4 TV Shows to Watch If You Miss The Boys

Everyone was used to superhero stories following pretty much the same formula, with only the characters changing from one franchise to another. Then The Boys came along and broke all the conventions, becoming a huge hit on TV over the course of five seasons (even if its final one didn’t quite win everyone over). But now that the show is over, it’s hard not to miss having something like it to watch. Who wouldn’t want a series that was designed to stand apart and do things a little differently?

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You may have already tried watching some of the shows on this list, while others might be completely new to you. Either way, these are 4 well-crafted, highly addictive productions worth checking out if you’ve become a fan of The Boys and are looking for something to help fill that void (at least until the other spin-offs, besides Gen V, premiere).

4) Misfits

Having superpowers doesn’t mean someone is going to become a hero — that’s what The Boys teaches us. And Misfitsunderstands this idea really well. The show follows a group of young offenders who, while serving their community service sentences, are hit by a mysterious storm and end up developing supernatural abilities. The thing is that none of them really wants to save the world, as they remain selfish, impulsive, and full of problems, often using their powers to deal with personal situations in the worst possible ways. And that’s where the fun comes in, because the series doesn’t deliver what you’d expect from characters who are supposed to do something good with their abilities.

Here, we see a group of young people who can barely get their own lives in order, trying to deal with powers they don’t even know how to control. For anyone who misses The Boys, this approach is one of the show’s biggest draws. But the best part? It also leans into the kind of sharp humor and unexpected violence that became so characteristic of the Prime Video show over the seasons. The characters are interesting, and none of them needs to be a role model to make that happen. Misfitsoperates on a smaller scale, but for anyone looking for more complex, unconventional takes on superheroes, it’s definitely one of the greatest options to check out.

3) Preacher

It’s funny that Preacherdoesn’t get talked about all that often, considering how much it has in common with The Boys. Maybe it just didn’t catch on because it asks you to be a little more willing to dive into its world. With no problem taking things to the extreme, and also based on a comic book series, the story follows Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper), a Texas preacher who ends up possessed by a supernatural entity and gains the ability to make anyone obey his commands. Alongside his ex-girlfriend, Tulip (Ruth Negga), and Cassidy (Joseph Gilgun), an Irish vampire who’s far from a good influence, he sets out on a journey to find God.

It’s an idea that might not sound too appealing to a mainstream audience at first, since it explores some very specific subjects like Heaven, Hell, and biblical figures. But don’t worry, the show knows how to have fun with bizarre situations, questionable characters, and satire of religion and powerful institutions. It’s irreverent, violent, and provocative on every level. One of the main things about The Boys is that it never tries to tone anything down, so fans have always known they’re in for things that go way beyond the norm. Preacheris exactly the same, as you never really know how far the story is willing to go — that unpredictability is what makes the whole thing fun to watch.

2) Peacemaker

When it first premiered, Peacemakerbecame a favorite with pretty much everybody. Created by James Gunn, that probably comes as no surprise, given what he’s capable of as a screenwriter. Here, , a vigilante who believes he’s fighting for peace, even if that means killing anyone he considers a threat. After the events of The Suicide Squad, he’s recruited for a new government operation, but the mission involves more than just taking out enemies. At the same time, while working alongside a team of agents who are just as problematic as he is, Christopher has to deal with his past and his complicated relationship with his father.

And the show doesn’t waste time trying to convince you that its characters are admirable people. In fact, much of the entertainment comes from watching just how ridiculous, violent, and contradictory they can be. Plus, the story strikes a really good balance between its off-the-wall jokes and more serious moments, which give the characters room to develop and make it easy to take the show seriously throughout. Basically, Peacemakeris everything a more conservative audience would condemn, and it’s hard not to think of The Boys while watching each episode. It’s genuinely one of the best superhero shows TV has ever seen.

1) Invincible

This is the top recommendation on the list, and there’s no getting around that. You may not be a fan of animation, since that’s a matter of personal taste, but there’s no way you can enjoy The Boys and overlook Invincible. Based on Robert Kirkman’s comic books, we meet Mark Grayson, a teenager who begins developing superpowers and finally gets the chance to follow in his father’s footsteps. And his father, Nolan, better known as Omni-Man, is considered one of the greatest superheroes on Earth. However, as Mark learns to control his abilities and gets a better understanding of what being a hero actually means, he finds out there’s much more going on behind this world than he ever imagined.

And the show doesn’t use superpowers as an excuse to ignore the damage they can cause, so the action scenes are extremely violent, the most powerful characters don’t always have good intentions, and the consequences are rarely easy to deal with. But don’t get it wrong: although Invinciblehas become popular mainly because of its shocking, hard-hitting moments, it also knows how to explore important things like Mark’s relationship with his father, family conflicts, and the difficulties of balancing an ordinary life with the responsibilities of being a superhero. That’s what gives the series a whole dimension. It’s basically The Boys‘ sibling.

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