The Boys Creator Says Fans Will 'Retroactively Judge' the Entire Show Based on How They Feel About Season 5's Final Episode

The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke has admitted to feeling anxious about the final season of The Boys hitting our TV screens, saying fans will “retroactively judge” the entire show based on the Season 5 finale.

Kripke, though, isn’t so much excited, but anxious to see how fans react.

“Excites is the wrong word,” he told The Hollywood Reporter.

“What makes me most… anxious about the final season is really hoping we land the plane.”
He went on to say that fans will judge the entire show based on how they feel about its final episode, and called finales “super hard to do.”
“It’s super hard to do a finale.

Fans will retroactively judge the show based on how they feel about the finale.

If we stiff it, they will definitely say, 'Well, that show wasn’t as good as we thought it was.' And it’s almost like you’re trying to secure your legacy with these finales.

And it’s the first finale I’ve ever done, too — so it’s not like I have any experience with it.

So I’m mostly anxious and girding my loins.”
This is something we’ve seen with other shows with huge fandoms behind them.

A good recent example is Stranger Things, which came to an end earlier this year with a divisive final episode.

But then there’s Game of Thrones’ ending, which set the tone for discourse around that show perhaps forever more.

and who can forget the ending of Lost?

(Some fans really wish they could.)
Will The Boys join Most Divisive Series Finales in TV History lists?

It won’t be long before we find out.

While you wait, check out our spoiler-free review of The Boys Season 5, Episodes 1-7.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN.

You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.