Gen V Review: A Bold Leap Forward in The Boys Universe

The Boys has been one of the biggest shows on TV since its premiere in 2019. It was inevitable Prime Video would be interested in expanding the franchise, but the outcome of that expansion was unknown.

Launching new IPs is becoming increasingly difficult due to fragmented audiences, a result in part because of the endless ways to consume content. To capture a wide array of viewers across platforms, it makes sense to engage in established universes that touch a broader viewership.

Even expanding an existing universe has its challenges, and Gen V didn’t have the easiest road to the screen, with many of the initial cast being replaced as production got underway.

That’s not uncommon, but it does make you wonder whether there was unease about the initial quality of the series. We can say that if you read our Gen V: Everything We Know article about the show, we didn’t know much and watching is everything.

Shifting the action to Godolkin University School of Crimefighting, run by Vought International, there were also concerns that changing the setting could affect the show’s reception. Would a change of this magnitude pull the material too far from its predecessor, and what made it great?

After watching the first six episodes, it’s clear there’s a space for both shows to co-exist. They share the same universe, but they are unique.

Gen V takes the high-octane tone of The Boys and blends it with other concepts to deliver a series that stands on its own while also serving as a companion to the broader franchise.

With high stakes, well-drawn characters, impressive acting, and compelling storylines, it may be one of the best shows of the year.

Featuring a fully-realized world in which people are aware of superheroes, now we’re seeing the hurdles supes experience in their formative years. Some take glory-bound paths, destined to wind up with a seat on The Seven, and others face ridicule and sacrifices for the whole.

This is a world where parents choose their children’s future, hoping for glory, and, more often than not, are left unprepared when they or their children fail to live up to expectations.

The series tells plenty of cautionary tales, but none of it would be possible without an ensemble this stellar. The cast is perfect, and any concerns about what their replacement meant early in the process are washed away.

Jaz Sinclair (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) plays Marie Moreau, a young woman who arrives at the school with a tragic past.

Marie’s story is the jumping-off point for the spinoff, and we’re introduced to Godolkin University through her eyes.

It’s a thrilling spin on the “fish out of water” trope because she’s thrust into a world many won’t believe exists. Her heightened expectations are met with the reality of life at Godolkin, and how she adapts to her new world sets the tone for the series as a whole.

Marie hopes that her time at the university will heal her wounds and secure her place in this supe-driven world. Her scars run very deep, but she possesses a curious mind and a keen sense of self that suggests she’ll rise to any challenge.

With a heavy load to shoulder amongst the young cast, Sinclair effortlessly brings the perfect amount of vulnerability and pathos to required to lead the ensemble.

Sinclair’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina costar Chance Perdomo is also on board as Andre Anderson, a popular metal bender who is one of Marie’s first friends on the campus.

The most thrilling aspect of Marie’s arc comes from being a novice in the supe world. Her desire to make up for lost time leads her in unexpected directions with surprising results.

While Marie is the sun around which the other students orbit, they all have rich storylines of their own to weave a colorful tapestry of life as a young supe and as a Godolkin student in particular.

For their roles to be diminished in any way would leave Gen V hollow, as diving into their characters’ machinations helps us understand their actions and connect with them on a personal level. In a story as thematically adept as Gen V, every character is equally important.

Lizze Broadway plays the sharp-tongued Emma Meyer, a half-inch-sized supe who grows and shrinks on command(ish).

Emma is the show’s heart, eager to fit in and find her space within a supe world as much as she just wants to get laid. It’s college, after all, and you wouldn’t expect less.

As Marie’s roommate, the two strike up a friendship that expands their social circle in ways uniquely reminiscent of the college experience. Emma’s storyline excellently delves into the pressures of being supe on a path that ends somewhere other than The Seven.

Gen V delivers some timely plots with a super spin by diving into social media, the added layer of pressure, and the bane of existence for any youth trying to find their place in the world.

The remaining cast is rounded out by Maddie Philips, Derek Luh, Asa German, Shelley Conn, and Patrick Schwarzenegger, all of whom lend their talents to make life at Godolkin University and the world in general well-rounded, unique and believable.

Gen V benefits by having these young adults deal with adult issues. All young adults are feeling their way between childhood and adulthood, and it’s beautifully portrayed here under the most heightened circumstances.

The franchise hasn’t merely sent young adults to school with the aim of creating a series for a young audience.

Thematically, this is a different beast than The Boys.

For one, the girls get their due respect. The themes are more recognizable, and I’d say that the “be careful what you wish for” of The Boys is readily available here.

Straight out, the message is clear: Supes are not what you expect, and being at this college isn’t going to change that.

Expectations vs. reality at this phase of your life can make or break your future, and with the ugly adults whose craven actions helped corrupt the experienced supes of The Boys, well, you can guess how that could pan out here.

The Boys’ treatment of women has been abysmal in many aspects, and Gen V has weighed that criticism, providing a female-driven story with a lot of weight to it.

Don’t worry, Gen V also shows full frontal nudity but remaining in line with its predecessor, it does it without a single female having to show her skin. We love that as we can admit far too many shows rely on gratuitous female nudity that doesn’t drive the story forward.

The most interesting part of the series is how it plays with expectations, taking things in very different directions than you expect.

There are more than several points in the first six episodes that deliver content so shocking you’ll react physically. The mark of a good series is when it can pull that off.

Far too often, spinoffs are poor imitations of what came before and dilute an established franchise, but Gen V forges its own path while retaining some of the elements that made The Boys a success.

There is plenty of shock and awe and its fair share of bawdy humor, but it’s deeper, too, and gives credence to the world young adults inhabit — halfway between two life phases, when something funny to us might not be to them or the exact opposite.

How it manages to pull off such a generous step and exist wholly on its own and together with The Boys at the same time, you will have to see for yourself.

It’s the plausible next step in the franchise, and we can’t wait to see its effect on The Boys Season 4 — and beyond.

This is an organic, interconnected universe, and there are plenty of surprises for everyone, including cameos, name-drops, and events that will shape what comes next.

Paul Dailly and Carissa Pavlica contributed to this review. Denis Kimathi will be handling the episodic reviews for Gen V Season 1, so be sure to return to TV Fanatic on Friday, September 29, 2023, for detailed rundowns of all the action.

We’re excited to take this new journey with you.

Are you ready to head to Godolkin University?

Edit Delete