Amazon’s small screen adaptation of The Boys has become something of a cultural phenomenon recently, as well as becoming one of the streaming service’s most-watched shows in just a matter of weeks. The brutal, violent and often darkly hilarious series has generated plenty of conversation for both the graphic depictions of violence and topical nature of the story, and Amazon knew they had a surefire hit on their hands as the second season started shooting a month before The Boys had even debuted.
In a recent interview to promote upcoming R-rated comedy Good Boys, executive producers Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen praised the show, while also revealing that the currently-filming follow-up raises the bar. The duo are no strangers to working on comic book adaptations, after bringing Preacher to the small screen, and Rogen was enthusiastic about the future of The Boys, saying:
“They already have more resources for the second season. They’re adding more characters, the scope of the show organically grows as the show continues. We just watched, actually, the first episode of the second season this week. It was a wonderful thing as producers. This is way better than I ever hoped it would be… With a show like The Boys, especially, where the tone is so unique, for the actors to be able to watch the show and to see like, ‘Oh, that’s what it is.’. It allows them to come back completely locked into it.”
Just last week, showrunner Eric Kripke commented on the success of The Boys as well, and also addressed his intentions for what he wants to bring to the table in season 2, explaining:
“I’m so beyond thrilled with the response to season 1. And mainly, it’s made me get my a** in gear and work even harder on season 2. I don’t want season 2 to go bigger, I want it to go deeper. A more intense, more insane, more wrenching, more character-driven season. It’s my one and only goal to make season 2 even better than season 1.”
The first season of The Boys was a delicate balancing act between several hugely different tones, and for the most part, the show managed to pull it off despite jumping from superhero satire to stomach-turning violence and jet-black comedy, often in the same scene. There’s nothing else quite like it on television, and it’s no surprise that Amazon already has the second season in production in order to maintain and build the buzz surrounding the comic book adaptation.