Amazon's superhero show The Boys: Cast, plot, release date – CNET

When superheroes become as influential as politicians and powerful as gods, whose to stop them abusing their superpowers? The Boys, that's who.

The Boys is a new show coming to Amazon Prime Video that focuses on a team of vigilantes taking self-serving superheroes down a peg or two. Star Trek and Dredd star Karl Urban heads the cast. It might be based on a comic, but this filthy, funny, gory series is a long way from Marvel and DC.

Who made it?

The Boys TV series is created by Supernatural and Timeless creator Eric Kripke, and is directed by Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. It's based on the extremely dark comic by Garth Ennis (Preacher) and Darick Robertson, which ran for 72 issues from 2008-2012.

The plot

When corrupt superheroes known as The Seven cause his girlfriend's death, a young man named Hughie (Jack Quaid) hooks up with anti-cape vigilantes The Boys. The team consists of charismatic leader Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) with Mother's Milk (Laz Alonso), Female (Karen Fukuhara), and Frenchie (Tomer Capon).

What critics are saying

The Boys is a "flashy, smartly meta, often funny and very solidly cast," but "leaves a bit of a bad taste," according to a review from The Hollywood Reporter on April 29.

When's the release date?

The eight-episode series premieres on July 26 on Amazon Prime Video.

Meet the cast 

Karl Urban as Billy Butcher

Elisabeth Shue as Madelyn Stillwell

Erin Moriarty as Annie January / Starlight

Antony Starr as The Homelander

Dominique McElligott as Queen Maeve

Jessie Usher as A-Train

Chace Crawford as The Deep

Nathan Mitchell as Black Noir

Laz Alonso as Mother's Milk

Jack Quaid as "Wee" Hughie Campbell

Simon Pegg as Hughie's father

Karen Fukuhara as Female

Tomer Kapon as Frenchie

Jennifer Esposito as CIA Agent Susan Raynor

This piece was originally published on May 29, 2019, and is updated as news rolls in.