The Boys Season 2 Getting Review Bombed Over Amazon’s Release Schedule
Popular action drama The Boys is currently facing waves of negative online reviews in response to the show’s release schedule. The subversive superhero series (based on the comics of the same name) is currently in its second season on Amazon Prime and has until recently been universally praised for both its unique writing and its ability to adapt controversial plot points from the original series for a modern audience.
What makes Season 2 of The Boys different from the first season is the way episodes are being released. When the show premiered last summer, the entire first season was available all at once, using the binge-watching format that Netflix has popularized. However, The Boys switched this year to a weekly release format, more reminiscent of broadcast television networks. The first three episodes of Season 2 were made available this past Friday, and one new episode will release each week until October 9th.
Though the weekly release format was once the standard for all television, some fans of The Boys are upset enough about this change to leave scathing reviews of the series on Amazon. As of the time of this article, 49 percent of the Amazon reviews for Season 2 of The Boys give the show only one star, and the majority of these reviews are merely complaining about the weekly release format. “This is 2020.... we don't want staggered releases of episodes!!” one review says. “Not sure what moron decided this would be a good idea, but it is the worst idea ever,” another one adds. One goes so far as to say, “Way to take the best thing about streaming and completely tanking it. [sic]” It’s unclear what effect these one-star reviews will have on The Boys, or whether Amazon will respond to them in any way.
There’s a very vocal group of people devoted to the idea that staggered episodes are a terrible idea. However, past precedent has shown that the weekly release format can actually bring a show more long-lasting success. This was the case with Disney+’s The Mandalorian last fall, which released one episode per week and still managed to gain massive popularity on social media for several months. Compare this to something like Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, which was released in the binge format and was the center of media attention for only a few weeks.
Given these examples, it seems that the concerns of angry Amazon reviewers are mostly unfounded. The new release format for The Boys will likely actually increase the show’s longevity, making it even more successful. It’s also important to remember that these one-star reviews don’t come from people who hate the series. These are fans who are so ridiculously excited to watch this show that they became upset when they learned they had to wait for more. What that means is that people really, genuinely love The Boys, which is, in a strange way, the best news this show could receive.
Source: Amazon Prime Video