When fans of The Boys try to describe the show in as few words as possible, usually what comes to mind is "Cutting Edge," "Adult," or "Stomach-churning," just to name a few. In spite of a strong following, hardly anyone who has tuned into the show would ever describe it as "weird." Funny enough, in anticipation of the show's soon-to-be-released third season, Chace Crawford, who plays punchline supe The Deep, described said third season as such.
While promoting The Boys season 3, Crawford didn't even mince words when asked about what the upcoming third season was going to be like. Jensen Ackles, who is one of the show's newest additions as Soldier Boy - the show's version of Captain America - confirmed Crawford's viewpoint while the show was being filmed.
"I can't give too much away," Crawford said to Entertainment Weekly. He emphasized that "it's weird" to the point where he wondered if he would ever work again after all that goes down in season three. Ackles later acknowledged what Crawford told him. "I remember reading that stuff [in the script] and you sent me a text message. And I have to go find it, but I think it was something like, 'I don't know how I'm gonna be able to work after this,'" Ackles said.
Judging by the latest The Boys season 3 trailer that was released, that seemed very much like a possibility. The third season implies that our protagonists will take the super serum known as Compound V that will give them superpowers much as they did in the original graphic novel. This new wrinkle opens up so many possibilities for where the show goes from here, so it shouldn't be any surprise that it might delve into the realm of weird. Given The Deep's previous antics on the show, it shouldn't surprise anyone if he's at the center of the weirdness.
If Crawford's sentiment proves to be true, that may very well be for the show's benefit. The Boys captivated audiences when the first season came out because of how new it felt to make superheroes be the antagonists while also making it feel like a more brutally realistic interpretation of superheroes in the real world. The second season, while far from bad, didn't quite keep the momentum going. With any luck, this new sense of weirdness could vault the show back to where it was before, and maybe even higher.
The Boys showrunners will have to keep in mind that while trying new things could help the show, other new and "cutting edge" shows have tried this with mixed results. Changing up the formula is good because you don't want it to get repetitive. Being formulaic eventually bores your audience, which usually leads to them losing all interest. However, going a different route is a very big gamble to take. If this "weird" gamble fails, at least those behind the show can take pride in that they went down swinging while trying to keep their audience invested.
The Boys season 3 will premiere on June 3rd, 2022, on Amazon Prime.
Source: Entertainment Weekly