Prime Video’s superhero satire franchise The Boys continues to expand – and keeping the timeline straight isn’t always easy. With that in mind, here’s how to watch The Boys and its various spinoffs in chronological order.
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The Boys Franchise Canon, Explained
The Boys franchise currently consists of two live-action series, two short films, one web series, one animated anthology series, and an audiobook. They’re all set in the same shared universe – with some notable exceptions. The Boys Seasons 1-4 are (obviously) all canon. Spinoff Gen V is fully in continuity with The Boys, with its first season slotting between The Boys Season 3 and 4.
Butcher: A Short Film is also canon (it bridges The Boys Seasons 1 and 2), as is web series Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman (it’s a Season 3 stage-setter). The same goes for faux-podcast audiobook The Boys: Deeper and Deeper, which ties in with The Boys‘ third season.
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So far, so easy. But things get tricky with what’s left over: the Mr. Butcher promo short and The Boys Presents: Diabolical cartoon. On balance, we’re guessing Mr. Butcher isn’t canon (Butcher landing a guest speaker slot at an elementary school seems unlikely, even for The Boys). But if Mr. Butcher is canon, it’s set before Season 1.
Diabolical is more complicated. Most of the show takes place in its own separate universe, however, The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has confirmed that three episodes – “Nubian vs Nubian,” “John and Sun-Hee,” and “One Plus One Equals Two” – are canon. “One Plus One Equals Two” is easy to position on the timeline; it clearly takes place pre-Season 1. The other two episodes are harder to place, however, they slot neatly enough between The Boys Seasons 2 and 3.
The Boys Franchise Chronological Watch Order
All that said, here’s how to watch The Boys and its spinoffs in chronological order:
- The Boys Presents: Diabolical Episode 8, “One Plus One Equals Two”
- Mr. Butcher
- The Boys Season 1
- Butcher: A Short Film
- The Boys Season 2
- Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman
- The Boys Presents: Diabolical Episode 6, “Nubian vs Nubian”
- The Boys Presents: Diabolical Episode 7, “John and Sun-Hee”
- The Boys: Deeper and Deeper
- The Boys Season 3
- Gen V Season 1
- The Boys Season 4
Related: The Boys to End With Gory Season 5 on Prime Video
What about The Boys: Mexico? Nobody outside Amazon MGM Studios knows when the upcoming spinoff is set. Presumably, it will unfold between The Boys Seasons 4 and 5, although it could just as easily continue the franchise’s story after the main series’ fifth and final season.
The Boys Season 4 is currently streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes dropping Thursdays.
Published: Jun 25, 2024 07:18 am