THE BOYS (2019)
3 seasons / 24 episodes
This series is the perfect antidote to the glut of superhero movies we’ve been inundated with. The premise of this show is that not all superheroes are good. I know this was already done with the Watchmen movie and series, but The Boys is much less mythological and much more raw, visceral and cathartic. What would happen if Superman was an asshole? It’s a curious question and The Boys tackles it with an intensity that’s hard to match. There’s lots of action, a lot of hardcore violence (albeit over-the-top), great performances and a lot of superhero shenanigans, but don’t let the kids watch.
HUNTERS (2020)
2 seasons / 18 episodes (so far)
Season 1: Set in 1977, Hunters is about a clandestine and rag-tag group of Jewish avengers who have sworn to seek out and kill every member of the Nazi party that has re-formed in America and is attempting to start a Fourth Reich. Al Pacino stars and he manages to keep his performance low-key and excellent, but the star of the show is Logan Lerman, a young actor who doesn’t’ get nearly the respect he deserves. It’s a little bit like Steven Spielberg’s Munich, but this one takes its time over ten episodes to really let the stories play out.
Season 2: A big drop in quality from season 1, hardly worth it. Jennifer Jason Leigh goes far too over the top and Logan Lerman is wasted, but Pacino is still good. This time, the hunters are hunting Adolf Hitler himself. It gets a bit bonkers, but, if you can check sanity at the door, it’s somewhat entertaining.