‘The Boys’ showrunner addresses weekly release backlash: “It’s not fun to see bad reviews on a thing people actually love”

"That doesn't make the people who make the show feel good"

The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has addressed the fan backlash over the show’s weekly release schedule, admitting “it’s not fun to see bad reviews on a thing people actually love”.

The Amazon Prime Video superhero series has gone for a more staggered release for its second season, dropping the first few episodes in one go before releasing each one weekly.

• READ MORE: ‘The Boys’ season two review: sweary, sex-obsessed superhero mash-up offers more of the same

However, this has disgruntled some fans, with many review-bombing on Amazon because the season hasn’t been released in one go – all despite the critical acclaim it has received.

Speaking about the backlash, Kripke told TheWrap: “I get that people are disappointed and, frankly, looking back, we thought that we were communicating that we were weekly.

“Clearly, in hindsight, we had to do a lot more than we did to make sure that people weren’t surprised and disappointed. I would have done that differently. I mean, again, we announced it. But we should have neon-signed it on everything, clearly.”

He went on to admit he “get[s] that people are disappointed”, though assured viewers it was a choice by producers and not “a corporate, Amazon money grab”.

“It was a creative choice,” Kripke continued. “So they may like it or not like it, but they have to at least respect that the people who are making the show wanted it to be released this way because we wanted to have time to sort of slow down a little bit and have conversations about everything. So they at least have to appreciate that it was a creative choice.

“And then second, like, why you would harm something you love because you’re disappointed with how it’s being released is not awesome to me,” he added. “We’re fine, and it’ll be fine, but it’s not fun to see bad reviews on a thing people actually love. Like, that doesn’t make the people who make the show feel good. I’ll say that.”

Speaking previously about the decision to stagger the season out, Kripke explained: “Our feeling is that when it airs all eight at once, it becomes a sugar rush of a binge. People burn through it in a week or two. There’s an intense amount of activity, and then it sort of fades.

“There’s so many great moments in season two, we want to give it time to marinate, so people can reflect on it and talk about it before they move on to the next thing and be in the conversation a little longer. I think a little anticipation for the fans is healthy.”

NME‘s four-star review of The Boys season 2 said: “The Boys may be the most adult superhero show on TV – but with its hotly-awaited return, it proves it’s the most fun too.”