Posted in: Amazon Studios, CW, streaming, Supernatural, TV | Tagged: amazon, cw, eric kripke, prime video, Supernatural, the boys

The Boys: Eric Kripke to TV Series That Want to Be Films: "F*** You!"

Published Fri, 15 Jul 2022 15:27:12 -0500

by Ray Flook

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It would be tough to argue that it's not a great time to be a part of The Boys universe right about now. From Amazon and Showrunner & EP Eric Kripke's franchise series set to begin filming next month on Season 4 and animated anthology series The Boys: Diabolical getting Emmys love, things are on a roll. And then there was today's news that the college-based spinoff series officially had a name (Gen V), adding to our belief that the show's universe is about to be firing year-round. Having come from a successful career in network series television (Supernatural & Timeless, for example) only to now find success in the streaming world, Kripke discussed his feelings about "playing in both sandboxes" during a recent interview with Vulture. Oh, and for all of the creators out there who view their streaming series more as long-form films? Kripke has a few choice words for you, too.

For Kripke, the creative as well as the technical freedom that streaming brings is a line crossed that he has no interest in going back on. "Look, I love streaming. I can't see ever going back to network. It's the ability to do two things: have most of your scripts written before you shoot a day of film, and then have all the episodes finished before you turn them over to air," he explained. "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. It's already aired; you threw it out the door. You're locked in. It happens all the time: We're in the middle of filming episode seven, and we realize there's a different storyline we need. We still have time to go back and shoot it for episode one and drop it back in."

That said, Kripke sounds like he's had more than enough of hearing filmmakers describe their streaming series in terms of being "film" as opposed to what they should be, television series. "The downside of streaming is that a lot of filmmakers who work in streaming didn't necessarily come out of that network grind. They're more comfortable with the idea that they could give you ten hours where nothing happens until the eighth hour. That drives me fucking nuts, personally," Kripke explained. "As a network guy who had to get you people interested for 22 fucking hours a year, I didn't get the benefit of, 'Oh, just hang in there and don't worry. The critics will tell you that by episode eight, shit really hits the fan.' Or anyone who says, 'Well, what I'm really making is a ten-hour movie.' Fuck you! No, you're not! Make a TV show. You're in the entertainment business."

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