‘The Boys’ Watch Order: Chronology with ‘Gen V’ & ‘Mexico’

‘The Boys’ franchise originated as a comic book series created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson. It became quite popular in comic book circles due to its satirical take on the whole superhero culture and a somewhat sardonic take on society in general, so it wasn’t as surprising when the comics were later picked up and developed into a TV series by Eric Kripke. The show was an instant hit and became, ironically, an entire franchise, which was something that the source material mocked in the first place. 

Today, ‘The Boys’ franchise consists of three seasons of the mainline series, one anthology series, one spinoff released in the latter half of 2023, and a fourth season and additional spinoff on the way. It also spawned two short films, a web series with short segments, and a podcast. And today, we’re going to tell you how to watch them in order.

All ‘The Boys’ series & spinoffs in release date order 

The first season of ‘The Boys’ was released in July 2019, and critics loved it. The show had everything: witty and sometimes shocking social commentary, nice action sequences, humor, and an intriguing storyline. It was quickly renewed for a second season, and later on, several spinoffs were planned. The franchise continues to expand to this day, currently consisting of the following: 

1. ‘The Boys’ Season 1 (2019)
2. ‘Mr. Butcher’ (Short Film)
3. ‘The Boys’ Season 2 (2020)
4. ‘Butcher: A Short Film’
5. ‘Vought News Network: Seven on 7 with Cameron Coleman’ (2021)
6. ‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ (2022)
7. ‘The Boys’ Season 3 (2022)
8. ‘Deeper and Deeper’ (2022)
9. ‘Gen V’ Season 1 (2023)
10. ‘The Boys’ Season 4 (2024 – TBA)
11. ‘The Boys: Mexico’ (TBA)

Are all ‘The Boys’ series, spinoffs, and shorts connected? What’s the best way to watch them?

Absolutely everything released under ‘The Boys’ umbrella is set in the same Universe and in the same continuity, and hence it’s connected to the mainline series. And this holds true for ‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ as well, although please note that not all episodes are considered canon and, therefore can easily be skilled. 

As far as the best watch order goes, it’s best not to complicate things and simply watch the franchise in release date order, as watching it in proper chronological order involves switching shows, incorporating many shorts, and essentially going back and forth between different forms of media. Chronological order is best for fans who are already aware of the in-universe events and chronology. If you’re just starting out with the franchise, it might not make sense why you’re watching things out of release date order. 

‘The Boys’ franchise in chronological order (including ‘Gen V’ & ‘The Boys: Mexico’ spinoff)

Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to dig into the chronological order. If you don’t really want to read our explanation of why some things should be watched before others, here’s a list with every segment in chronological order: 

1. ‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ – Episode 8
2. ‘The Boys’ Season 1 – Episodes 1-8
3. ‘Butcher: A Short Film’
4. ‘The Boys’ Season 2 – Episodes 1-8
5. ‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ – Episode 6 – 7
6. ‘Seven on 7’ Episodes – 1-7
7. ‘The Boys’ Season 3- Episodes 1-3
8. ‘Deeper and Deeper’
9. ‘Seven on 7’ Episode 8
10. ‘The Boys’ Season 3 – Episode 4-8
11. ‘Mr. Butcher: A Proper Education’
12. ‘Seven on 7’ Episode 9
13. ‘Gen V’ – Season 1 Episode 1- 8
14. ‘The Boys’ Season 4 (TBA) 
15. ‘The Boys: Mexico’ Season 1 (TBA) 

*non-canon episodes of ‘Diabolical’ were omitted

Now, if you’re wondering why exactly this chronological order, what follows is an in-depth explanation. 

The first thing on our watch order is ‘The Boys Presents: Diabolical’ Episode 8 because it’s the earliest point in the canon timeline. It showcases the event when Homelander first joined The Seven, Black Noir essentially saved his ass, and Madelyn Stillwell utilized a horrific situation to propel him into stardom. 

From here, you should watch the entire first season of ‘The Boys,’ watching episode 8 of ‘Diabolical’ first makes Black Noir’s character all the more tragic. Next up is the Short film’ Butcher, ‘ which canonically takes place between the first and second seasons. This should be followed by ‘The Boys’ season 2 and ‘Diabolica’ episodes 6-7, which present the story of Nubians, Vought Janitor, and his wife Sun-Hee. 

‘Seven on 7’ was a short promotional segment that teased the delayed episodes of season 3, and this is why it should be watched before season 3 because it served as somewhat of a bridge and reminder between the two seasons. 

The first seven episodes of ‘Seven on 7’ should be followed by ‘The Boys’ Season 3, episodes 1-3, and the podcast segment ‘Deeper and Deeper,’ which involves The Deep and his wife Cassandra, because it follows the couple as they chronicle their relationship and escape from the Church of the Collective. 

What follows is ‘Seven on 7’ Episode 8 the continuation of Season 3, and yet another Butcher-centric short as he teaches schoolkids about the dangers of supes, which ominously previews what will happen once supes go rogue. 

‘Seven on 7’ Episode 9 is a preview into ‘Gen V’ but has no narrative value. ‘Gen V’ is set between season 3 and season 4 of The Boys, and even though the show focuses on a completely different rooster of teenage supes, here and there, the events that took place during season 3 are referenced, and some important characters make an appearance in the show. 

The final episode of ‘Gen V’ leads us into the supe uprising fueled by Homelander’s unhinged behavior, and this is what Season 4 of ‘The Boys’ will largely follow, so in a way, ‘Gen V’ sets the stage for these events. 

After ‘The Boys’ Season 4, the chronology stops completely, and even though the ‘Mexico’ spinoff has been announced, the only thing we know for sure is that it’s going to be set in Mexico and probably will be set after the events of season 4, but this is just a wild guess. 

I tried to keep this short timeline summary as free of spoilers as I humanly could. 

Where can you watch the ‘The Boys’ franchise?

The entire ‘The Boys’ franchise can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, and the rest of the promo materials, like shorts and fake news segments, can be found on YouTube. 

Will there be more ‘The Boys’ spinoffs?

‘The Boys’ Season 4 is on the way, scheduled to be released sometime in 2024, and there’s also ‘The Boys: Mexico’ spinoff, which is currently in pre-production. ‘Gen V’ will also get a second season, but beyond that? It’s hard to say the future of potential spinoffs will depend on the success of the second season of ‘Gen V’ and ‘The Boys: Mexico.’ 

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!