The Boys season 4 premiere has not earned much love from its viewers. Starring Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, and Erin Moriarty, the show explores the consequences of corporate superheroes and greedy companies. It is based on a comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson but has diverged heavily from the source material. Season 4 premiered on June 12 and introduces five new supes with powers that can fundamentally change the show’s direction. Unfortunately, as the second-to-last season, audience scores reflect a disappointing reaction to season 4.

While The Boys might have had a positive start, audiences have been less favorable about each successive season. The show’s popularity has been declining among viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, but season 4 has had a stunning drop in audience favorability. With a 52% audience score at the time of writing, season 4 is the first in the show’s history to earn a Rotten designation. Critics are still favorable with a 95% score, but the audience response is surprising, given its previous success.

The Boys Season 4 Has The Show’s Worst Audience Score

While Critics Remain Positive, Audiences Are Growing Tired

Rotten Tomatoes audience scores tend to change quickly, so the Rotten title may disappear with time. Still, it is a poor sign for a show that has been consistently successful in satisfying critics and audiences alike. The mixed reviews for The Boys season 4 are a dangerous sign, as the show has seen a decline in its audience scores since season 2 premiered. The first season had a 90% score, while season 2 had 83%, season 3 had a similar drop to 75%, and season 4 is downright Rotten.

The Boys Seasons
Tomatometer Scores
Audience Scores

Season 2
97%
83%

Season 3
98%
75%

Season 4
95%
52%

Many Rotten Tomatoes responses indicate that the show has become too political, while others claim that the characters have become inconsistent and uninteresting. Many cite the writing as an indicator of the show’s drop in quality, while others cite no grievance except that the show is worse than it was. Others, still, consider Frenchie’s romantic developments in season 4 to be a significant problem, as his partner had never appeared in the show before this season. Additionally, Frenchie has been playing the same listless role in every season. Some reviewers never provide a reason for their poor reviews at all.

Relying on the audience score for The Boys can be flawed. Like many other shows before it, the series may be suffering from a review-bombing campaign. The Last of Us famously had a massive review-bombing campaign after diverting from the original material to introduce gay characters, just as The Boys did. Despite being a satire since its inception, it also veers even more heavily into politics, which can draw some ire. With so many viewers failing to cite reasons for its failure, there is reason to believe that the show may be suffering from review-bombing, which could explain its massive decline.

Can The Boys Recover From Its Poor Audience Trend?

The Boys Season 5 Will Be The Show’s Final Season

The Boys‘ gradual downward slope has been consistent since the end of season 1, though the season 4 drop is stark. Instead of declining by 7 or 8%, as previous seasons did, it fell by an incredible 23%. If the show aims to fix its score, it will need to do so either by the end of the season or next season, as The Boys season 5 will be its final outing. Since some criticisms about the show have been the lack of any true plot progression, the last season will be the perfect place to resolve that issue.

If The Boys is ever going to recover, season 5 is going to need to be as interesting and fulfilling as season 1.

Vought’s decline, Homelander’s decaying mental wellness, and the coming collapse of the American government have all been slow-developing arcs with little driving them forward. The Boys, for instance, have not killed any major supes since they executed Translucent in season 1. Without needing to retain actors for follow-up seasons, Eric Kripke and the rest of the crew can elect to kill off major characters without worrying about losing their marketing draw. Additionally, Homelander, who has been the show’s main antagonist, can finally meet his end as the Boys continue to strive to take Vought down.

Season 5 could very well see Homelander’s plan finally come into practice, as he continues to work to dominate the world’s governments. While anyone engaging in review-bombing will likely be unsatisfied with any conclusion, loyal viewers can finally see character arcs brought to an end. Of course, there is a chance that the show could fail to provide a proper ending, which would only escalate existing tension within the audience. If The Boys is ever going to recover, season 5 is going to need to be as interesting and fulfilling as season 1, if not better.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes