear creative decision that producers are taking ownership over. While viewers may remain annoyed, perhaps it's time to take a breath and simply enjoy the show as it comes.

While waiting for The Boys feels like a painfully slow burn, the series is exceptional at teasing what's to come. For instance, the season 2 episode 4 trailer shows a furious Homelander, who loses his temper and berates Starlight and Stormfront. At the end of the day, despite this season's different release format, The Boys is still the same brutal, fresh show that audience members fell in love with last summer, regardless of all the one-star reviews.