How The Boys' Eric Kripke Really Feels About Making TV Instead Of Movies
It's becoming all the more apparent that the lines between television and movies have continued to blur, in the best way. The quality of shows from TV networks and streaming services have grown to match their big screen counterparts. As a result, stars from the latter are now drawn to telling stories spread across weekly slots rather than a couple of hours in a crowded theatre. Now, it's no longer at all surprising to see names like Andrew Garfield, Kate Winslet, and Tessa Thompson on an equal amount of film posters as TV listings in a year, with shows like "Under the Banner of Heaven," "Mare of Easttown" and "Westworld," which just finished its fourth season.
One show that boasts some top-tier talent and jaw-dropping storylines to boot is "The Boys." Amazon's uncouth and hilariously offensive take on the superhero genre is still going strong after three seasons, becoming such a success that it has spawned a spin-off.
With wheels like these in motion, the big-screen cinematic universes with their by-the-book heroes may look like they have competition, but the big brain behind "The Boys," Eric Kripke, has assured fans that isn't the case. Even with some A-list talent and massive scope, the showrunner is adamant that even if "The Boys" looks and sounds like a movie, it's definitely still a TV show in spirit — and here's why.
TV shows might be cinematic, but it doesn't make them movies, according to Kripke
Eric Kripke, like the show he's built, hasn't held back on his perspective of the TV industry as it is now. Even after being showrunner for the first five seasons of "Supernatural," that hasn't had him lose sight of how small-screen stories are told. Speaking to Gizmodo about "The Boys" and the advantages of airing it on Amazon's streamer, Kripke highlighted a common opinion among other creative forces that needs to be put to bed.
"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," Kripke admitted. Pacing is a crucial ingredient for any episodic story, but in Kripke's eyes, it's just as essential not to try and embellish which format it's coming from. "Anyone who says, 'well, what I'm really making is a 10-hour movie.' F*** you! No you're not! Make a TV show. You're in the entertainment business."
And what a wild business it is. Streaming services are a standard factor in entertainment now and regarding the finale of "The Boys" Season 3, the antics of Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) and Homelander (Anthony Starr) put the show in second place behind "Stranger Things" (via The Hollywood Reporter). It's a game-changing platform for Kripke — one that he'd struggle to step back from with future projects, by the sounds of things.
Kripke has cracked the code by making shows for streaming
There's no denying that some of the biggest draws to television are the ones that come with "skip intro" and "pause" buttons, leaving audiences spoilt for choice with the binge-able shows, alongside the weekly released ones that are available first thing in the morning. For Kripke, though, the biggest perk he sees in streaming shows is being able to move around in the production timeline to ensure an airtight viewing experience.
"There are logistical benefits that would be impossible to give up because you can tell a coherent piece in a way you simply cannot with network TV," Kripke revealed following his third year being at home with Homelander. According to him, there are more significant threats than superbeings with a god complex, and they involve network television shows with storylines you can't go back and tweak. "It happens all the time: we're in the middle of filming episode seven, and we realize there's a different story line we need. We still have time to go back and shoot it for episode one and drop it back in."
Time travel might not be a power yet to be introduced with "The Boys" just yet, but it sounds like Kripke has mastered it already. Diabolical.