The Boys, Amazon Prime Video’s anti-superhero superhero show, has not stopped shocking audiences since the first episode of its first season. And fans can expect more shock (and violence, gore, satire and so on) with the first spinoff within the world of The Boys: Gen V. This post will go over the plot and cast of the new series, as well as provide some background on if these series are the type of shows for you.
You can watch Gen V on Prime Video starting September 29, 2023.
‘THE BOYS’: A QUICK SERIES OVERVIEW
To understand Prime Video’s new series, Gen V, we first need to get immersed in the universe The Boys takes place. Caution: below are some light spoilers about the original series.
The Boys is based on a comic series written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. It takes place in a world where superheroes – or supes, as they’re called in the show – are widespread, living among normal people going about their day-to-day lives.
These “heroes” are seen by most of the public as gifts from God, sent to earth to keep civilians safe. The most famous of them all are a group called “The Seven,” made up of the “very best” superheroes alive.
It turns out, however, that image was carefully crafted by the international conglomerate, Vaught, which makes its profits from supes in the form of media appearances, “civilian protection” and a movie franchise as successful as real-world Marvel. Oh, and supes are not gifts from God, but actually injected as babies with something called Compound V.
And it’s that serum, Compound V, that is the inspiration for the name of the new spinoff series.
The group of vigilantes who refer to themselves as “The Boys,” are some of the “normal people” going about their lives, until supes came along and ruined them. And from season one to season three, Hughie Campbell (played by Jack Quaid) and the rest of “The Boys” have uncovered secret after secret surrounding Vaught and the heroes they manage.
As fans wait in anticipation for the fourth season of the iconic TV series, it’s almost hard to imagine what twists and turns the series’ showrunner, Eric Kripke, will add to the storyline next. Luckily for fans, Gen V will be just the thing to curb their excitement.
‘GEN V’ PLOT OVERVIEW
Based on the synopsis and trailers that have been released ahead of the September 29 release date, Gen V is focused on the up-and-coming generation of supes, who likely have dreams of one day becoming a part of the elite Seven. This is after the public discovers that Compound V, rather than any natural forces, creates superheroes, making the new generation depicted in Gen V the first to know how their powers came to be.
The new series will take place at Godolkin University, a college in The Boys universe. Of course, this isn’t just any college, but a college to train the supes of tomorrow how to embrace their superpowers. And considering Vaught’s evil plan to put their corrupt superheroes into the military, the demand for well-trained supes could soon go through the roof.
As Prime Video’s statement about the show reveals, even superhero college has its similarities to the traditional university:
“Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. “
OFFICIAL TRAILER
The official trailer for Gen V sets the scene for a college experience like none other, literally. And considering how hard college can be as a regular student, we can only imagine the stress these young adult superheroes will be going through. Watch the official trailer from Amazon Prime Video here:
The trailer shows a few familiar faces from The Boys, including the former fastest man in the world, A-Train (played by Jessie T. Usher) and Ashley Barret, the cutthroat middle manager turned CEO turned middle manager.
One of her lines from the trailer gives a glimpse into the drama to come:
“It’s just a matter of time before they find out about everything else we’re doing. If The Woods is exposed, we all have a big, potentially fatal problem.”
What – or where – is The Woods, and what are they hiding? Fans will have to wait until the end of September to find out.
‘GEN V’ RELEASE DATE
The official release date for the new spinoff series, Gen V, is September 29, 2023, at 8pm ET.
Amazon Prime Video will release the first three episodes on the night of the 29th, and the rest of the episodes will follow on a weekly basis.
The excitement doesn’t stop there, though: Amazon Prime Video has already renewed the show for a second season.
So, if you haven’t seen The Boys and want to get up to speed before the season premiere of Gen V, now is the time to get started!
MEET THE CAST OF ‘GEN V’
While we can hope for some cameo appearances from Kripke’s The Boys, the main cast of Gen V will be a mostly new group, representing the next generation of heroes. Here’s the cast list for season one of Gen V along with their expected roles.
Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, a freshman at Godolkin University, with her eyes set on being the first Black woman in the Seven
Lizze Broadway as Emma Meyer, a supe whose superpower is shrinking
Chance Perdomo as the magnetically powered Andre Anderson
Shelley Conn as Indira Shetty, Godolkin University’s Dean
Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap, an empath/mind-controller (contradictory much?)
London Thor as Jordan Li, who has the ability to switch their gender
Asa Germann as Sam, a supe with super strength and invulnerability
Patrick Schwarzenegger as Luke Riordan, AKA Golden Boy (Sounds a bit like Homelander part two? We hope not.)
Sean Patrick Thomas as Polarity, the supe father of Andre
Clancy Brown as a university professor, Rich “Brink” Brinkerhoff
Marco Pigossi as Dr. Edison Cardosa
Fans of The Boys can also expect even more cameos than the trailer revealed. In addition to Jessie T. Usher and Colby Minifie (Ashley), we can also expect Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles, and Chase Crawford playing The Deep among the wider cast.
And there you have it, the main cast of season one of the college set spinoff, Gen V.
SHOULD I WATCH ‘THE BOYS’ AND ‘GEN V?’
For those who haven’t watched The Boys, you may be wondering if you should give it, or Gen V, a shot. And the answer is a yes, but with a few caveats.
Thanks to the impressive comic book adaptation by Eric Kripke and executive producing from Seth Rogan and Jason Netter, among others, The Boys is an extremely well-made show, in all ways a show can be. From the writing to the special effects, and the thematic messages woven into the script, the show will make you gasp, cry, yell and all the other emotions a quality show makes you feel.
That being said, The Boys, and we can imagine Gen V as well, are not shows for the faint hearted. Kripke embraces the violence that comes along with a superhero show and uses that shock factor to his advantage. And boy, is some of the blood and gore shocking.
From heads blowing up like balloons to fatal laser beams and other, more passive forms of violence, some watchers may need to shield their eyes throughout the series.
If you can handle all that, though, this show and its soon to be spinoff, are well worth the watch. From the excellent script to impeccable, almost too real acting (we’re looking at you, Anthony Starr), this franchise will go down as one of the most innovative and creative shows in recent years.
WATCH ON DIRECTV
Customers can watch all of their favorite content, including Gen V, and other series like it with their DIRECTV subscription. Whether you’re connected via Satellite or via the Internet, you can add the apps you use right to DIRECTV’s entertainment interface.
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Get started today and find out how you can get your first three months of premium networks (that’s Max, SHOWTIME®, STARZ®, Cinemax® and MGM+™) free when you sign up for ENTERTAINMENT through ULTIMATE packages. Get DIRECTV today.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the season one premiere of ‘Gen V?’
‘Gen V’ will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on September 29th, 2023, at 8pm ET.
How many episodes of ‘Gen V’ will there be?
The first season of ‘Gen V’ will have a total of eight episodes. The first three will be released on 9/29, with the rest following week to week.
What is ‘Gen V’ based on?
‘Gen V’ is a new spinoff from Amazon Prime that takes place in the same universe as the hit series, ‘The Boys.’
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