The Boys Season 2 Reviews Are In, Here's What Critics Are Saying
This year's Fall TV season already looks completely different than it has in previous years, with many productions unable to start up during their usual time windows. But while The CW's Arrowverse shows are all on an extended hiatus and won't start up again until the early months of 2021, audiences will soon get a very different dose of high-flying superheroes and deadly villains when Amazon's The Boys debuts its second season in September. Karl Urban claimed that things would get more diabolical in Season 2, and it appears The Boys delivers on that promise.
The embargo lifted this week for Season 2 reviews, and the vast majority of critics are in agreement that The Boys is even sharper and more on point than ever. In following up on the first season's big deaths and reveals, The Boys is building up Giancarlo Esposito's role within Vaught, and will introduce You're the Worst's Aya Cash as Stormfront, one of the comic's controversial members of The Seven. Having watched Season 2 myself, I can definitely say that hardcore fans will not be disappointed by anything they see, including X-Men's Shawn Ashmore as Lamplighter. But let's dig into what others are saying.
For IGN, one of the big pluses for Season 2 is that showrunner and creator Eric Kripke has maintained a balance between mega-spectacle and character development.
Many critics agree that The Boys Season 2 successfully builds out its barbed criticism of its superheroes in a way that plays into an assortment of real-world metaphors. Decider's review, for instance, not only gives the new episodes credit for upping the ante on the whole, but also in how its storytelling reflects race and gender issues, as well as celebrity culture, while also teasing some highly fucked-up moments scattered throughout.
If only "Piano Man" could serve as one of The Seven, amirite? In any case, Collider's review points out that as wild and unpredictable as Season 2 can get, The Boys also manages to focus in on some of its more humanistic elements.
Jack Quaid's Hughie and Erin Moriarty's Annie/Starlight are definitely the two beacons of humanity in this sordid universe, with Laz Alonso's protagonist Mother's Milk coming in third place on that scale. But Season 2 also puts other characters into situations where they should have more empathy, compassion and love, even if it doesn't automatically happen. Den of Geek's positive review speaks to that idea, and confidently thinks that this follow-up season will draw in more viewers that were hesitant to go gung ho about Season 1.
Currently, The Boys Season 2 is rocking a 95% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, which is a nice uptick from Season 1's aggregated score of 84%. (Granted, Season 1 had 99 reviews compared to just over 20 for Season 2 so far, but still.) Currently, the only Rotten review on the site is from Observer, which wasn't a wholly negative outlook by any means. But beyond offering up certain compliments, that particular critic did not seem to think The Boys evolved all that much between seasons, and that it fell victim to the same trappings that hindered Season 1.
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While there will no doubt be some dissenters who won't be as impressed with Billy Butcher's team taking on Homelander's crew (among other rivalries), that's going to be the case with almost any TV show out there. Especially one that features heads exploding and dogs being commanded to have sex with other creatures and inanimate objects. But if these reviews prove anything, it's that just about everyone who binged Season 1 with glee is going to be equally impressed with the calamitous second season, if not more so.
The Boys Season 2 will make its grand three-episode debut on Amazon Prime Video on Friday, September 4, with future installments releasing weekly. While waiting for the super-mayhem to arrive (and for Supernatural's Jensen Ackles to arrive in Season 3), head to our Fall 2020 TV premiere schedule to see what other new and returning shows will be around soon.
Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper. Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.