# The Boys S1 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, amazon-prime\ **Created:** [June 17, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656 "2019-06-17T20:58:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/1 "2019-06-17T20:58:19Z")
I am enthusiastically waiting for 26 July so I can watch E1 of _The Boys_ on Amazon. [2 minute trailer here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRBX5LribPk). DC;DW: Seems to be a darkly humorous show about a secret superhero group that acts when other superheros abuse their powers/positions. I like the look, I like the tone, and I like the good-for-many-metaphors milieu. The cast looks great: I like Keith Urban (he’s a decent actor who’s great for certain parts, plus he likes SF and comic books so he’s cool ya), Elisabeth Shue is fantastic, Jessie T. Usher is apparently an up-and-coming star, Erin Moriarty, etc. S1 is only 8 episodes but they’re 60 minutes each, so they should be able to cover a fair amount of story & character(s) development. I had no idea this show existed until today, but now I’m looking forward to it. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/2 "2019-06-17T21:38:27Z")
I think you mean Karl not Keith. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/3 "2019-06-17T21:50:53Z")
:smack: I swear I spell-checked and stuff, folks. Yes, Karl Urban. Thanks, **Ike**. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/4 "2019-06-17T22:22:11Z")
The show itself looks pretty promising. I will give it a shot, for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/5 "2019-06-18T04:33:43Z")
Yeeeeeaaaahh. . . Keith, Karl. BIG difference. One, I dont’ care, the other, I’m psyched. A dark comedy superhero series with Karl Urban? I am SOOO in. I was pissed when I found out it’s not out yet. I was getting set to waste the next 24 hours on this. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/6 "2019-06-18T05:55:26Z")
I don’t like the look of this at all. It seems really ugly and gratuitously violent, which I know there are big audiences for, but I’m not one of them. Putting that aside, though, it also seemed like it was missing something fundamental, which I can’t quite pin down or explain, so I’m curious to see if it will succeed. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/7 "2019-06-18T06:52:35Z")
So it seems that part of the pilot’s plot consists of the Seven sending some sort of invisible killer to get rid of Wee Hughie, probably because he was suing them for his girlfriend’s death. Not a bad idea. In the comics Hughie refuses a payout, but his girlfriend’s demise is still written off as colateral damage. It looks fine and fairly close to the book… who’s producing it? Let me check… Oh. Seth Rogen and friends. Makes sense. I wasn’t that happy with Preacher. I didn’t even feel like watching season 2. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/8 "2019-06-18T08:01:24Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > So it seems that part of the pilot’s plot consists of the Seven sending some sort of invisible killer to get rid of Wee Hughie, probably because he was suing them for his girlfriend’s death. > Not a bad idea. In the comics Hughie refuses a payout, but his girlfriend’s demise is still written off as colateral damage. > It looks fine and fairly close to the book… who’s producing it? Let me check… > Oh. Seth Rogen and friends. > Makes sense. > I wasn’t that happy with Preacher. I didn’t even feel like watching season 2. That’s great news for me. I love Preacher. BTW, i feel like it picked up after the first season. They got out of town and went on the road. The town setting, and the townsfolk, were a drag. It’s a pity of you never watched the season two opener. It really took off. Of course, if you followed the Preacher comics, you’d have a different perspective than I. I’m getting a bit off-topic, but damn, there’s not much to say about the Karl Urban show, unfortunately. At least it’s not far away. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/9 "2019-06-18T08:58:49Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > That’s great news for me. I love Preacher. BTW, i feel like it picked up after the first season. Well, I’m glad to hear that. Maybe I’ll check S2. What bothered me from S1 was that, at some point, the writers stared ignoring the original story and wanted to develop their own off the wall ideas… and some of those ideas worked well enough (like the motel clone massacre) and some fell really flat (The meeting “God” at the church scene). So I suspected that S2 would be more of that. But if you’re telling me it picks up, I guess I can give it another chance. ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/10 "2019-06-18T09:19:00Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Well, I’m glad to hear that. Maybe I’ll check S2. > > What bothered me from S1 was that, at some point, the writers stared ignoring the original story and wanted to develop their own off the wall ideas… and some of those ideas worked well enough (like the motel clone massacre) and some fell really flat (The meeting “God” at the church scene). > > So I suspected that S2 would be more of that. But if you’re telling me it picks up, I guess I can give it another chance. FWIW, I feel the same way about the clone massacre and the Skype meeting with God. I think the series has more hits than misses thereafter. The season 2 opener should be a good gauge for what follows…well, for season 2. Season 3 has a darker feel. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/11 "2019-06-18T09:27:46Z")
I stuck with Season 2 until the characters just started hanging out in New Orleans, harassing street preachers and shooting each other in the chest. That was the point I realized that the show had nowhere to go and nothing to say. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ecks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ecks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ecks)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/12 "2019-06-18T10:20:33Z")
I just can’t feel optimistic about this, because the original comics were such a grim, ugly, cynical slog. Pointing out that comic book tropes don’t work in real life is like shooting fish in a barrel, but doing it by making pretty much every super, politician, and corporate executive a mass murdering psychopath and sex maniac is ridiculous overkill. A vigilante group that works to reign in out of control “heroes” is an interesting idea. I’m not sure this is the best source material to use. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/13 "2019-06-18T10:22:20Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I don’t like the look of this at all. It seems really ugly and gratuitously violent, which I know there are big audiences for, but I’m not one of them. Yeah, it’s based on Garth Ennis’ work. It’s gonna be violent. On the other hand, the comic is one of the better deconstructions of the superhero adolescent power-fantasy genre there’s ever been. I loved it. So we’ll see how this goes. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/14 "2019-06-18T15:07:39Z")
Fortunately for me, I have no pre-conceptions at all; didn’t even know it was a comic until I read it here. _The Umbrella Academy_ was the same for me, and _The Tick_ (well, I knew _about_ _The Tick_, natch) and I really enjoyed those. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/15 "2019-06-18T15:49:44Z")
Yeah I had no idea this was a comic either and I hope we can keep the discussion to the show only. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/16 "2019-07-25T19:01:24Z")
I plan on staying up late tonight to watch E1. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/17 "2019-07-26T07:13:24Z")
I just watched the first 3 episodes and I think this show is brilliant. Scary and funny and gory and ironic and horrifying and triumphant and just fucking brilliant. Gotta sleep and go to work; gonna finish it tomorrow prolly. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/18 "2019-07-26T07:22:10Z")
BTW, if you’ve read this far and haven’t turned the show on yet, be aware that this is some dark, DARK, heavy shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/19 "2019-07-26T13:28:48Z")
I loved the comic and will watch the show. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2019, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656/20 "2019-07-26T17:42:21Z")
It’s definitely dark. I’m about as far along as **Bo**. I like it. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boys-s1/835656.md?page=2)