The fifth and final season of Amazon Prime Video’s “The Boys” premieres this week, and reviews are now in for the last run.
The fourth season drew slightly softer critical reviews than prior ones amid complaints that the series was running out of steam and taking some odd left turns. Things picked up in the final few episodes, which set the stage for the final season.
Now the final run is here with the title scoring a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 80/100 on Metacritic, an increase on the 92% and 76/100 of last season. On MC, it’s tied with the second season as the show’s best scoring run.
Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“The series doubles down on its brashness, so much so that it feels as if the invisible veil between our television screens and the world we inhabit grows thinner with each episode.” – Kaiya Shunyata, RogerEbert.com
“With an epic finale to build to, everything about the series clicks into place: the story’s stakes feel immediate, the satire finds a new angle that feels completely fresh, and even the format of the series itself evolves.” – Dais Johnston, Inverse
“Season 5 takes aim at the world itself, it does emerge with one ultimate message: That in a world where power corrupts, no one complicit deserves pity.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“Every geyser of blood and squelch of spilled guts is a tiny bit of catharsis that’s sorely needed, even if the odds of good triumphing over evil have never seemed longer on or off the screen.” – Alison Herman, Variety
“Although The Boys Season 4 was where the plot began to be stretched thin, Season 5 is a satisfying culmination of Kripke’s irreverent superhero saga.” – Nate Richard, Collider
“This season was formulaic, sure, but possessed enough brilliance to confirm the show’s outstanding place in television history.” – Bob Strauss, The Wrap
“The Boys Season 5 may suffer from a sluggish narrative, but the show’s black sense of humor, its strong character moments, and its willingness to speak truth to power are its biggest assets.” – Jese Schedeen, IGN
“The Boys’ darkest, most dour season yet — one that plays at commenting on our fractured America, but only offers shock value as opposed to real substance.” – Belen Edwards, Mashable
The fifth season premieres on Amazon on April 8th with the first two episodes. New episodes then unfurl weekly through until May 20th.
