15 Shows to Watch Now That ‘The Boys’ Is Over and the Void Is Very, Very Real
‘The Boys’ season 5 wrapped up its final episode on May 20, 2026 on Prime Video, and if you’re already staring at the ceiling wondering what comes next, you’re not alone. The fifth and final season of the show, from Sony Pictures Television and Amazon MGM Studios, brought one of streaming’s most beloved satirical superhero sagas to its explosive conclusion.
Adapting the comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, ‘The Boys‘ became one of Prime Video’s biggest shows since its premiere in 2019, telling the story of a misfit ensemble of vigilantes going up against the murderous sociopath Homelander and the immoral megacorporation Vought International. There’s no replacing it, but these 15 shows come remarkably close to scratching that same dark, irreverent itch.
Invincible (2021–Present)
‘Invincible’ is another great superhero show on Prime Video, based on Robert Kirkman’s Image comic, and it immediately drew comparisons to ‘The Boys’ for its similarly violent content and dark humor involving costumed vigilantes. The animated series follows teenage hero Mark Grayson as he inherits superpowers from his father, only to discover that the world of heroics is far bloodier and more corrupt than advertised.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the show holds a critical approval rating of 98%, and it carries an 8.7 out of 10 rating on IMDb. The show’s willingness to go brutally dark in its animated format continues to shock new viewers with every season.
Gen V (2023–2025)
Right from the twisty premiere of ‘Gen V,’ the spin-off proves itself more than worthy of being connected to the legacy of ‘The Boys,’ with the violence and dark humor running just as readily as the preceding series and the story not pulling its punches for its younger characters. Set inside a college for superpowered students, it brings a coming-of-age dimension to the ‘Boys’ universe that the main show never had room to explore.
The spin-off carefully weaves in major plot developments and characters from the main series to build up its stakes and world, mixing coming-of-age drama with super-powered mayhem effectively. For anyone who just finished ‘The Boys’ and wants more of that exact world, this is the most obvious and rewarding next step.
Watchmen (2019)
‘Watchmen’ tells a complete and satisfying story over the course of nine episodes, with creator Damon Lindelof managing the tricky feat of creating a worthy follow-up to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ masterpiece while crafting an accessible standalone story. Set decades after the events of the original comic, it follows detective Angela Abar, played by Regina King, as she battles white supremacist domestic terrorists while uncovering a conspiracy tied to the omnipotent Doctor Manhattan.
The show feels notably prescient, with its social commentary striking closer to home than it did when it originally aired, carrying the baton from Moore and Gibbons in its juxtaposition of superheroes with the grim realities of the modern era. A single-season triumph and one of the finest limited series ever made, it leaves a lasting mark.
Peacemaker (2022–Present)
‘Peacemaker’ shares ‘The Boys’ dark, satirical approach to superhero stories while adding its own unique flavor of twisted comedy and social commentary. The DC series follows John Cena’s morally questionable vigilante as he’s recruited into a top-secret black ops mission, where the lines between heroism and villainy blur until they’re nearly invisible.
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg serve as executive producers on ‘Invincible’ as well as ‘The Boys,’ and their unique sense of superhero silliness can definitely be felt across the genre, with ‘Peacemaker’ described as a super-strength kick in the pants. James Gunn’s direction gives the show a manic energy that makes it endlessly rewatchable.
Harley Quinn (2019–Present)
‘Harley Quinn’ is a highly regarded DC animated series that blends exciting action with emotional depth, with an adult animation style that allows for thorough exploration of character development and relationships. The show follows Harley after her breakup with the Joker as she attempts to forge her own villainous identity, with relentlessly filthy humor and genuinely sharp writing carrying it through season after season.
With animation reminiscent of the groundbreaking Batman series of the 1990s but with a ton of bloodshed and biting humor, the show features a stellar voice cast, with performances from Kaley Cuoco as Harley and Alan Tudyk as both Joker and Clayface especially standing out. It’s one of the most underrated shows on Max and deserves far more credit than it typically gets.
Doom Patrol (2019–2023)
‘Doom Patrol’ is a delightfully weird superhero show, arguably more off-kilter than ‘The Umbrella Academy,’ with episodes where the team encounters a sentient street, a superhero whose flexing triggers different actions, and an assassin targeting bearded individuals. The series follows a group of tragically powered misfits living under the roof of the mysterious Niles Caulder, all of them slowly confronting how their powers were taken rather than given.
The show boasts an eclectically talented cast bringing its zany adventures to life, including Brendan Fraser and Matt Bomer, with April Bowlby a revelation as Elasti-Woman. It ran for four seasons and packed in more genuinely bizarre ideas per episode than most shows manage in an entire run.
Preacher (2016–2019)
Before co-creating ‘The Boys,’ comic book writer Garth Ennis created the supernatural Western ‘Preacher’ with Steve Dillon, and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg co-developed it for television before the duo went on to executive produce ‘The Boys.’ The story follows Texan preacher Jesse Custer, who gains the power to compel others to obey him and sets out to find God while being hunted by dangerous forces.
The pitch-black sense of humor in both shows is evident right from the first episode, along with plenty of gratuitous violence, but ‘Preacher’ is ultimately a story about faith and redemption in its many complicated forms. For fans of ‘The Boys’ who want to go even further back into Garth Ennis’s twisted imagination, this is essential viewing.
The Umbrella Academy (2019–2023)
‘The Umbrella Academy’ follows a group of super-powered individuals spontaneously conceived across the world, adopted by the mysterious Reginald Hargreeves and trained to work together as superheroes, before reuniting after his death to face a new threat that could spell the end of the world. Gerard Way and Gabriel Bá’s source material is delightfully strange and the Netflix adaptation doubles down on that strangeness at every turn.
The show feels like a superhero story by way of Edward Gorey before escalating to time-bending proportions, with Robert Sheehan a noteworthy standout as the chaotically self-destructive Klaus. Four seasons and a satisfying conclusion make this one of the more complete superhero stories on streaming.
Jessica Jones (2015–2019)
‘Jessica Jones’ features a former superhero, played to the hilt by Krysten Ritter, who retired after a traumatic incident involving the mind-controlling supervillain Kilgrave, played by David Tennant, and has since started her own business as a private investigator while self-medicating with hard liquor. It is one of the grittiest superhero projects Marvel has ever produced, with a first season that rivals anything in the genre for pure psychological tension.
The unhealthy ways that emotional pain and trauma are addressed form the thematic undercurrent of ‘Jessica Jones,’ with Ritter guiding audiences through this raw look at superheroes by concealing her character’s troubled psyche with wry humor and sharp observations. A natural companion piece for fans drawn to ‘The Boys’ for its treatment of power, damage, and survival.
Legion (2017–2019)
Created by Noah Hawley, ‘Legion’ is an exhilarating delight even for non-comic book fans, crafting a tale not just about the burden of having psychic powers but also a surrealist exploration of the genre’s tropes through the lens of mental health awareness. Dan Stevens stars as David Haller, the powerful psychic son of Charles Xavier, whose untreated mental illness turns out to be far more complicated than anyone around him initially understands.
Running for three seasons from 2017 to 2019, ‘Legion’ is one of the most original comic book shows of its generation, with the uniqueness of the series making the label of superhero show almost feel inadequate. If you watched ‘The Boys’ and wished someone would push the genre even further into pure psychological surrealism, this FX gem delivers exactly that.
Misfits (2009–2013)
‘Misfits’ focuses on a group of five young delinquents tasked with community service who develop superpowers after a freak electrical storm, with each power reflecting their individual personality, and the motley crew gradually begins using those powers against even more dangerous figures also empowered by the storm. The British series carries a decidedly different cultural energy from ‘The Boys’ but shares exactly the same pitch-black worldview about what actually happens when flawed people get power.
It has its own decidedly British but no less dark sense of humor about a society of morally flawed superhumans, with the stakes remaining quite grounded but, in a recurring gag, consistently lethal. Four seasons of increasingly wild storytelling and a cast that went on to star in major projects worldwide make this one well worth discovering.
The Tick (2016–2019)
Creator Ben Edlund developed a new live-action iteration of ‘The Tick’ for the streaming age on Prime Video, with Peter Serafinowicz starring as the large superhuman in a bright blue tick suit who teams with his sidekick Arthur Everest, played by Griffin Newman, to fight crime. It is a sharp superhero parody that was poking fun at genre conventions before the current wave of deconstruction made it fashionable.
Serafinowicz delivers a perfectly deadpan portrayal of the titular hero, almost playing it like a workplace comedy, and the ensemble cast includes future ‘The Boys’ actor Valorie Curry as Arthur’s sister Dot. An underrated entry in the genre that rewards viewers who appreciate a more absurdist, gentler version of superhero satire alongside the graphic carnage.
Banshee (2013–2016)
‘Banshee’ is cited as one of the most underrated drama shows around, shockingly violent and graphic in ways that fans of ‘The Boys’ will be able to appreciate, while also being surprisingly intelligent in how it constructs its mysteries and labyrinthine character dynamics. The Cinemax thriller follows a criminal who assumes the identity of a small-town sheriff and it bears the very specific distinction of starring Antony Starr, years before he became Homelander.
For those who love ‘The Boys’ primarily for Antony Starr’s terrifying turn as Homelander, ‘Banshee’ is a must-see for those engrossing performances from pilot to series finale. Watching Starr carry an entirely different kind of dangerous antihero adds fascinating new layers to how you experience his work in ‘The Boys.’
Powers (2015–2016)
‘Powers’ is based on the comic by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, following former superhero Christian Walker, played by Sharlto Copley, who became a police detective after losing his superpowers, and who along with his partner investigates violent crimes involving superhumans around Los Angeles. The premise of treating super-powered individuals as modern celebrities with corporate backing directly anticipates the world of Vought International.
Everyone has largely forgotten that PlayStation made ‘Powers’ as part of its short-lived effort to create original content through the PlayStation Network, but despite that relatively obscure initiative, the adaptation still produced two full seasons before ending, offering hard-hitting superhero neo-noir where the major players just happen to be superhuman. Several years ahead of its time and tragically buried on the wrong platform, it remains one of the genre’s hidden gems.
The Studio (2025–Present)
‘The Boys’ and ‘The Studio’ have more in common than just Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as producers, with the duo’s idiosyncratic humor at its intentionally cringe-worthy best in this brilliant Apple TV+ satire, described as one of the most entertaining sitcoms from the 2020s so far. Instead of corrupt superheroes, it takes aim at the corrupt machinery of Hollywood itself, with Seth Rogen playing a studio head desperately trying to make meaningful films while drowning in compromise.
For people who love when ‘The Boys’ spends time poking fun at Hollywood and the modern-day entertainment industry, ‘The Studio’ is a must-see, full of hilarious winks and references that cinephiles will adore. It may be the freshest recommendation on this entire list, and if you haven’t started it yet, the withdrawal from ‘The Boys’ ending is the perfect excuse to begin.
Which of these shows are you rushing to queue up now that Homelander has finally been dealt with, and is there a series you think deserves a spot on this list that didn’t make the cut?
