Is Gen V for kids? God no, it's a Boys spin-off. But even you might want to look at the Amazon rating
A TV show can't be rated R, but goshdarn it if Gen V isn't trying.
We are just days away from the debt of The Boys spinoff Gen V, which follows a group of teenagers at a college for supes. And though you may be thinking, 'Hey, that sounds like the new Percy Jackson show,' we can ASSURE you, the target audience is much older. But just how old? And what about the show makes it for mature viewers? We took a look at Gen V's rating to find out.
What is Gen V rated?
Head to Gen V's landing page on Amazon Prime and you'll see an '18+' marker abouut halfway down the screen. Like the same indication on The Boys page, this means that Gen V will deal in similarly adult content. To be specific, Amazon defines that adult content as "Nudity, violence, substance use, alcohol use, smoking, foul language," and "sexual content."
Now, those warnings don't have to come with a mature rating. Consider the fact that Netflix flags a lot of the same stuff in the One Piece anime (except for sexual content), and that show is meant for anyone over 13. But it's not just those triggers that matter, it's their frequency. And according to the folks making Gen V, they're used in an R-Rated amount.
Is Gen V Rated R?
Technically, the answer to this is no. Gen V is a streaming TV show, which is not rated by the MPA, or Motion Picture Association. It is only the MPA that can legally grant the rating of 'R,' and even then, only to movies. However, that doesn't stop the term from applying, in an unofficial way, to The Boys spinoff.
Recently, The Boys and Gen V producer Seth Rogen spoke to Empire magazine to detail how mature Gen V was going to get. "Gen V has some really crazy shit in it," says the producer, "The fact that they’re in college, they’re a little younger, makes it more shocking maybe." He continues, "In general, if you’re making an R-rated thing, they let you do whatever the fuck you want."
Apologies for Rogen's French, but if you've seen any of The Boys, you know he's telling the truth.
Who is Gen V's target audience?
With all this in mind, even older viewers may want to think twice before giving Gen V a shot. And there's nothing wrong with that; modern on-screen superhero fare usually leans PG-13, so it's not surprising that you may not be interested in going darker. Viewing Gen V, The Boys, and even Rogen's other show, Invinicible, is down to personal preference. We're not going to tell you what to do.
Except to say: don't let your kids watch it.
If gore, vice, and everything naughty is your kind of superhero entertainment, then The Boys is definitely for you. Check out our article explaining how to watch The Boys now.
