Thoughts on The Boys as a dad show?

Dec 151 min read

Just started watching it and it's genuinely entertaining but also I keep thinking about the lack of parental supervision and supervision themes and whether I should be worried this show is warping my expectations of parenting. Like Homelander is an insane villain but the show keeps making me think about generational trauma and parenting failures.

Anyone else watch dark stuff and feel weird about the parenting angles? Or am I just overthinking because I spend 12 hours a day thinking about child development now?

8 comments486 views

Comments(8)

CClint R.RegularDec 15

The Boys is definitely not a 'dad show' in the traditional sense lol. But real talk - if you're watching it without your kids around, you're already doing the supervision right. The show's actually got some solid parenting commentary with Homelander's whole breakdown. Just don't let it become background noise when they're in the room.

FFred V.RegularDec 15

The parental neglect angle is intentional - the whole show is about how power + bad parenting = disaster. Starlight, Homelander, the whole cast. If your kid can understand that subtext, it's actually more educational than most superhero stuff. If he's just watching for the action... maybe reconsider.

OOmar S.RegularDec 17

How old is your kid? Because honestly The Boys isn't really a "dad show" in the sense of like... it's not designed for parents to casually watch with kids. It's designed for adults to watch. The themes are complicated.

CCarlos M.New DadDec 16

If he's old enough to watch it with you, you can actually talk through what you're seeing. Like "notice how Homelander's messed up because of how his parents treated him?" becomes a conversation instead of just... vibes. But yeah the show is brutal.

HHank W.RegularDec 17

The Boys is hard to categorize for parenting because it's technically a parody of superhero stuff but also just genuinely violent and dark. What's your kid's age? That matters way more than the themes tbh.

TTyler H.RegularDec 17

I think you're overthinking this. The lack of parental supervision in the show is kind of the POINT - it's showing what happens when there's no accountability. Doesn't mean it's warping you as a dad. You're literally asking if it's a problem, which means you're reflective about parenting choices. That's the opposite of the show's problems.

OOwen F.RegularDec 17

watched with my 14yo and we actually had good convos about power dynamics and corruption because of how badly the adults fail. so depends on your kids' ages but could be a teaching moment rather than corrupting content

IIsaac T.RegularDec 15

The parental supervision angle you're noticing is exactly why I like it as an adult show. Gives me perspective on what NOT to do. But yeah, keep it separate from kid time and you're fine.