Gen V

Gen V is an American superhero television series, developed by Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, and Eric Kripke, serving as a spin-off of The Boys by Kripke, and based on The Boys comic book story arc "We Gotta Go Now" by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The series serves as the third entry in The Boys franchise.

Gen V
Also known asThe Boys: Gen V
Genre
Based on
The Boys Volume 4: "We Gotta Go Now"
by
Developed by
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
  • Craig Rosenberg
  • Eric Kripke
  • Seth Rogen
  • Evan Goldberg
  • James Weaver
  • Neal H. Moritz
  • Ori Marmur
  • Pavun Shetty
  • Ken Levin
  • Jason Netter
  • Michaela Starr
  • Garth Ennis
  • Darick Robertson
  • Michele Fazekas
  • Tara Butters
  • Sarah Carbiener
  • Erica Rosbe
  • Aisha Porter-Christie
  • Judalina Neira
  • Zak Schwartz
Production locationsToronto, Ontario, Canada
Running time41–59 minutes
Production companies
Release
Original networkAmazon Prime Video
Original releaseSeptember 29, 2023 (2023-09-29) –
present (present)
Related
The Boys (franchise)

The series, set concurrently with the fourth season of The Boys, premiered on Amazon Prime Video on September 29, 2023. In October 2023, less than a month after its premiere, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Young adult superheroes, or "supes", are tested in battle royal challenges at the Godolkin University School of Crimefighting founded by Thomas Godolkin run by Vought International.[1][2]

Cast
Further information: List of The Boys characters

Main
  • Jaz Sinclair as Marie Moreau, a hemokinetic (the ability to psychically manipulate blood) Supe with a tragic past.
    • Jaeda LeBlanc portrays a young Marie.
  • Chance Perdomo as Andre Anderson, a popular student and Luke's best friend with magnetic manipulation capabilities.
  • Lizze Broadway as Emma Meyer / Little Cricket, a Supe with the ability to alter her size by "purging" or eating.
  • Maddie Phillips as Cate Dunlap, a Supe with telepathic abilities, primarily in the form of tactile mind control, and Luke's longtime girlfriend.
    • Violet Marino portrays a young Cate.
  • London Thor and Derek Luh as Jordan Li, a Supe gender-shifter. Thor portrays Jordan's feminine form who can fire energy blasts and Luh portrays Jordan's masculine form who has superhuman durability.
  • Asa Germann as Samuel "Sam" Riordan, a young Supe with superhuman strength and durability.
    • Cameron Nicoll portrays a young Sam.
  • Shelley Conn as Indira Shetty, the dean of Godolkin University and former behavioral therapist who does not have superpowers and had lost her husband and daughter in the plane crash that Homelander accidentally caused.

Recurring
  • Patrick Schwarzenegger as Luke Riordan / Golden Boy, Sam's older brother and a popular student with pyrokinesis and superhuman strength.
  • Maia Jae Bastidas as Justine Garcia, a Supe influencer with enhanced durability and a healing factor attending the Crimson Countess School of Performing Arts
  • Daniel Beirne as Social Media Jeff, the social media manager for Godolkin University.
  • Sean Patrick Thomas as Polarity, Andre's dad and a famous superhero with magnetic manipulation who is a trustee at Godolkin University.
  • Alexander Calvert as Rufus, a psychic student at Godolkin University who possesses telepathy, astral projection, and clairvoyance.[3]
  • Marco Pigossi as Dr. Edison Cardosa, the lead scientist of "The Woods" and developer of the "supe virus".

Guest
  • Ty Barnett as Malcolm Moreau, Marie's deceased father
  • Miata Ada Lebile as Jackie Moreau, Marie's deceased mother
  • Robert Bazzocchi as Liam, a classmate of Emma's
  • Alex Castillo as Vanessa
  • Clancy Brown as Richard "Rich Brink" Brinkerhoff, a renowned professor at Godolkin University and Chairman of the Lamplighter School of Crimefighting.[4][5]
  • Warren Scherer as The Incredible Steve, a student with a healing factor sufficient to reattach lost body parts.
  • Jessica Clement as Harper, a rat-tailed student at Godolkin University.
  • Siddharth Sharma as Tyler Oppenheimer, a student with intangibility.
  • P.J. Byrne as Adam Bourke
  • Jackie Tohn as Courtenay Fortney
  • Matthew Edison as Cameron Coleman
  • Laura Kai Chen as Kayla Li, Jordan's mother.
  • Peter Kim as Paul Li, Jordan's father who disapproves of their gender-shifting ability.
  • Derek Wilson as Robert Vernon / Tek-Knight,[6] a former supe turned true-crime TV host who uses his show to cover up scandals for Vought.
  • Jason Ritter as himself via Sam's hallucinations of an episode of the educational TV series Avenue V.
  • Andy Walken as Dusty, a Supe resembling a teenager whose body ages slowly.

Special guests

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten by [9]Original release date [10]
1"God U."Nelson CraggCraig Rosenberg and Evan Goldberg & Eric KripkeSeptember 29, 2023 (2023-09-29)
Eight years prior, Marie Moreau's hemokinesis manifests when she has her first period, during which she accidentally killed her parents, straining her relationship with her younger sister Annabeth. In the present, Marie is accepted into Godolkin University, an education facility for training future superheroes. On her first day, Marie befriends her roommate Emma Meyer and becomes acquainted with upperclassmen Andre Anderson, Luke Riordan, Jordan Li, and Cate Dunlap. While attending a party, Marie saves a woman from bleeding out after Andre accidentally injures her with his magnetism manipulation. Despite gaining popularity on social media, Marie is expelled by Professor Richard "Brink" Brinkerhoff to protect the upperclassmen's reputations. She later returns to Brink's office to confront him, but finds he had been killed by Luke. Luke goes on a rampage while trying to kill Marie, but is stopped by Jordan and Andre. As he calms down, Luke whispers to Andre before he uses his pyrokinesis to commit suicide.
2"First Day"Nelson CraggZak Schwartz and Brant EnglesteinSeptember 29, 2023 (2023-09-29)
Vought International covers up Luke and Brink's deaths while Marie is given sole credit for stopping Luke and becomes the first freshman to enter Godolkin University's top 10 rankings. As she becomes acquainted with the university dean Indira Shetty, who offers her counsel, Emma befriends classmate Justine Garcia, who learns the secret behind Emma's size-shifting powers and publicly discloses the information on the internet. An angered Emma confronts Justine. Meanwhile, Andre and Cate launch an investigation into Luke's death and find a secret recording that reveals his younger brother Sam is being held in a hidden facility called "the Woods", which is secretly run by Shetty. Andre breaks off to find information in Brink's office. After Marie learns Vought contacted Annabeth, who does not want anything to do with her, she withholds Jordan's involvement in Luke's suicide amidst a televised interview. Andre succeeds in locating the Woods, but is nearly caught by campus security before Cate intervenes.
3"#ThinkBrink"Phil SgricciaErica RosbeSeptember 29, 2023 (2023-09-29)
Three years prior, Luke and Cate visit Sam, who is enraged to learn that their powers came from Compound V and killed a security guard, before Luke and Cate calm him down. In the present, Andre and Cate discuss their discovery, during which she convinces him not to risk his own life and they have sex. Meanwhile, Marie returns to her dorm room to find a fatigued Emma. She attempts to counsel the latter, but they have an argument. The next day, Shetty invites Marie to a fundraiser gala being held in Brink's honor. Emma's mother attempts to talk her into doing a reality show, but she refuses. Emma later meets with Marie to reconcile. Andre convinces Emma to infiltrate the Woods for him. She successfully finds and speaks with Sam, but the security guards put the facility on alert and incapacitate him while Emma uses her powers to hide.
4"The Whole Truth"Steve BoyumJessica ChouOctober 6, 2023 (2023-10-06)
Sam recovers, slaughters the guards, and escapes with Emma. While hiding out in an abandoned drive-thru, Sam suffers from delusions and announces his intent to kill Dr. Edison Cardosa, a psychologist who previously worked with him. Emma returns to Godolkin University to warn the others. Meanwhile, Marie tries to ask psychic student Rufus to help find Emma, only to black out and wake up in his bedroom. When Jordan intervenes, Marie detonates Rufus' penis. Concurrently, celebrity superhero Robert Vernon / Tek Knight comes to Godolkin University to record an episode of his Vought+ series The Whole Truth and secretly frame an innocent student for Luke's suicide on Vought's behalf. While using his observation powers to aggressively interrogate students, he forces Marie to reveal Jordan's involvement in Luke's suicide. Upon learning Sam escaped the Woods on her watch, Vernon intends to frame Shetty, but she threatens to expose his unnatural sexual urges. Marie, Emma, Andre, Jordan, and Cate eventually subdue Sam, but Marie blacks out once more and awakens to find herself in bed with Jordan.
5"Welcome to the Monster Club"Clare KilnerLex EdnessOctober 13, 2023 (2023-10-13)
Marie and her friends awaken to find themselves at a party with no memory of how they got there. While evading capture, Sam finds Emma and Marie, but they do not recognize him. Cardosa meets with Shetty to discuss his creation of a virus meant to control powers and his desire to use it on Marie, but she refuses to involve her. Cate claims Rufus is responsible for their amnesia and leads Jordan, Andre, and Marie in confronting him, but lose track of him while Andre faints. Emma realizes she and Marie already know Sam, but were forced to forget him. While seeking him out, Marie removes a tracking device from her neck and tells Cate her suspicion that Shetty and Rufus are responsible for their amnesia. Cate apologizes and forces Marie to change the subject. Realizing Marie forgot a recent conversation they had, Jordan goes to re-confront Rufus. Emma finds Sam, who reveals Cate is the culprit after learning she used her tactile mind control power to make Luke forget Sam's existence. Emma calls Marie to tell her and Jordan the truth. Andre almost kills Rufus when a tearful Cate arrives to reveal her deception and restore his memories.
6"Jumanji"Rachel GoldbergLauren GreerOctober 20, 2023 (2023-10-20)
After restoring everyone's memories, Cate experiences a seizure and unknowingly traps Marie, Jordan, and Andre within her mind. Cate's imaginary friend, "Soldier Boyfriend", warns them to escape before she enters a vegetative state. While exploring Cate's memories, Luke exposes Andre for making Cate cheat on him while he was alive. As the group flee, they enter one of Jordan's memories, wherein they saved Brink from an enraged Luke and earned a job as his teaching assistant. Upon seeing a memory of the Riordans being experimented on in the Woods and Cate forcing Luke to forget what happened, the group enter Marie's memory of her parents' deaths, during which Annabeth accused her of willfully killing them. Eventually, they confront Cate and convince her to take responsibility for her actions, causing them to awaken. Sam arrives to confront Cate, but Emma talks him down and reveals Shetty used him to augment Luke's powers and is experimenting on other children. Meanwhile, Cardosa tests his virus on an electrokinetic girl named Betsy, which causes her to grow sick and weakens her powers before killing her. Initially shocked, Shetty orders him to make the virus contagious.
7"Sick"Shana SteinChelsea GrateOctober 27, 2023 (2023-10-27)
Marie and Jordan break into Shetty's office to gather evidence and present it to Victoria Neuman, a politician who came to Godolkin University for a town hall meeting, during which they learn Shetty's family was killed in a plane crash caused by Homelander.[lower-alpha 1] A drunken Cardosa enters Shetty's office and rambles about his virus, unaware that Marie and Jordan hid underneath Shetty's desk. Shetty asks Colonel Grace Mallory for help in spreading the virus globally to kill all Supes, but Mallory refuses and secretly orders someone to observe Shetty. After Andre's father Polarity suffers a seizure, Andre accompanies him to the hospital. Amidst the meeting, student protestors incite a riot and create the "Supes Lives Matter" movement. While evacuating, Neuman meets Marie and discovers they share similar powers and upbringings. Marie tries to convince Neuman to expose the Woods to Vought, but Neuman convinces her to pursue a position of power without political or cultural influence instead. Cate kills Shetty after forcing her to reveal the truth behind the Woods involving it's creator Thomas Godolkin and her motivation for creating the virus. Cardosa secretly meets with Neuman to give her a virus sample before she kills him to prevent his knowledge from spreading.
8TBATBABrant EnglesteinNovember 3, 2023 (2023-11-03)

Production

Development

On September 20, 2020, a spin-off of The Boys was announced, with Craig Rosenberg writing and executive producing the series with Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Michaela Starr, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Sarah Carbiener, Erica Rosbe, Aisha Porter-Christie, Judalina Neira, and Zak Schwartz.[1] On September 27, 2021, Amazon gave the order for the series, and Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters were set as showrunners and executive producers of the series.[11] On October 2, 2020, Kripke stated the Hunger Games-inspired series would focus on the G-Men team mentioned in the first season of The Boys, originally created as a parody of Marvel Comics' X-Men for the fourth volume of Ennis' and Robertson's comic book series: "We Gotta Go Now", from which the series is "loosely inspired".[12]

On January 5, 2023, it was announced that a writing room for a potential second season would soon come together, to be led by Michele Fazekas, who also has become sole showrunner since Tara Butters has taken a break from work.[13] On October 19, 2023, Amazon Prime Video renewed the series for a second season.[14]

Casting

On March 11, 2021, Lizze Broadway and Jaz Sinclair were cast in the series.[15][16] On March 19, Shane Paul McGhie, Aimee Carrero, and Maddie Phillips were cast in the series.[17] On April 15, 2021, Reina Hardesty was cast in the series.[18] On March 10, 2022, Carrero and McGhie exited the series.[19] A few days later, Chance Perdomo joined the main cast in a recasting, replacing McGhie.[20] On April 25, 2022, Hardesty left the series.[21] On May 9, 2022, London Thor was cast to replace Hardesty. Derek Luh, Asa Germann, and Shelley Conn also joined the cast as series regulars.[22] Two days later, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi were cast in recurring capacities.[23] In November 2022, Clancy Brown joined the cast as Richard "Rich Brink" Brinkerhoff.[4][5] In December 2022, Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, and P. J. Byrne were confirmed to be reprising their roles from The Boys, in guest appearances, as Reggie Franklin / A-Train, Ashley Barrett, and Adam Bourke, respectively,[24] while in September 2023, Derek Wilson was confirmed to have been cast as Robert Vernon / Tek Knight.[6]

Filming

Filming began at the University of Toronto Mississauga campus in May 2022 and the Claireville Conservation Area, Brampton in July, intended for an October wrap, under the working title of The Boys Presents: Varsity.[25] Other filming locations include Sobeys Stadium, and the Stardust Drive-In Movie Theater.[26] In July 2022, it was announced that the series would officially be titled Gen V.[2] In September 2022, members of the cast announced on social media that production had wrapped.[27]

Release

Gen V premiered on Amazon Prime Video on September 29, 2023.[10]

Reception

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating with an average rating of 7.65/10, based on 101 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Just about as gruesomely subversive as its origin series, Gen V builds on The Boys in occasionally chaotic but overall inspired fashion."[28] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 73 out of 100 based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[29]

Notes
  1. As depicted in The Boys episode "The Female of the Species".

References
  1. Maas, Jennifer (September 20, 2020). "'The Boys' Spinoff at Superhero College in Development at Amazon". The Wrap. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  2. Shafer, Ellise (July 15, 2022). "'The Boys' Superhero College Spinoff Title Revealed: Welcome to 'Gen V'". Variety. Archived from the original on July 15, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. "'Gen V': Alexander Calvert Joins Cast of 'The Boys' Spin-Off Series". Nerds and Beyond. August 14, 2022. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2022.
  4. "Clancy Brown Cast In 'The Boys' Spin-Off 'Gen V' (Exclusive)". One Take News. November 2, 2022. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  5. "Godolkin University | Gallery | Richard "Rich Brink" Brinkerhoff | Gen V". GodolkinUniversity.com. May 8, 2023. Archived from the original on May 8, 2023. Retrieved May 8, 2023.
  6. Romano, Nick (September 7, 2023). "The Boys comic character Tek Knight arrives in Gen V spinoff". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 9, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  7. Nick Romano (September 7, 2023). "'The Boys' star Chace Crawford will return for 'Gen V' cameo". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 7, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  8. Romano, Nick (April 4, 2023). "'The Boys' star Jensen Ackles says he has Soldier Boy cameo in 'Gen V'". EW.com. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  9. "Varsity". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  10. Maas, Jennifer (July 20, 2023). "'The Boys' Spinoff 'Gen V' Sets Premiere Date at Amazon". Variety. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  11. Andreeva, Nellie (September 27, 2021). "'The Boys' Spinoff Series Developed by Amazon with Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters as Showrunners". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  12. Maas, Jennifer (October 2, 2020). "The Boys Supe College Spinoff Is 'Loosely Inspired' by X-Men Parody From Comics, Eric Kripke Says". TheWrap. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  13. Andreeva, Nellie (January 5, 2023). "'Gen V': 'The Boys' Spinoff Opens Season 2 Writers Room With Michele Fazekas As Showrunner; Tara Butters Taking A Break". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 5, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  14. Campione, Katie (October 19, 2023). "'Gen V' Renewed For Season 2 At Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  15. Nellie Andreeva; Denise Petski (March 11, 2021). "'The Boys' Spinoff Casts its First Young Superhero - Lizze Broadway as Emma". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  16. Andreeva, Nellie (March 11, 2021). "Jaz Sinclair to Star in 'The Boys' Spinoff at Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  17. Andreeva, Nellie (March 19, 2021). "'The Boys' Spinoff Casts Shane Paul McGhie, Aimee Carrero, & Maddie Phillips As Leads For Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  18. Andreeva, Nellie (April 15, 2021). "'The Boys' Adds Reina Hardesty as Lead at Amazon". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
  19. Andreeva, Nellie (March 10, 2022). "Aimee Carrero & Shane Paul McGhie Exit The Boys Spinoff, Carrero Joins Prime Video's The Consultant". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  20. Petski, Denise (March 16, 2022). "Chance Perdomo Joins The Boys Spinoff On Prime Video In Recasting". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 14, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  21. Andreeva, Nellie (April 25, 2022). "Reina Hardesty Exits The Boys Spinoff Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 17, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  22. Del Rosario, Alexandra (May 9, 2022). "London Thor To Replace Reina Hardesty In Prime Video's 'The Boys' Spinoff; Derek Luh, Asa Germann & Shelley Conn Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 25, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  23. Andreeva, Nellie (May 11, 2022). "Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas & Marco Pigossi Join 'The Boys' College Spinoff". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 26, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  24. Panaligan, EJ (December 3, 2022). "'Gen V' Trailer Takes 'The Boys' to College, Teases Appearances From Main Series Characters". Variety. Archived from the original on December 31, 2022. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
  25. Zogbi, Emily (June 12, 2022). "EXCLUSIVE: The Boys' College Spinoff Set Photos Reveal One of the Show's Fresh-Faced Supes". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  26. Club, Comic Book (October 9, 2023). "Where Was Gen V Filmed? Gen V Filming Locations". Comic Book Club. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  27. Patrick Schwarzenegger [@patrickschwarzenegger] (September 16, 2022). "Officially Wrapped on @theboystv "GEN V" new TV Series. Coming soon @amazonprime. Can't wait for you guys to watch this. Great action. Fun comedy. Pretty fuckin nuts. Thanks to everyone who worked on this project. Cast. Crew. Producers. Show runners. Thanks for taking chance on me & continuing to believe in me. ❤️🦸‍♂️". Retrieved September 16, 2022 – via Instagram.
  28. "Gen V: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  29. "Gen V: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
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