Violence is gory and shocking: A young girl suddenly accidentally kills her parents; we see spikes fly through her dads' head in numerous scenes. Superheroes have battles that leave other superheroes and mortals dead; there are slit throats, arms that are pulled off and then replaced, spouting, gouting blood, bodies that explode in a shower of blood and red tissue.
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Sexual content is mature, such as a scene in which a hookup convinces a character to miniaturize herself for sex. She is seen hanging onto his erect penis at length and then flopping on and kicking his testicles as he moans with pleasure. In another scene, we see a brief clip of pornography, with a topless woman thrusting on top of a man as another man watches and is called "cuck." There are references to masturbation, oral sex, group sex, and more.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
Expect frequent drug use, as when teens go to a club, snort cocaine, and take molly before making some questionable decisions. A character discusses "microdosing" with "shrooms."
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Marie is a young Black woman and the rest of the cast is diverse in terms of race and ethnicity. People of color have strong main and supporting roles.
Ironic and subversive, this show features few real heroes or heroics. Even the characters you root for often give way to their darker impulses.
Positive Role Models
very little
Marie is a sympathetic character, but most of the other cast members run the gamut from cartoonish to unlikeable.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Gen V is a spin-off of dark superhero series The Boys. Its levels of sex, drug use, language, and, most particularly, violence match the original series. Expect scenes like one in which a teen girl suddenly murders her parents, who collapse onto the floor bleeding out. In other scenes, characters are burnt alive, get their throats slit, are dismembered, and more. Sexual content is also frequent and strong, such as a scene in which a character who can shrink herself is shown dangling from an erect penis, and jumping on his testicles. Drug use is casual: A group of teens take molly, cocaine, shrooms, and drink alcohol at a club. Language includes "f--k," "motherf--ker," "s--t," "a--holes," "dick," "c--k." The cast does include many strong roles for actors of color.
Gen V could easily surpass its predecessor show "The Boys".
The entire plot felt so steady throughout the first 3 episodes, it is SO unbelievably good. Dare I say better than the starter episodes The Boys ever had. The foundation that they've set for this show is so solid, it could easily surpass its parent show. It's fun, sensual, deliciously gruesome and graphic. The characters are complex and different in their own ways, each of them have unique attributes that build them as their own individual, independent men and women. They did an amazing job with the casting, the acting is spectacular and the people are so aesthetically pleasing to look at. Additionally, the wardrobe in the show had me star struck. That one outfit with Marie in those black elastic pants was just... wow. Definitely worth the watch, can't wait for more episodes.
This should not be shown to anyone under the age of 18. It is gory raunchy as it can be, and nasty as can be. But of course that's the point. If I saw this as a teenager I would have loved it. However some teens may not see this for what it is supposed to be. It's quite satirical and sad. The self harm and eating disorder aspect is quite disturbing for anyone that has those problems. But hopefully the people that view this see that for what it is. Quite upsetting. As it's supposed to be.
What's the Story?
Set in the same world as The Boys, GEN V focuses on the next generation of superheroes attending school at Vought-run Godolkin University of Crimefighting. Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) is intent on being the first Black woman to enter elite superhero unit The Seven, and it's looking good for her chances when she gets a full-ride scholarship to Godolkin. But all is not as it seems at Godolkin, or in the superhero world, and when Marie gets mixed up in the goings-on, it's going to take all her powers, and those of her friends, to fight the forces of evil.
Just as breezy, ultra-violent, and sharp as its predecessor The Boys, this Superhero University series is plenty of briskly paced good fun. Set in the same universe as The Boys, Gen V presents a world in which babies were given the unearthly power-granting elixir Compound V, made by Boys' evil corporation Vought, by their parents. Said powers are delightfully varied: some budding superheroes can run fast or turn themselves invisible, and others have more unusual powers, like Marie's ability to wield her own blood like a weapon, or control its flow in others. Marie's college dorm roommate Emma (Lizze Broadway) can change her size (but she has to make herself vomit to shrink).
The scenes in which Emma vomits and shrinks are a potent and rather unnerving visual reference to eating disorders, and the rest of the script teems with coming of age references: a social media following is crucial for a young superhero hoping to score a rare city-protection contract; Marie gains her powers just as she hits puberty; one character's power is the ability to change sex at will. Naturally, the plotline will involve tangles with Vought and characters learning to wield the powers they've been (chemically) granted. It's more than enough to keep you interested until the next season of The Boys is available.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about superheroes. What do we expect from superheroes? How do we expect them to behave? How do the superheroes on The Boys and Gen V behave? How is it different from what we have come to expect from superheroes?
How does Gen V blur the line between good and bad? Do characters behave in ways you might expect them to in real life if superpowers existed? What does the show think about celebrity?
Did the level of mature content in Gen V surprise you? Does the iffy content improve the show, or detract from it?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Joyce Slaton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
