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It's an election year - a terrifying prospect in both our universe and in the world of The Boys.

That's right, Amazon Prime Video's sadistic satire of the superhero genre heads to the White House in the just-released The Boys season 4. With that in mind, we've assembled The Boys watch order (including its spinoffs), so that you can go into the voting booths - er, I mean your Prime account - fully prepared.

Based loosely on the comic book The Boys by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, Amazon Prime Video's The Boys is a distinctly more gritty take on the superhero genre. Most heroes in this world have either been corrupted by their power or are simply sociopaths waiting for a chance to let their worst side out to the world. Following the success of the Amazon TV show, multiple spin-offs have been announced including Gen V and Diabolical, with more to come. If you’re not sure how best to watch every show in The Boys franchise in either chronological or release order, here is exactly what you need to know.

How to watch The Boys in chronological order

Most episodes of The Boys take place in the order they are released, though there are some flashbacks used to flesh out certain characters’ backstories and motivations. The biggest wrinkle in the show’s watch order is the animated series Diabolical. Some of these shorts take place in the main show’s timeline, while most take place in an entirely different universe. According to showrunner Eric Kripke, only three episodes of Diabolical are considered canon to the main show. Every other episode is included on this list but noted as non-canon to avoid confusion.

If you want to watch The Boys in chronological order, here is what we suggest.

• Diabolical – Episode 1: Laser Baby’s Day Out – Note that this episode is considered non-canon to the main show’s timeline.
• Diabolical – Episode 8: One Plus One Equals Two
• Diabolical – Episode 3: I’m Your Pusher – Note that this episode is considered non-canon to the main show’s timeline. It incorporates many elements from the original comics and was written by Garth Ennis, so it is most likely part of the comic universe but this has not been confirmed
• The Boys – Season 1: Episodes 1-8
• Butcher: A Short Film – Note that this was a 5-minute film released via The Boys Twitter account
• The Boys – Season 2: Episodes 1-3
• Diabolical – Episode 2: An Animated Short Where Pissed-Off Supes Kill Their Parents – Note that this episode is considered non-canon to the main show’s timeline.
• The Boys – Season 2: Episodes 4-8
• Diabolical – Episode 4: Boyd in 3D – Note that this episode is considered non-canon to the main show’s timeline.
• Diabolical – Episode 5: BFFs – Note that this episode is considered non-canon to the main show’s timeline.
• Diabolical – Episode 6: Nubian vs Nubian
• Diabolical – Episode 7: John and Sun-Hee
• Seven on 7 – Episodes 1-7
• The Boys – Season 3: Episodes 1-3
• Deeper and Deeper – Note that this is a podcast hosted on Audible featuring The Deep and his wife Cassandra discussing their relationship up to this point in the show.
• Seven on 7 – Episode 8
• The Boys – Season 3: Episodes 4-8
• Mr. Butcher: A Proper Education – Note that this was a 1-minute short released via The Boys Twitter account
• Seven on 7 – Episode 9
• Gen V - Season 1
• The Boys Season 4

How to watch The Boys in release order

If you’re not worried about keeping the timeline straight, it is much easier to watch The Boys in release order. Other than the occasional short that is released between episodes, most of the content in The Boys is released in easy-to-follow seasons. Here is how to watch everything that has been released for Amazon’s The Boys series in release order.

• The Boys – Season 1
• The Boys – Season 2: Episodes 1-3
• Butcher: A Short Film – Note that this was a 5-minute film released via The Boys Twitter account
• The Boys – Season 2: Episodes 4-8
• Seven on 7 – Episodes 1-7
• Diabolical – Episodes 1-8
• The Boys – Season 3: Episodes 1-3
• Deeper and Deeper – Note that this is a podcast hosted on Audible featuring The Deep and his wife Cassandra discussing their relationship up to this point in the show.
• The Boys – Season 3: Episode 4
• Seven on 7 – Episode 8
• The Boys – Season 3: Episodes 4-8
• Mr. Butcher: A Proper Education – Note that this was a 1-minute short released via The Boys Twitter account
• Seven on 7 – Episode 9
• Gen V - Season 1
• The Boys - Season 4

Where can you watch The Boys

The Boys is one of the most popular shows on Amazon Prime Video and they have the exclusive rights to stream it worldwide. Even the Deeper and Deeper podcast is hosted on the Amazon-owned Audible service. The only exceptions are the Seven on 7 episodes, which are hosted on YouTube, and the two short films, which were posted by The Boys’ Twitter account.

When is The Boys Season 5 coming out?

Following The Boys season 4, the obvious question is when is the next season coming out? The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke confirmed it is happenning, but it's bittersweet - as it'll be the last.

Does The Boys tv show follow the comics’ storyline?

When you’re adapting a property from comic books to TV screens, you have to expect some changes. The Boys gives some characters a new look, such as giving Billy Butcher a rugged beard, when it translated them to screen. Several characters got their backstories updated for the modern era and others, like Soldier Boy, got a complete personality overhaul to help them fit into the TV show.

The broad premise of The Boys TV show remains similar to the original comic. It follows a group of vigilantes who are tasked with holding superheroes accountable for their actions, but most of the details are very different. Considering the explosion in superhero films since The Boys comic book debuted in 2006, there are more nods to properties like the MCU mixed into the TV show, for example. Homelander is far more controlled and intelligent in the TV show, making him a more menacing, unpredictable villain.

The result is that The Boys TV show will feel familiar to fans of the comics while still offering plenty of surprises. Major story beats are presented in vastly different ways, so don’t worry if you’ve never picked up a single issue of The Boys. There is no required reading to enjoy the show.

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The secret origin of The Boys as a DC superteam to counter Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Justice League.