This spin-off was not something I wanted, I didn’t think it would be a good idea. As much as I trusted Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke, and Craig Rosenberg – the show creators – I didn’t want it. Having Jaz Sinclair and Chance Perdomo, who I both loved in season one of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, cast in the show didn’t move the needle. Shelley Conn who I’ve seen in many projects at this point, and Maddie Phillips from the short-lived Netflix series Teenage Bounty Hunter that I enjoyed, and I couldn’t make myself care.

Lizze Broadway (Ghosted, Here and Now), London Thor (You, Shameless), Derek Luh (Shining Vale), Asa German (Dahmer), and Patrick Schwarzenegger (The Terminal List) round out this cast yet I was as apathetic to this project as I could have been even knowing that I would at least check out one episode. That’s all I needed.

Premise: “Gen V,” explores the training of the first generation of superheroes to know that their powers were not God-given but the result of the Compound V injected into them. These young, competitive heroes put their physical and moral boundaries to the test at Godolkin University, competing for the school’s highly coveted top ranking. They quickly come to learn that ambition comes with sacrifice, and the difference between right and wrong is not as clear as they once believed. When the university’s dark secrets come to light, the students must come to grips with what type of heroes they are going to become.

Review: As low as my expectations were, this show managed to pull in a little more with each episode. The sophisticated commentary permeating the show was a bigger surprise since I fully expected this to be a dumber version of The Boys with a lot of gore and sex. I thought I was in for a Thor: Love & Thunder level of comedic idiocy. But as mentioned in my premiere review the show is deeper, intriguing, and fun.

The show is adult, ridiculous at times but it maintained a nice level of sophistication in the characters and the plot. Each character’s powers have a commentary or two attached to them, a complexity that makes these powers a bit more than an ability. I also love the idea that these powers don’t preclude the people who have them from having issues independently of said powers just like any regular human. The reverse is often depicted in this type of show. The abilities are often the root cause of the problems a character has, however, in this show, they made a point of showing that in some cases the abilities are an added concern on top of a fragile mind but not the source.

The show has X-Men vibes but it doesn’t feel like a rip-off, it’s very much its own thing – at least, in my eyes. I did not expect this show to be as connected to The Boys as it was, and it’s such a good add-on/expansion. The cameos were great and nicely used. One in particular, Senator Newman, threw me for a loop because I did not see that particular revelation coming.

Gen V expanded the world of The Boys while sneakily setting up season 4, introduced interesting young characters, and brought villains to that universe when previously we had lone rogues or flawed superheroes. This spin-off gave us bad guys with an agenda and the belief that they’re doing good.

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