NEXT IN THE SERIES

You fell in love with that incredible new TV show. And then it ended! Don’t despair — Boyd Hilton recommends the sibling shows to watch next

IF YOU LOVED... THE BOYS TIMELESS

(NETFLIX)

The Boys creator

Eric Kripke has an extraordinary CV of TV sci-fi/fantasy series, from 15 seasons of Supernatural to the postapocalyptic Revolution in 2012. This time-travel escapade he co-created in 2016 aired on E4 without much fanfare, and is unusual in the Kripke oeuvre for having a female lead. Abigail Spencer plays a history professor in charge of the team trying to track down a stolen time machine invented by an Elon Musk-ish tech billionaire, delightfully played by Peep Show’s Paterson Joseph. Each week features a fun trip to a different time period, but the show lasted for only two seasons.

POWERS

(ITUNES/PRIME VIDEO) There have been many superherothemed TV series in recent years, but this slightly obscure one from 2015 is the closest thematically to The Boys. It’s set in a world where people with superpowers become celebrities who get up to no good, while Sharlto Copley is an ex-superhero-turned-detective who tracks down those who are abusing their powers. Almost as sweary and violent as The Boys itself, it has a fascinating supporting cast including Eddie Izzard, Michael Madsen and Noah Taylor.

VINYL

(SKY ON DEMAND/NOW) The non-superhero character we’re meant to identify with in The Boys is, of course, Hughie, played with aplomb by Jack Quaid. Prior to this breakout role, Quaid was best known for playing record-label dude Clark Morelle in this ambitious exploration of the ’70s music industry in New York, which only ran for one season in 2016. The show was co-created by Martin Scorsese, Mick Jagger and Terence Winter, but was perhaps too insider-y to become a hit.

PREACHER

(PRIME VIDEO)

Before The Boys, the most effective attempt to translate the outrageous tone of Garth Ennis’ comic books was this adaptation of his Preacher series, which ran for four superviolent, funny and visually spectacular seasons from 2015 to 2019. It stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, a dodgy Texan man of the cloth who suddenly attains the power to bend people to his will. He’s joined on his amoral adventures by the superb Ruth Negga as hellraiser Tulip and Joseph Gilgun as pleasure-seeking Irish vampire Cassidy. Full of jaw-dropping set-pieces, it never quite had the cultural impact it deserved.

THE BOYS IS OUT NOW ON PRIME VIDEO