Summary
The Boysconcluding with season 5 avoids a divisive decision theSupernaturalTV show made that keeps its fans at incredible odds, even today.Supernaturalended in 2020, provoking desperate fan calls foraSupernaturalrevivalor another new season to bring the paranormal series back on air. Still, no truly significantdevelopment has occurred to grant the revival wishes ofSupernatural’scult following, but, in the meantime, they have been afforded another great, critically acclaimed series to enjoy that shares some significant factors in common with The CW’sSupernatural.
The Boysis similarly written and created by Eric Kripke and featuresSupernaturallead actor Jensen Ackles. Even if Kripke and Ackles' participation wasn’t enough to catch the eyes ofSupernatural’saudience,The Boysboasts an average critical score of 90% onRotten Tomatoes, demonstrating its worth outside the consideration ofSupernatural. That said, besides the clear distinctions in premise, the shows differ in another substantial way. Much sooner thanSupernatural,The Boyswill end after season 5, shutting down an inevitable problem that is often a big topic of discussion inSupernatural’sfan base.
Supernatural
Cast
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their ‘67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
Supernatural’slongevity, a whopping 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020, has been the cause of major discourse. While it can be argued that plenty of its most beloved storylines and characters burgeoned in its latter half,counterarguments swear thatSupernatural’slong run affected the series’ quality over time. Among the slew of other reasons for or againstSupernatural’slength,The Boysavoids dispute altogether by ending after season 5. It’s awful to see such a highly-regarded show go, butThe Boyswill ultimately benefit from circumventing what is considered one ofSupernatural’sbiggest problems.
That is not to say thatThe Boyscouldn’t or shouldn’t curate more acclaimed seasons, but it avoids potential backlash by concluding before getting too far ahead of itself.
So long asseason 5 ofThe Boysmaintains its momentum and ends on a high note, it can endure asa complete and fully realized series that hasn’t sacrificed its quality for the sake of more seasons. That is not to say thatThe Boyscouldn’t or shouldn’t curate more acclaimed seasons, but it avoids potential backlash by concluding before getting too far ahead of itself. Due to its deeply focused, story-driven premise,The Boyswould have been increasingly more susceptible to its audience disagreeing with the show’s direction or scrutinizinghowThe Boyscompares to their source comics.
Supernatural Was Better Equipped For A Longer Run Compared To The Boys
Longevity Risked Hurting The Boys' More Story-Driven Premise
In the face ofSupernatural’scriticism of length,Supernatural’spremise was conducive to a longer TV run. Just as long-running case-of-the-week procedural series, likeCriminal Minds,Law & Order,andHouse, have proven before,Supernatural’smonster-of-the-week format was as much of a crowd-puller as its overarching storylines.Supernaturalwas equipped to run for 15 seasons, particularly for the reason that Sam and Dean’s shorter-term exploits were easy and enjoyable to watch without knowing what was going on in the grander scope of the show. Even more, if one monster-of-the-week wasn’t satisfying, the next week’s had the potential to be better.
BecauseThe Boysis focused on a more serialized premise, it hasn’t had the opportunity to fall back on weekly subplots to drive its story forward. Kripke’s determination to endThe Boysearlier rather than later is, in fact, most beneficial to the series, as it ensures thatThe Boyswill concern itself with maintaining and ending its central story thread without distraction. With a complete and smartly finished story - and way less discourse between its fans thanSupernatural-The Boysfranchisethus has a better opportunity to capitalize on spinoff endeavors that are trusted and co-signed by audiences.
The Boys Has Already Proven Its Spinoff Potential Is Better Than Supernatural’s
The Boys Has Promising Spinoff Potential To Fall Back On
TheSupernaturalfranchise has already had two canceled spinoffs.TheWayward Sistersspinoff, piloted as aSupernaturalepisode, could not muster enough hype to warrant it being picked up by The CW, andThe Winchesterswas canceledafter its first and only season due to Nextstar taking over The CW and reconstructing its content slate. Assuming that the spinoffs broke down because they couldn’t garner as big of an audience as the originalSupernaturalseries and, judging bySupernatural’sfailed spinoff history, it’s doubtful a new series will crop up in the near future.
The Boysfranchise, however, is booming with spinoff potential, already capitalizing off the thriving spinoff seriesGen V. The franchise series was correctly guessed to be such a hit with audiences thatseason 2 ofGen Vwas confirmed before its premiere season ever aired. UnlikeSupernatural’s,The Boys’franchise has made it easy to trust in its spinoff potential in and pastGen V, as its flagship series has placed more concern on quality over quantity and doesn’t seem to be straying from the mindset anytime soon.
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The Boys
The Boys is a gritty and subversive take on the superhero genre, focusing on a group of vigilantes who confront powerful superheroes abusing their abilities, exploring themes of corruption and moral ambiguity in a world where heroes are not always what they seem.
