It was hard to find many TV shows like The Boys when it first became available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription. However, developer Eric Kripke’s adaptation of Garth Ennis’ twisted comic book series about morally defunct superheroes and corporate malfeasance is considered one of the best Amazon Prime original TV shows, thanks in large part to its unpredictable action, hilarious cynicism, and unapologetic skewering of superhero media. It would even inspire two spin-offs – an animated anthology called The Boys: Diabolical and the live-action coming-of-age series, Gen V, which has a second season on the way.
Of course, the comparisons to one of the best TV shows not based on a Marvel or DC comic (well, to be fair, it was a DC Wildstorm title before moving to Dynamite Entertainment) do not stop at the series that exist in the same universe. So, while you wait for the upcoming fifth and final season, we've rounded up a selection of TV shows from recent years that fans will likely enjoy watching. Now, put on your snazziest costume, smile for the cameras, and check out all the shows that we think The Boys fans should be watching.
Invincible (2021-Present)
Starring: Steven Yeun, J.K. Simmons
What it's about: A teenage boy aspires to live up the expectations of his superhero father by joining a group of other young heroes.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Another great superhero TV show on Amazon Prime is its adaptation of Robert Kirkman’s Image comic, Invincible, which immediately drew comparisons to The Boys for its similarly violent content and dark humor involving costumed vigilantes.
How to watch Invincible
Peacemaker (2022-Present)
Starring: John Cena, Danielle Brooks
What it's about: A morally misguided vigilante (played by John Cena) is recruited onto a top secret mission.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: When it comes to DC TV shows, few are as comparable to The Boys’ ultra-violent, foul-mouthed, and uproariously funny elements than creator James Gunn’s Peacemaker, which has a second season on the way.
How to watch Peacemaker
Jupiter’s Legacy (2021)
Starring: Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, Andrew Horton, Elena Kampouris
What it's about: Veteran superheroes try to savor their relationship with their grown-up son and daughter in order to better prepare them for inheriting the mantle as Earth’s protectors.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Exclusively available with a Netflix subscription, Jupiter’s Legacy is another series based on an Image Comic – this one from Kick-Ass and Kingsman creator Mark Millar – that offers a dark take on superhero fiction, but was cancelled after one season.
How to watch Jupiter's Legacy
Misfits (2009-2013)
Starring: Antonia Thomas, Iwan Rheon, Lauren Socha, Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Robert Sheehan
What it's about: While performing community service, a group of troubled youths get caught in an electrical storm which gives them special abilities.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: While not based on a comic book, creator Howard Overman’s U.K.-based coming-of-age dramedy, Misfits, is one of the most acclaimed, darkly comedic takes on superhero fiction in recent memory.
How to watch Misfits
- Stream Misfits on Amazon Prime
- Stream Misfits on Hulu
- Stream Misfits on Peacock
- Stream Misfits on Pluto TV
Fallout (2024-Present)
Starring: Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Walton Goggins
What it's about: Two centuries after a cataclysmic nuclear war, a young woman on a personal mission ventures out beyond her sheltered home to experience the wasteland for the first time.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: While not based on a comic book, developers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner’s adaptation of the popular Fallout video game franchise is another Amazon Prime original series boasting an incredibly twisted, politically-charged sense of humor, and has a second season in the works.
How to watch Fallout
Titans (2018-2023)
Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Anna Diop, Ryan Potter
What it's about: A group of young, costumed vigilantes – including Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy, and others – come together as a powerful crime fighting team.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Though the brooding drama does have its share of offbeat humor, Titans – originally developed for DC Universe before becoming exclusive with a Max subscription – is like The Boys with far less wink-at-the-camera hijinks.
How to watch Titans
Supernatural (2005-2020)
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki
What it's about: Two brothers travel the country defending the Earth from bizarre, otherworldly, and evil phenomena.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Comparisons between The Boys and The CW’s long-running hit, Supernatural – also one of the best horror TV shows on Netflix – include unique twists to traditional genre storytelling, cheeky humor, and creator Eric Kripke.
How to watch Supernatural
Watchmen (2019)
Starring: Regina King, Jeremy Irons
What it's about: A new group of costumed vigilantes come forth to right wrongs in a corrupt world where superheroes have been outlawed for years.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: The Boys’ commentary on superheroes and corporate corruption can be easily traced to the pages of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen, which was sequelized in the form of an acclaimed HBO miniseries from developer Damon Lindelof that is a far bleaker, but still visually stunning, story to behold.
How to watch Watchmen
The Punisher (2017-2019)
Starring: Jon Bernthal
What it's about: After the violent death of his wife and daughter, Marine veteran Frank Castle takes matters into his own hands with his own unmerciful form of justice.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: For fans who want all of The Boys' rampant bloodshed, bone-crunching violence, and vengeful protagonists, but with its quirky humor replaced by even more bones getting crunched, Marvel’s The Punisher (formerly exclusive to Netflix and now available with a Disney+ subscription) has more than enough grunt-infused brutality to spare.
How to watch The Punisher
Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019)
Starring: Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant
What it's about: The lives of two married real estate agents (played by Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant) change forever when the wife becomes a flesh-eating member of the undead.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Netflix’s tragically short-lived, horror-tinged comedy, Santa Clarita Diet, features ill-equipped lead characters humorously engaging in conspiratorial investigations that could negatively affect their loved ones, much like what The Boys specialize in.
How to watch Santa Clarita Diet
Breaking Bad (2008-2013)
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul
What it's about: A high school chemistry teacher undergoes an extreme personality change after a life-threatening diagnosis convinces him to turn to crime to financially support his family.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: In addition to the presence of drugs being connective tissue, many characters from Breaking Bad bear similarities to characters from The Boys – such as the despicably self-righteous Homelander (Anthony Starr) and Walter White and Hughie (Jack Quaid) and Jesse Pinkman both, essentially, being pawns within another character's search for glory.
How to watch Breaking Bad
The Umbrella Academy (2019-2024)
Starring: Elliot Page
What it's about: Years after they were brought together at a school for youngsters with special abilities, a group of super-powered adults must reunite to prevent a cataclysmic threat.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Based on Gerard Way’s hugely popular comic, Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy – which has a fourth season on its way – is another cynical superhero drama involving a team with a complicated history, but also stands out as a twisted version of Professor X's school and a "family" of superpowered individuals.
How to watch The Umbrella Academy
Silicon Valley (2014-2019)
Starring: Thomas Middleditch, Kumail Nanjiani
What it's about: An ambitious computer programmer and his co-workers try to stay afloat after making a huge impression on the tech industry with their revolutionary software.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: In addition to the HBO’s comedy’s sharp satirical edge, Richard Hendricks’ (Silicon Valley cast lead Thomas Middleditch) life seems to mirror what tech whiz Hughie’s life could have been if not for Robin’s death by A-Train, and Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso) and Frenchie’s (Tomer Capone) antagonistic dynamic mirrors that of Gilfoyle and Dinesh with more physical aggression and roughly the same amount of dirty jokes.
How to watch Silicon Valley
Preacher (2016-2019)
Starring: Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, Joe Gilgun
What it's about: A criminal-turned-minister teams up with his ex-girlfriend and a mischievous vampire to, literally, find God.
Why it is one of the best TV shows to watch if you love The Boys: Despite not involving superheroes, AMC’s Preacher – which is available with a Shudder subscription – perhaps, has the most in common with The Boys as it comes from the mind of comic book icon Garth Ennis (with the late Steve Dillon), is executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and boasts a dark, shamelessly uproarious satirical tone, this time targeting religious faith.
How to watch Preacher
We hope that everything above will help to keep you and other fans of The Boys busy between episodes of Season 4 – which has had some amusing twists – and after Season 5 brings it all to an end. Fans can also catch up on The Boys comic books when watching TV starts to be a strain on the eyes.
