Amazon's 16-Part Action Series Needed One More Season To Be Great

Published Jul 26, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT Kyle is a senior writer at ScreenRant and has been part of the team for over two years. Having led coverage on The Walking Dead projects alongside Rick & Morty, Kyle is well versed in numerous genres. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Kyle is a passionate journalist who has a keen interest in TV and film. He has six years of experience studying journalism including a HND in Practical Journalism and a BA Honours in Journalism, Media and Communication and History. Alongside his love for TV and film, Kyle enjoys video games, football and Formula 1. With such an extensive library of high-quality shows, it's no surprise that Prime Video has really thrived in the action genre, yet one of the platform's most promising projects was one season away from being truly great. Following the success of The Boys, Amazon decided to invest in Gen V — a spinoff following young supes at Godolkin University. It acted as a nice break from the status quo while also adding its own mysteries and lore to the franchise, many of which tied directly into the main series. Likewise, the main cast was great, each bringing vibrant personalities and unique powers to the universe, with many becoming some of The Boys' strongest characters after developing their abilities. The secrets lurking below Godolkin University provided some much-needed tension, yet the franchise's signature humor remained on full display, making season 1 a great foundation to build on. Season 2 didn't quite hit the same heights, yet it perfectly built towards The Boys' final season, and it gave these young heroes the experience needed to join the fight against Vought. Frustratingly, only a handful of Gen V's cast featured in The Boys season 5, which hurt even more after it was confirmed that the spinoff wouldn't be picked up for a third season, cementing it as one of the most surprising TV cancellations of 2026. To make matters worse, it felt like Gen V was just a single season away from reaching its full potential, and it could've easily been one of the best action shows Prime Video had to offer. Gen V Needed One More Season To Fully Break Away From The Boys Jasper Savage/©Amazon/MGM Studios/Courtesy Everett Collection Given more time, Gen V would've easily been able to stand on its own two feet and become a true successor for The Boys, as opposed to just a spinoff. Season 1 felt like its own thing for the most part, since the new characters and settings were the focal point, but there were plenty of The Boys cameos linking the two projects. Considering both Butcher and Homelander appeared, Gen V was clearly still using The Boys' popularity to establish itself early on, but season 2 was an improvement in this regard. Sure, there were still plenty of familiar faces involved, but the story was more of a direct follow-up to the first outing. Still, the overarching narrative of The Boys loomed throughout Gen V, but given season 3 would've taken place after the main show's finale, it could've had much more freedom. Seeing these supes holding Vought to account and ensuring the next generation of heroes isn't corrupt would've been exciting, especially as they faced a fresh villain. The gore and over-the-top nature that made the franchise so popular to begin with likely would've remained, but Gen V had enough complex and original characters to offer something different. Instead, The Boys opted to set up Vought Rising during its final season, proving the focus is on the past, not the future. Vought Rising will be the next project in The Boys universe and is set to be released in 2027. As a result, Gen V's cancellation feels like wasted potential, especially with Marie poised to be the next Starlight. This would have been the best way to continue giving Prime Video an unorthodox superhero show going forward — one that had enough personality and scope to avoid being just a worse version of The Boys. Unfortunately, that third season doesn't look likely to happen any time soon, denying Gen V the chance to break away from its predecessor. Eric Kripke Was Already Making Plans For Gen V Season 3 The news about Gen V being axed was a major shock to many since it was largely successful, and it seems like even Eric Kripke may have been caught off guard. As an executive producer on the spinoff and showrunner of The Boys, Kripke confirmed that Gen V's cancellation was not his decision. In fact, he was actively fighting to keep the show going and already had ideas for season 3. According to Entertainment Weekly, Kripke had plans for the next installment that excited him but remained tight-lipped on what they could be, even alluding to the fact that he could still integrate them into a future project. While it's comforting to know Eric Kripke believes Gen V's cast has a future in The Boys universe, seeing them again won't make up for such a needless cancellation. If they were to come back as main characters, there's no reason not to just revive Gen V for a third season, especially if an idea was there for their next adventure. Without knowing what Kripke had in mind, it's possible that he had only envisioned small concepts for them that weren't quite enough for a full season of TV yet. However, the fact that he had something on the table suggests their journey wasn't supposed to end with an underwhelming season 5 cameo in The Boys or some minor appearances in future projects. Prime Video clearly still believes in this franchise, considering Vought Rising and The Boys: Mexico are still moving forward, but Gen V still feels like the most promising show in this universe, and knowing it never reached its full potential despite more plans for it makes the spinoff's fate very hard to swallow. Source: Entertainment Weekly Release Date 2023 - 2025-00-00 Network Prime Video Showrunner Michele Fazekas Cast Lizze Broadway Emma Meyer / Little Cricket Directors Nelson Cragg, Clare Kilner, Philip Sgriccia, Sanaa Hamri, Shana Stein, Steve Boyum Writers Craig Rosenberg Franchise(s) The Boys Creator(s) Craig Rosenberg, Evan Goldberg, Eric Kripke