Why The Boys Season 2 Episodes Are Releasing Slowly And Won’t Let You Binge
The Boys season 2 episodes aren't getting released all at once and here's why.
This article is more than 2 years old
While all that accompanies The Boys season two’s new episodes, there is one huge difference between the inaugural season and the sophomore season: the release schedule. This time, instead of The Boys season 2 episodes dropping all at once like season one, Amazon decided to only release the first three episodes. Then, they will follow that with a weekly release.
Fans have been quick to put this decision and the blame for it all on Amazon. However, the streaming service was actually quite reluctant to release The Boys season 2 episodes in a staggered format. It took convincing from series creator Eric Kripke to make this happen and it is a decision that the show’s creator is now finding himself in hot water with fans over.
Here is how Kripke, via Digital Spy, looks at it, “The airing schedule came actually when we were pretty close to being done – probably 3/4ths of the way through post-production. For the record, it didn’t come from Amazon. It came from the producers… we’re the ones who pitched them. A lot of people over there were actually reluctant because it was a new idea, or they don’t do it that often. We really wanted it and Amazon ended up agreeing that they’d give it a try.”
Kripke elaborated. “Our feeling is that when it airs all eight at once, it becomes a sugar rush of a binge. People burn through it in a week or two. There’s an intense amount of activity, and then it sort of fades. There’s so many great moments in season two, we want to give it time to marinate, so people can reflect on it and talk about it before they move on to the next thing and be in the conversation a little longer. I think a little anticipation for the fans is healthy.” Funny thing with fans though.
THE SUPER BACKLASH OVER THE BOYS SEASON 2 EPISODES
Many fans are giving the show a one-star review. Make no mistake, this is not about the show itself. It has received a 98% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80% favorable rating from fans. No doubt the fan’s number is lower because of the release schedule.
The fans review-bombing are not pulling any punches. One reviewer wrote, “This is 2020…. We don’t want staggered releases of episodes!! What a shame, I was looking forward in watching it… now I’ll just skip it and wait for it to be cancelled, then I can watch them all without any interruptions.”
It doesn’t stop there though. Another review stated, “Not sure what moron decided this would be a good idea but it is the worst idea ever. For now I wait until the end of season and BINGE the way I prefer. If this trend continues into other shows i.e. Sneaky Pete I will cancel my prime subscription. And move on to Disney/Hulu and will just download my amazon series from other places.” There is plenty more backlash. “OKAY SERIOUSLY!!!… NO FULL SEASON AVAILABLE?!?!?!?!?!?! I give up, where is my Netflix!”
But Kripke, who already defended the release schedule, also shared his frustration with the review-bombs. Kripke asked why fans would “harm something you love” all because of the release schedule? “I get that people are disappointed and, frankly, looking back, we thought that we were communicating that we were weekly,” Kripke told TheWrap. “Clearly, in hindsight, we had to do a lot more than we did to make sure that people weren’t surprised and disappointed. I would have done that differently. I mean, again, we announced it. But we should have neon-signed it on everything, clearly.”
None of this should really be a surprise to fans. Amazon Prime, when it announced The Boys season 2 episodes, also revealed that the show would be released weekly. With all this fallout, one wonders if Kripke will go back to the season one release schedule or follow the new format as it has already been announced that season three is in the works. Time will tell.
Who doesn’t love a good binge watch? In this day of the COVID pandemic, finding things to do around the house can sometimes get tedious at best. So when a good show arrives for streaming, sometimes it is fun to watch the entire thing in one fell swoop. The Boys season 2 episodes were something folks were excited to do that with. Now they’ll have to wait for it all to unspool, before they’ll be able to binge.
THE PREVIOUS BINGE
By contrast, season one of the popular Amazon hit The Boys was fed to fans in all its gratuitous glory, with a single heaping helping. Fans ate it up. The show was definitely binge-worthy and something that Amazon regularly employs with its original series. But then season 2 arrived.
The excitement surrounding season two of The Boys was downright palpable. Season one was a massive hit, capturing just about everything the comic book promised. The story, which was created by Eric Kripke and based on the Garth Ennis/Darick Robertson comic, was “simple” enough. It tells of a group of vigilantes who aim to take down the superheroes who abuse their powers. Of course, that truly does sound simple but there are layers upon layers of drama, action, sex, gore, twists, turns, and for good measure, they also throw in the kitchen sink.
You can check out the Giant Freakin Robot review of The Boys season 2 episodes right here.
