The fourth season of the American satirical superhero television series The Boys, the first series in the franchise based on the comic book series of the same name written by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, was developed for television by American writer and television producer Eric Kripke. The season is produced by Sony Pictures Television in association with Point Grey Pictures, Original Film, Kripke Enterprises, Kickstart Entertainment and KFL Nightsky Productions.
| The Boys | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Showrunner | Eric Kripke |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Amazon Prime Video |
| Original release | June 13, 2024 – present |
| Season chronology | |
The show's fourth season stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, Cameron Crovetti, Valorie Curry, and Susan Heyward. In the season, Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the control of Homelander. With only months to live, Billy Butcher must find a way to work with The Boys if they want to save the world.
The season released its first three episodes on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video on June 13, 2024, after which episodes are slated to be released on a weekly basis. The season has received positive reviews from critics and mixed reviews from the audience so far.[1]
Episodes
edit| No. overall | No. in season | Title [2] | Directed by | Written by [2] | Original release date [3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1 | "Department of Dirty Tricks" | Phil Sgriccia | David Reed | June 13, 2024 | |
|
The Boys infiltrate Victoria Neuman's campaign event as a sabotage mission. The mission goes awry when Homelander and Ryan arrive. Ryan learns Billy has only six months to live. The group is forced to flee when Neuman's daughter, Zoe, attacks and the Boys learn Neuman might be invulnerable. Discovering whiter hair on his body and fed up by his group being sycophant, Homelander recruits Sister Sage as a new member of The Seven. Homelander orders the murders of three supporters, among them Todd, while Sage begins a riot, in a plan to blame Starlight supporters. Hughie learns his father has suffered a stroke from GCS E1V1M1 and visits him only to encounter his mother. | ||||||
| 26 | 2 | "Life Among the Septics" | Karen Gaviola | Jessica Chou | June 13, 2024 | |
|
Billy tells The Boys his remaining time to live and is kicked out. Homelander and Sister Sage organize Ryan's first mission. The Boys and Billy gain a lead on Sage recruiting Firecracker, ending in a massive, bloody fight and the death of Firecracker's ally, Splinter; Firecracker flees. During Ryan's mission, Homelander abruptly appears off-script and forces Ryan to use his power, resulting in the fake criminal's death. After a fight, Billy visits MM in an attempt to return to The Boys, to no success. Feeling guilty for his actions, A-train gives Starlight and Hughie evidence for clearing her supporters accused of murder. | ||||||
| 27 | 3 | "We'll Keep the Red Flag Flying Here" | Fred Toye | Ellie Monahan | June 13, 2024 | |
|
Sister Sage and Firecracker are presented officially as members of The Seven. Butcher tasks his old friend, Joe Kessler, with retrieving Ryan and training him. MM recruits A-Train as a spy, who reluctantly accepts. Ashley is replaced as CEO by Sage. Frenchie takes drugs and begins to hallucinate about his past, while Kimiko is confronted by an old acquaintance. Billy doesn't deliver Ryan to Kessler and instead they spend time together bonding, each opening up about their issues and fears. Homelander kills Anika, mistaken as the spy. Annie confronts Firecracker, who reveals having a grudge upon losing a pageant due to a lie told by Starlight years ago. Hughie and MM infiltrate a meeting between Sage, Neuman, and Homelander to kill Singer. Homelander detects Hughie, but A-Train rescues him. At the hospital, Hughie's mother, Daphne, reveals that depression and a failed suicide attempt led to her departure. Homelander scolds Ryan for visiting Butcher, leading to a mental breakdown. | ||||||
| 28 | 4 | "Wisdom of the Ages" | TBA | Geoff Aull | June 20, 2024 | |
| 29 | 5 | "Beware the Jabberwock, My Son" | TBA | Judalina Neira | June 27, 2024 | |
| 30 | 6 | "Dirty Business" | TBA | Anslem Richardson | July 4, 2024 | |
| 31 | 7 | "The Insider" | TBA | Paul Grellong | July 11, 2024 | |
| 32 | 8 | "Assassination Run" | Eric Kripke[4] | Jessica Chou & David Reed | July 18, 2024 | |
Cast and characters
editMain
edit- Karl Urban as William "Billy" Butcher
- Jack Quaid as Hugh "Hughie" Campbell Jr.
- Antony Starr as John Gillman / Homelander
- Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight
- Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin / A-Train
- Laz Alonso as Marvin T. "Mother's" Milk / MM
- Chace Crawford as Kevin Moskowitz / The Deep
- Tomer Capone as Serge / Frenchie
- Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro / The Female
- Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir II[5]
- Colby Minifie as Ashley Barrett
- Claudia Doumit as Victoria "Vic the Veep" Neuman / Nadia Khayat
- Cameron Crovetti as Ryan[6]
- Susan Heyward as Jessica Bradley / Sister Sage[6]
- Valorie Curry as Firecracker[6]
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Joe Kessler[7]
Recurring
edit- Simon Pegg as Hugh Campbell Sr.
- Jim Beaver as Robert "Dakota Bob" Singer
- Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman
- Rosemarie DeWitt as Daphne Campbell[8]
- Sabrina Saudin as Also Ashley
- Christian Keyes as Nathan Franklin
- Elliot Knight as Colin Hauser
- Kimberly-Sue Murray as Kiara
- Olivia Morandin as Zoe Neuman
- Tilda Swinton as Ambrosius (voice)[9]
Guest
edit- Laila Robins as Grace Mallory
- Frances Turner as Monique
- Matthew Gorman as Todd
- P. J. Byrne as Adam Bourke
- Malcolm Barrett as Seth Reed
- David Reale as Evan Lambert
- Shantel VanSanten as Becca Butcher
- Jordana Lajoie as Cherie Sinclair
- Rob Benedict as Splinter
- Katia Winter as Nina "Little Nina" Namenko
- Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap
- Asa Germann as Sam Riordan
- Will Ferrell as himself playing Coach Brink in-universe,[10] a role previously portrayed by Clancy Brown in Gen V[11]
Production
editDevelopment
editOn June 10, 2022, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a fourth season.[12]
Casting
editOn July 8, 2022, it was announced Nathan Mitchell (who portrayed the masked Black Noir in the first three seasons), despite his character's death in the third season finale, would continue to portray a new replacement Black Noir in a main capacity in the fourth season of the series.[5] On August 1, it was reported that Cameron Crovetti had been promoted as a series regular, while Valorie Curry and Susan Heyward were cast as new series regulars for the fourth season.[6] On August 25, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was cast in a recurring role for the fourth season.[7] On December 1, Rosemarie DeWitt, Rob Benedict and Elliot Knight joined the cast in undisclosed capacities for the fourth season.[13] On May 3, 2024, an official trailer revealed Maddie Phillips and Asa Germann would appear in the fourth season, reprising their Gen V roles as Cate Dunlap and Sam Riordan, respectively.[14]
Filming
editThe fourth season commenced filming on August 23, 2022.[15] Pegg concluded filming his scenes on January 18, 2023.[16] Filming on the finale began on February 12,[17] with Starr concluding filming his scenes on April 4.[18] Filming for the fourth season wrapped on April 12, 2023.[19]
Release
editOn June 28, 2023, showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed that he was withholding release of the new season until the WGA strike was resolved.[20] The season premiered on June 13, 2024.[3]
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, the fourth season holds an approval rating of 92%, based on 58 reviews, with an average rating of 7.45/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Boxing in the political arena with a bloodied smile, The Boys' fourth season is grim and even a little glum while holding up a cracked mirror towards modern society."[21] On Metacritic, the season holds a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[22]
References
edit- ^ Wolinsky, David (June 11, 2024). "Review Roundup for 'The Boys' Season 4". GameSpot. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Boys". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on July 28, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Rice, Lynette (February 22, 2024). "'The Boys': When to Expect Fourth Season Return". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ Eric Kripke [@therealKripke] (February 4, 2023). "Ohhhhh Shit! #TheBoys #TheBoysTV @TheBoysTV @PrimeVideo @Reed_Dave @jesschoutime @SPTV" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 9, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Romano, Nick (July 8, 2022). "'The Boys' boss says this star will play 'a whole new character' in season 4 after that intense finale". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 20, 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Petski, Denise (August 1, 2022). "'The Boys': Cameron Crovetti Upped to Series Regular, Valorie Curry, Susan Heyward Also Cast in Amazon Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 1, 2022. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Hatchett, Keisha (August 25, 2022). "Jeffrey Dean Morgan Joins 'The Boys' Season 4 in a Recurring Role". TVLine. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Nick (May 20, 2024). "Jack Quaid on 'The Boys' season 4 bringing in Hughie's mom: 'Campbell family chaos'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Nick (June 13, 2024). "The story behind Tilda Swinton's depraved 'The Boys' season 4 role". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Garside, Megan (June 13, 2024). "Is this surprise A-list appearance in 'The Boys' season 4 the show's best cameo yet?". GamesRadar+. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Leon (May 3, 2023). "'The Boys': Clancy Brown's Secret 'Gen V' Role Revealed". CBR. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (June 10, 2022). "'The Boys' Renewed for Season 4 by Amazon; Vernon Sanders on Show's Ratings Growth & Spinoffs' Status". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 10, 2022.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (December 1, 2022). "'The Boys': Rosemarie DeWitt, Rob Benedict & Elliot Knight Board Season 4; Simon Pegg Sets Return". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
- ^ Romano, Nick (May 3, 2024). "'The Boys' season 4 trailer confirms returning 'Gen V' stars as supes turn into 'wrathful gods'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Nick (August 3, 2022). "Everything we know so far about 'The Boys' season 4". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ Perry, Spencer (January 18, 2023). "'The Boys' Star Wraps Filming on Season 4". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ Flook, Ray (February 12, 2023). "'The Boys': Eric Kripke Confirms Season 4 Finale Filming Underway". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ DeVore, Britta (April 6, 2023). "Antony Starr Wraps Filming on 'The Boys' Season 4". Collider. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ DeVore, Britta (April 12, 2023). "'The Boys' Season 4 Wraps With Gory Behind-the-Scenes Images". Collider. Archived from the original on April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
- ^ Eric Kripke [@therealKripke] (June 28, 2023). "#TheBoys update! 1) When #Season4 drops depends on how long the #WGA Strike goes. No answer yet. Tell the studios to make a fair deal!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ "The Boys: Season 4". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved June 13, 2024.
- ^ "The Boys: Season 4". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved June 13, 2024.