Why Amazon Prime’s hit anti-superhero series ‘The Boys’ keeps getting bigger

As the real world seems to get crazier, Amazon‘s superhero satire “The Boys” just gets more popular.

Coincidence? Perhaps. The fourth season of the audacious series set in a society where superheroes are ingrained in every aspect of American life, and often not in a good way, is the most-watched so far, according to Amazon.

The company’s internal data show 55 million viewers have watched some portion of Season 4 of “The Boys” throughout the world in the 39 days since it premiered. The audience has increased 20% compared with Season 3.

In the U.S., “The Boys” — a title that refers to the band of vigilantes out to take down the out-of-control “supes” — has lodged in Nielsen’s top 10 streaming shows for four straight weeks since entering the list in June, with the entire series topping 1 billion minutes viewed each week.

The current batch of eight episodes is the second most-watched season of a TV series in Prime Video’s history, said Vernon Sanders, head of television at Amazon MGM Studios, which produces “The Boys” with Sony Pictures Television.

Ratings growth in the fourth season of a series is a rarity. Sanders, who once oversaw current programs at NBC, is more used to seeing audiences drift away as shows age.

But Sanders said he understands why “The Boys,” created by Eric Kripke and based on the comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robinson, keeps gaining new fans. He believes those who initially passed over it thinking it was another capes-and-tights saga in the tiered superhero genre are taking another look.

“The packaging is deceptive,” Sanders said. “There a lot of people who probably initially thought a show called ‘The Boys’ about bad superheroes won’t really have anything for me. And as they keep hearing about it, they give it a shot and realize how rich and complex it is.”

The endurance of “The Boys” is good news for Prime Video as it moves aggressively into the ad-supported streaming business. Prime Video’s 3% share of all TV viewing is about a third of streaming behemoth Netflix’s share, according to Nielsen. But the tech giant has the potential to reach 115 million U.S. viewers with commercials (Netflix’s nascent ad-supported tier reportedly has around 13 million users). The more hits Prime Video has to offer to advertisers, the better.

The series provides a humorously snarky look at social media, marketing, TV news, corporate corruption and the extremist political views of our times (as the supes expand their power into government, a TV news commentator says, “Let’s make America super again”).

Even in the fast-moving pop culture landscape where last week’s satire can become this week’s reality, the show has managed to hold onto its currency.

“The Boys” had a scarily on-the-nose moment last month as its fourth season finale depicted a presidential assassination attempt. The episode was scheduled to drop just days after a shooter tried to take the life of former President Trump at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania. Prime Video changed the title of the episode, originally called “Assassination Run,” and added a disclaimer denouncing political violence.

“There was a lot of nervousness,” said Sanders. “After taking a few days and absorbing it... we realized we were going to release this one way or the other and we felt the best thing to do was to stick to our schedule.”

The show’s look at how fear mongering can corrode a democratic system also is resonating outside of the U.S. “The Boys” is performing especially well in the United Kingdom, India, France and Brazil, all countries that have been dealing with right-wing populist political movements.

The popularity of spinoff “Gen V,” which features a youthful Legion of Super Heroes-type version of the “supes” of the original series, has also helped. Sanders noted that the younger, female audience for “Gen V,” which has been renewed for a second season, is finding its way to “The Boys.”

Producers are keeping “The Boys” in the pop culture conversation with unexpected cameos and guest stars, such as Will Ferrell turning up as a coach in a fictionalized movie about superhero A-Train. Sanders believes every time a big name appears on the series, more viewers sample it.

The sustained success has led to Amazon discussing ways to keep the franchise going beyond next year’s fifth season, which the producers say will be its last.

“We’ve definitely been in conversations,” Sanders said. “Eric Kripke and the team have been thinking about other things they want to do in the universe.”