Plot
From the world of "The Boys" comes "Gen V," which explores the first generation of superheroes to know that their super powers are from Compound V. These heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test competing for the school's top ranking.
Cast
Mostly unknown to me, but several were memorable due to fantastic performances including Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway and London Thor. A few of the Boys cast momentarily jump over and veteran Sean Patrick Thomas was a welcome sight.
Verdict
I like The Boys, I think it's one of the better shows of the last few years partially due to the no holding back, hyper violence and it just being something different and that's really needed right now. I was skeptical about a spinoff as they tend to be mere shadows of what came before but Gen V actually managed to get and keep my attention throughout.
Is it laden with teen angst? Well yeah, but that was never in question and was always going to be a major factor here. But the teen drama crossed with the Boys adult material, it works fantastically.
Interestingly co-written by Seth Rogan and with a mostly unknown cast I have to say everyone did a great job, most of the cast are brilliant here and that's what more shows need! I want to see a character, not have that ruined by my seeing a familiar face all the time. Sinclair, Broadway and Thor were all great and thorough scene stealers.
The plot is uninspired but competently handled so you can get past that and it parallels The Boys perfectly and makes for a nice companion piece which if handled correctly could intertwine incredibly.
I love The Boys, I like Gen V, I'm very excited where this all could lead.
Rants
In a world that hates the young, inclusivity is the devil and diversity is "Woke" I'm surprised that Gen V has been met as well as it has. The Boys got hit with all those accusations and I'd argue Gen V is even more so, I'm resisting the urge for a change to jump to the 1/10 reviews as I know what I'll see. Closed mindedness, the W word on a loop, an ocean of misogyny and casual racism. What time to be alive, rampant tribalism at it's most primal.
The Good
Some great cast members
Solid connections to The Boys
Engaging stuff
Some action packed and very funny moments
The Bad
A couple of weak links among the cast
Plot could have been stronger.