The Boys, Amazon Prime’s gritty take on the superhero genre, revolves around Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and his rag-tag team of self-styled vigilantes who try to take down The Seven, a group of super-powered beings who are meant to protect the society.
The series often has its moments of dark comedy and asks viewers to imagine a world where superheroes are not held responsible for their actions, and it’s here where the show tries to take a realistic worldview. As The Boys enters its second season, here are a few shows with similar tones that might interest you.
10 Watchmen
Showrunner David Lindelof took inspiration from the monumental graphic novel "Watchmen," but gave the source material his own spin in this HBO miniseries that aired last year. Set a few decades after the events of the comics, a masked vigilante called Sister Night (Regina King) is at the core of the story.
Revealing much of the story or the characters would be chartering spoiler territory, but Watchmen is an increasingly relevant show that tackles institutional racism and other social issues.
9 Spawn
Written by creator Todd McFarlane, the HBO animated series Spawn is stylishly animated and unapologetically violent. However, the graphic nature of its violence only adds more to the story and contributes to the traumatic character development of the titular anti-hero.
Cursed with his new powers and a hellish appearance, Spawn tries to make sense of his new life while seeking revenge for the ones behind his death. The show remains iconic for its dark storyline and Keith David’s voice acting.
8 Happy!
In many ways, Happy! is similar to The Boys in its dark humor and subversive tone. Its storyline is a hyperviolent tale of the adventures of a corrupt cop-turned-hitman and his imaginary friend, the titular blue unicorn voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt.
Right from the start, the show makes its surrealism and over-the-top violence evident, making this Syfy series perhaps one of the most unusual shows in recent years.
7 Luke Cage
The titular hero gains superhuman strength as a part of an unauthorized lab experiment in this Netflix Marvel series. Filled with unconventional superhero tropes and a socially conscious narrative, Luke Cage succeeded in creating a hero who’s more thoughtful of his actions in the real world.
Basing the show in one neighborhood rather than having the character fight to save an entire city/country/planet gave the show a tighter and more compelling focus than most other superhero stories.
6 The Umbrella Academy
The titular team in The Umbrella Academy is a group of troubled adoptive siblings, each of whom boasts a particular superpower. Instead of using their powers to help society, they are busy solving their own problems as one of their time-traveling siblings ends up creating alternate realities.
The series has its share of humor and action with high-end production value, but its story also humanizes superheroes by having them reckon with their own personal traumas and issues rather than only caring about saving the world.
5 Harley Quinn
Bolstered by the voice acting of Big Bang Theory's Kaley Cuoco, Harley Quinn is an animated comedy-action series that explores the lives of supervillains. Hence, viewers can expect non-stop scenes of irresponsible behavior, collateral damage, and mindless violence in a world where villains compete against each other in terms of notoriety.
The show is surprisingly empowering as it details how Harley Quinn ends her toxic relationship with the Joker to helm a villainous empire of her own. Her best friend Poison Ivy, meanwhile, often tries to tell Harley that villains should bear some responsibility for their actions.
4 Doom Patrol
A spin-off of Titans, Doom Patrol is another edgy superhero show with comedic elements. Organized as a team by a a figure known as The Chief, the Doom Patrol engage in investigating weird phenomena from all over the world, eventually using their powers for good.
While Titans might fall victim to the trappings of the usual superhero genre, Doom Patrol offers a fresher take on its premise with a weirdly funny yet emotionally deep tone similar to that of The Umbrella Academy.
3 Daredevil
Netflix's Daredevil stars Charlie Cox as a blind attorney/vigilante who finds himself at odds with a mob boss called Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio) as both confront their own turbulent pasts. The series drew immense praise for its emotionally tragic storylines and well-choreographed action sequences.
Even though Daredevil was axed after three seasons, it still has a devoted following and was one of the pioneers of the modern era of grittier superhero dramas on television.
2 Sense8
In Netflix's Sense8, eight people from all over the world suddenly start experiencing superpowers and telepathic connections with each other. As an evil corporation tries hunting them down, the eight leads understand that they need to stick together in order to truly understand the bigger plan that they’re a part of.
Sense8 evokes philosophical sci-fi with a socially diverse cast while avoiding clichés that many such ensemble-led shows suffer from. It’s yet another show on this list that has garnered a cult following but was canceled before it could fully flesh out its planned narrative.
1 Preacher
Dominic Cooper’s Jesse Custer, lead character of Preacher, not only sounds and feels like Karl Urban’s Butcher from The Boys but even looks like him. The adaptation of Garth Ennis’ graphic novel of the same name, Preacher revolves around the titular character encountering supernatural forces and trying to communicate with God himself in his pursuit of peace and balance.
As with any show that takes a subversive view of religion, Preacher isn't for everyone, but it's a great ride for those that aren't put off by its subject matter.
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