Fresh off the resounding success of The Boys Season 3, its creator Eric Kripke has taken the opportunity to give his opinion on how some streaming shows have opted to feel like 10-hour movies. The rise of streaming has led to an improvement in several aspects of series development, but Kripke believes that adhering to a film's pacing for the entirety of the season is a step in the wrong direction.
While talking to Vulture, Kripke commented on the current state of streaming television, pointing out how many filmmakers who make the jump to the media platform fail to understand the functionality of a TV show format. He does not make reference to any particular project, but it's clear he feels strongly about how some recent shows look to stall the audience until the very last episode. Here is what he said:
“The downside of streaming is that a lot of filmmakers who work in streaming didn’t necessarily come out of that network grind. They’re more comfortable with the idea that they could give you 10 hours where nothing happens until the eighth hour. That drives me f—ing nuts, personally.”
He then doubles down, referencing his own experience working in network television before developing The Boys.
“As a network guy who had to get you people interested for 22 f—ing hours a year, I didn’t get the benefit of, ‘Oh, just hang in there and don’t worry. The critics will tell you that by Episode 8, shit really hits the fan.’ Or anyone who says, ‘Well, what I’m really making is a 10-hour movie.’ F—k you! No you’re not! Make a TV show. You’re in the entertainment business.”
Before handling dark superhero satire for the streaming service, Kripke worked on Supernatural for The CW for 15 years. A fan-favorite series from the network, he had to ensure every episode of the 22-episode long season felt essential on a week-to-week basis. But don't get it twisted, despite his criticism, Kripke states that he will never go back to network television, siting the "logistical benefits" of creating a coherent story across several episodes with room to remove or add anything along the way.
Although The Boys showrunner does not name a particular series, it seems that his opinion may be attributed to the relatively-recent flow of filmmakers making the jump to streaming. Perhaps shows like Obi-Wan Kenobi or Moon Knight make his list of sins, two Disney+ projects originally imagined as theatrical movies before being converted to a 6-episode limited event series. The latest season of Stranger Things could be a culprit as well, but that two-part installment reached past 13 hours on a modest nine episodes.
As his assessment of the state of streaming television makes waves, fans of The Boys can catch the entire critically-acclaimed Season 3 on Prime Video. No release date has yet been confirmed for the upcoming fourth season. Until then, you can wait in anticipation of the arrival of Gen V, a spinoff focused on college-aged superheroes now in production.