The Boys Season 5 Rotten Tomatoes Officially Breaks All-Time Audience Score Record After Series Finale

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The Boys season 5 is unfortunately a crash landing after its series premiere.

After five seasons, the superhero series has ended on Prime Video, revealing what happens to its main characters. In the final episode of The Boys, Kimiko stripped Homelander of his powers, allowing Billy Butcher to defeat and kill him at the White House. However, Billy also died in the finale when Hughie prevented him from releasing a deadly virus. While the show aimed for a hopeful conclusion, fans have had very mixed reactions to how it ended.

Despite positive reviews from critics (92%), the latest season of The Boys isn’t resonating with viewers. With a 52% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, season 5 has received the lowest viewer rating of any season or spin-off of the show, beating the previous low of 54% from season four. All eight episodes are currently available on Prime Video.

The Boys seasons & Spinoffs Rotten Tomatoes Critics’ Score Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score
The Boys Season 1 85% 90%
The Boys Season 2 97% 84%
The Boys Season 3 98% 73%
The Boys Season 4 92% 54%
The Boys Season 5 92% 52%
Gen V Season 1 97% 77%
Gen V Season 2 91% 70%
The Boys Presents: Diabolical 97% 71%

Okay, so Season 5 of The Boys is really splitting fans, and honestly, I get why. It had a lot to wrap up, and it felt like things were all over the place. A lot of us were disappointed with the action – it just didn’t hit the same way – and the whole ‘Virus’ plotline felt kind of pointless, especially after they didn’t really follow through with what they started in Gen V. Plus, some of our favorite characters didn’t get the endings they deserved, and it felt like a lot of time was spent setting up Vought Rising through Soldier Boy’s story instead of focusing on finishing what we started. It’s a tough season, for sure.

The final episode of season 5, “Blood and Bone,” also received mixed reactions from viewers. While some found the ending somewhat satisfying, it wasn’t perfect. Common criticisms included a fast pace that felt rushed and a lack of truly high stakes, despite what the trailers suggested.

Homelander’s death sparked a lot of debate. Some viewers felt it was a fitting end for such a flawed and ultimately powerless character, while others were let down after five seasons of buildup. Interestingly, the show changed how he died from the original comic books, where he was killed by his duplicate, Black Noir, who was revealed to be the real villain all along.

The finale of The Boys has been widely criticized, with many viewers calling it one of the most disappointing series endings ever – comparing it to the finales of Game of Thrones and Lost. The episode also received a low rating of 6.2 on IMDb, making it one of the show’s least popular.

I was reading an interview with Eric Kripke, the creator of The Boys, over on ScreenRant recently, and he admitted he’s really worried about how the show will end. He said it’s incredibly tough to stick the landing, especially because there are so many character arcs to wrap up. He actually brought up Game of Thrones and how all anyone remembers is the controversial finale – he basically said that keeps him up at night! He’s excited about finishing the story, but definitely feels the pressure and is understandably nervous about getting it right.

After the initial episodes were released, the show’s ratings began to decline. Before the final episode aired, Eric Kripke spoke with TV Guide to explain his choices for season 5, stating:

As a huge fan of well-developed characters, I always appreciated how much thought went into this show. It wasn’t about just churning out episodes; everyone involved genuinely believed they were building important layers for each character. With a large cast – around 14 or 15 people – the creators felt a real responsibility to give each of them a fully realized story and make them feel like real, complex human beings. They saw TV as being about those characters, and felt they owed it to them to do just that.

You know, sometimes a show isn’t about explosions and action, it’s about big changes within the characters. And I’ve noticed people dismissing episodes as ‘nothing happening’ just because there weren’t any shootouts or dramatic plot twists. But honestly, that’s missing the point! Huge things can happen internally for a character, even if it doesn’t involve someone getting shot. If you’re only looking for that kind of action, this just isn’t the show for you.

While The Boys didn’t end as strongly as some hoped, and Gen V was cancelled after two seasons, the story isn’t over. A prequel series, Vought Rising, is coming to Prime Video next year. Plus, the spinoff The Boys: Mexico, which has been on hold, is still being developed, according to creator Eric Kripke.

All five seasons of The Boys are streaming on Prime Video.

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2026-05-23 23:49