Amazon
Amazon has just released a new series called The Boys. It’s about superheroes but is it appropriate for children? The answer is no. This is definitely an adult-themed superhero series. Read on to learn more about the parents guide and age rating for this new series.
The Boys is rated TV-MA. TV-MA means the series was designed for mature audiences only and may contain foul language, graphic violence, graphic sexual activity, or a combination of these. It essentially entails that some content in the series might not be suitable for children. Coarse dialogue can sometimes be enough for a series to get this rating.
IMDb’s parents guide goes into more detail about what you might want to watch out for in the series. According to the parents guide, ratings are mostly severe, with a few ranked as moderate.
Sex & Nudity is rated as severe. In fact, even the very first episode has full-frontal male nudity more than once.
The description on IMDb points out that there is full-frontal male nudity and topless female nudity, including seeing one of the main superheroes with full-frontal nudity. The superhero can be invisible but only when he’s not clothed, so he hides in a woman’s restroom, naked.
Another viewer writes: “One scene is in something similar to a secret club where “Supes” can fulfill whatever physical desire they may have. This includes a gay threesome, people having sex while floating, etc.”
There’s also a character who can shape-shift from male to female and does this while nude.
Violence & Gore is also rated as severe. In fact, the violence is very graphic and not what you would normally expect from a superhero show. One person wrote on IMDb: “It is more reminiscent of a graphic horror movie than a Marvel or DC film.” Even the first episode has graphic violence.
Profanity is rated as severe.
Alcohol, drugs, and smoking gets a “moderate” rating from viewers.
The category of frightening and intense scenes gets a moderate rating.
There are even more ratings for sex and nudity later on the same page, to indicate just how much nudity and sex scenes the show has.
So in general, the nudity and violence are high on this show, surpassing many shows that shy away from full-frontal male nudity. In addition, the topics are very adult and not appropriate for children.
In Italy, the show has a VM16 rating and in Spain it has a 16 rating, according to IMDb.
So no, this is not a superhero show for children and the series deservedly gets the TV-MA rating. However, it is a well-made series with some very interesting storylines and an intriguing plot. Adults will definitely enjoy this series. In fact, they’re already ratings it 9.2 out of 10 on IMDb. They’re calling it their “antidote to Marvel and Co.” and “one of the best series of the year.” This is right up there with Umbrella Academy, but it’s not appropriate for kids like Umbrella Academy was.