“The end has begun” is an interesting way to announce a new season premiere of your show, but creator Eric Kripke has done exactly that when speaking about The Boys season 4 release. So what does that mean?
Amazon Prime Video’s popular satirical superhero drama The Boys has been entertaining us with its critical punches since 2019 (which was 6 years ago, for a mini heart attack). But there’s a catch about good comedies—they can’t go on forever. Following the brave but hilarious pursuits of the Boys and the Seven, the series grew three seasons long in no time by June 2022. And now we have another season ready to go.
Even though the mastermind showrunner has been hush about the possible stretch of the series, he’s always hinted that he likes his shows precise and short. But this new season was promised to us either way since Kripke believes “three and five are the big magical numbers for writing. Three is movie acts, TV acts are five.” (via EW) So, what’s NOT promised is a sixth one.
Fans want The Boys to end on a “high note”
With the fourth season on the air, many fans are in the same boat as Kripke to end The Boys on a high note before it becomes redundant. However, some of us have been enjoying the show too much to bid adieu. And there’s no correct opinion over what’s right, but Kripke seems to have decided his side. After failing to stick to his plan for the ideal run of Supernatural, the showrunner is talking strictly business with The Boys.
The Boys will end with season 5, Kripke confirms
Right on time in the season 4 premiere week, Eric Kripke took to his X account to make the much-awaited announcement about the show’s future. The creator-showrunner wrote, “Season 4 Premiere Week is a good time to announce: Season 5 will be the Final Season!” of The Boys. Kripke also revealed that he had always planned for the series to be five seasons and only needed Vought’s confirmation to make the announcement. Now, he’s “excited to finally execute a 5-season plan.”
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kripke elaborated on the decision and said,
“Part of it is such a wonky stupid screenwriter thing but three and five are the big magical numbers for writing. Three is movie acts, TV acts are five. Jokes are a runner of three for five. Five just seems like a good round number. It’s enough to tell the story but also bring it to a climax without wearing out its welcome. It’s been hard because I haven’t been able to tell everyone. I was thrilled to finally be able to get the word out there.”
For the fans anxious about not being able to see their favorite The Boys world anymore, he assured that Gen V will continue, with the possibility of “a couple of others in development.” But The Boys’ story will meet its climactic end in season 5.