To bastardize Harvey Dent’s wise words to Bruce Wayne, you either end your show as a deconstruction or keep it running long enough to watch it become what it set out to parody. Reno 911 parodied Cops, but countless reboots and sequels made it a parody of itself. Scream started as a deconstruction of horror movies, but soon became one of the major franchises in the horror genre.
From the get-go, that was a concern for The Boys, an adaptation of Garth Ennis’ comics that sought to take down the superhero movie machine with a gory edge. After its fourth season and multiple spinoffs, fans were worried The Boys would become as cash-grabby as the franchises it spoofed. But the creator of the series reassures fans of show that he is aware The Boys becoming yet another superhero franchise would only undercut its message.
