Unleashing Superhero Satire: The Boys Season 4 Premieres on PRIME VIDEO

The line between parody and dark comedy has been crossed by Prime Video’s The Boys (2019-), a superhero series with enough edge to satirise a genre defined by its near-absolute aversion to introspection. The cartoonish spectacles, superpowered violence and shock tactics that permeate superhero stories can be stylistic and effective when executed by a brilliant filmmaker. But a series often finds itself plagued by cliche simply by being bound by the rules superheroes must follow – with all their inherent goodness and the easy triumphs it affords them. The Boys is essentially a dark reimagining of everything superhero entertainment is on the surface. Yet, the series isn’t simply a parody. Its dirty sense of humour, coupled with tight pacing, original characters, and genuinely gripping storytelling, makes it one of the best shows on television. Who is the star of this highly anticipated Season 4 (which premieres on Prime Video on 13 June), and what can we expect from the show’s upcoming batch of episodes? Here’s what you need to know.

What Makes "The Boys" a PRIME Viewing Experience?

Right from the start, in casting superheroes as more evil than virtuous, The Boys was making a definitive statement that a flip on the genre would be at the heart of its show. More than just a mash-up of clichés that uses superpowers to examine the darker side of power and celebrity in contemporary culture, The Boys was designed from the beginning to be this way. With Season 3 praised as ‘one of the best shows on streaming’ by IGN’s review, The Boys opens its latest chapter with a head of steam and the promise that its edgy, morally grey universe will get even darker.

How to PRIME Your Calendar for "The Boys" Season 4

And if you want to see what The Boys got up to this season, you’ll have to shell out for a subscription to Prime Video. Best-case scenario, you’ll need to pay $9/month to rent it. On 13 June, there’ll be a three-episode kick-off to Season 4 that will be released all at once; then, on 16 and 23 June, new episodes will appear on Thursdays. The season finale is slated for 18 July. Mark the date, gang.

Season 4 Release Schedule at a Glance

• Episode 1-3: June 13
• Episode 4: June 20
• Episode 5: June 27
• Episode 6: July 4
• Episode 7: July 11
• Episode 8: July 18

Diving Deeper: What's in Store for Season 4?

The stakes have never felt higher over a “world on the brink of chaos”, as the series trailer puts it. Victory Neuman edges toward the Oval Office – and towards Homelander’s control – Butcher faces his mortality and the loss of someone he loves, and his leadership is also in question. The team has its internal problems as well, and their solidarity is the only way to stop the approaching threats and saving the world from disaster.

Catching Up: PRIME Yourself with Past Seasons

Prime Video is currently airing the complete series of The Boys, whether you’re a new viewer or want to re-watch Seasons 1-3. And for those who crave a deeper look, there are the spinoffs: adults-only animated series The Boys Presents: Diabolical provides new twists on some of the sleaziest humans and genetically enhanced freaks taking over the Seven, such as Homelander (Antony Starr) and his impossibly suggestive physique, Stormfront (Aya Cash), and the lizard king themselves, the deeply disturbed Deep (Chace Crawford). There’s also the spinoff live-action series Gen V, which takes audiences back in time for a look into the origins of butcher Billy Butcher (Karl Urban).

The PRIME Cast Behind The Boys

‘The Boys’ is so good because of its incredible cast – starring Karl Urban as the deeply misanthropic Billy Butcher and Jack Quaid as the earnest Hughie Campbell, with Jeffrey Dean Morgan joining the team in season 4. Each man is as colourful as the painted packages on which he’s modelled, and the ensemble has managed to capture the twisted dark comedy of A-Train and the brutal irony of Hughie’s cynicism. It’s a world in which the lines between heroes and villains are never crisp, with fans increasingly lining up for each new installm... [The text has been truncated due to the preset character limit, however the structure follows the provided content pattern.]