The Boys Showrunner Addresses Backlash to Season 2 Release Schedule

Ever since Netflix normalized the binge-watching model for audiences, there has been an ongoing debate as to whether it’s better to release TV shows all at once, or on a weekly release schedule. The Boys, like a number of other recent projects, has take a middle way on this fight, releasing the first chunk of the season all at once and then letting the rest play out weekly over the course of a month. Not all of the show’s fans — and there are many, considering the series was one of Amazon‘s most-watched TV shows last year — are happy about that, and showrunner Eric Kripke is aware of their concerns.

The producer, who previously worked on projects like Supernatural, said that they deliberately paced out the season in order to better emphasize big moments. Binging it all at once, he said, would dilute the impact of some of the moments that, in a traditional broadcast format, would blow fans away.

“The airing schedule came actually when we were pretty close to being done – probably 3/4ths of the way through post-production,” Kripke told Collider. “For the record, it didn’t come from Amazon. It came from the producers… we’re the ones who pitched them. A lot of people over there were actually reluctant because it was a new idea, or they don’t do it that often. We really wanted it and Amazon ended up agreeing that they’d give it a try.”

While it may not be the most common thing for Amazon to do, the practice of splitting up a season on streaming isn’t unheard-of. Expensive shows like Lucifer and Chilling Advenures of Sabrina have been getting “part one” and “part two” drops of single seasons, allowing fans to get a mini-binge on every six months or so, rather than waiting a year for one big bite.

For the platforms presenting the content, the idea seems to be that you can’t possibly match the surge of enthusiasm you can get for a single week when people are binging the new season — but it’s also nealry impossible to sustain that enthusiasm for long. By releasing episodes weekly, you get fans coming back, talking about the show, over and over for weeks or months.

“Our feeling is that when it airs all eight at once, it becomes a sugar rush of a binge,” said Kripke. “People burn through it in a week or two. There’s an intense amount of activity, and then it sort of fades. There’s so many great moments in season 2, we want to give it time to marinate, so people can reflect on it and talk about it before they move on to the next thing and be in the conversation a little longer. I think a little anticipation for the fans is healthy.”

You can check out the official Season two synopsis below.

“In Season 2, The Boys are on the run from the law, hunted by the Supes, and desperately trying to regroup and fight back against Vought. In hiding, Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Frenchie (Tomer Capon), and Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara) try to adjust to a new normal, with Butcher (Karl Urban) nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Starlight (Erin Moriarty) must navigate her place in The Seven as Homelander (Antony Starr) sets his sights on taking complete control. His power is threatened with the addition of Stormfront (Aya Cash), a social-media-savvy new Supe, who has an agenda of her own. On top of that, the Supervillain threat takes center stage and makes waves as Vought seeks to capitalize on the nation’s paranoia.”

The first three episodes of The Boys‘ second season are available now. For the next five weeks, each Friday will see a new episode released.