How to watch The Boys in the UK, US and abroad
Our guide to watching the delightfully gory and action-packed superhero series, The Boys
Everyone loves a good superhero story, don’t they? Thanks to Marvel, we’ve become a nation of superhero junkies but many of these comics stretch further than the MCU and sometimes, the heroes aren’t so super at all.
Enter, The Boys. A new Amazon Original series that follows a group of gritty vigilantes as they work to expose the world’s most powerful superheroes who have been corrupted by their fame and power.
A word of warning, The Boys certainly isn’t for the faint of heart. There’s tonnes of swearing, gore and general debauchery meaning this is one superhero series that you should probably watch after the kids have gone to bed.
The show was developed by Eric Kripe for Amazon and is based on a comic book series of the same name, originally created by Gareth Ennis and Darick Robertson. The entire first season is available to stream now and it’s already been renewed for a second season, so there’s no reason not to binge.
The Boys cast
The cast of the Boys is a unique mix of famous faces from both the big and small screen.
New Zealand actor Karl Urban plays The Boys head honcho Billy Butcher. If his name sounds familiar that’s because you’ve probably seen him before. Prior to The Boys, Urban had roles in Xena, Ghost Ship, Lord of the Rings, Dredd and even Thor: Ragnarok, so he’s no stranger to superhero stories.
Another New Zealand native is Anthony Starr, who plays Homelander – the ‘lead’ superhero and head of The Seven. Like Urban, Starr has also previously taken on a role in Xena but since then has been in Outrageous Fortune and Mercy Peak – two shows popular in New Zealand. He was also the lead actor in the TV series, Banshee.
Another star who’s no stranger to superhero shows is Erin Moriaty, who plays Annie January in The Boys and has previously starred in Captain Fantastic, Red Widow and Marvel’s Jessica Jones.
Dominique McElligott plays Queen Maueve, another member of The Seven. She is most well known for her role in House of Cards, although she’s had other prominent roles in The Last Tycoon and Hell on Wheels.
How to watch The Boys in the UK: Amazon Prime Video UK
The Boys is an Amazon Prime exclusive, which means that anyone with an Amazon Prime or Prime Video account can stream it as part of their existing subscription. Obviously, this means that the series is not – and will not be – available on Netflix.
If you don’t already have an Amazon Prime subscription, it’s easy to sign up for one. In the UK, Amazon Prime Video costs £5.99/mth. Alternatively, you can also sign up for a full Amazon Prime membership for £7.99/mth or £79 for the year. All three plans come with a 30-day free trial during which you can avail of all its perks to your heart’s content.
READ NEXT: What you get with Amazon Prime?
If you choose to cancel within the first 30-days you won’t be charged a penny, otherwise your subscription will renew at the standard rate you choose. Apart from all Prime Video content, a full Amazon Prime subscription includes many other benefits such as free next day delivery on thousands of products, Amazon Music, Amazon Pantry, Prime reading and more.
How to watch The Boys in the US: Amazon Prime Video US
If you live in the US and want to watch The Boys, it’s pretty much the same drill as the UK. You’ll need to be signed up for a Prime Video US subscription, which costs £12.99/mth or £119 for the year, but you can try it free for 30 days. A free Amazon Prime trial gives you plenty of time to binge watch The Boys, as well as a whole host of other films, shows and documentaries.
How to watch The Boys abroad: Use a VPN
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch The Boys you might need to use a VPN, because Amazon geo-blocks its content in some countries. This means that you won’t be able to access UK and US Prime Video content from outside the country unless you connect to a UK or US server using a good VPN service.
A good VPN service tricks your computer into thinking you’re browsing the web from another country, so that you can access any geo-blocked content. We’ve tried and tested a number of VPNs to find the fastest and best value ones on the market.
READ NEXT: Best VPN services 2019
Both the VPNs we recommend below have strict no-log policies, so you can be certain your details won’t be saved or passed on. They also have great 24/7 customer support, money-back guarantees and most importantly, allow you to safely access geo-blocked content from places like Netflix, Amazon Prime and more, on a number of devices.
ExpressVPN: Our favorite tried and trusted VPN is ExpressVPN. The service has the fastest connection speeds to the UK, US and Australia, making it perfect for watching The Boys abroad. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee and it’s been independently audited by the PwC, proving it doesn’t log any user data that could be used to identify someone. Better still, you can get three months free and save 49% when you sign up via the below link.
NordVPN: NordVPN is another fantastic service that allows you to access all the mainstream streaming services like Prime Video and Netflix. Like ExpressVPN, it doesn’t keep any logs of your data and there’s 24/7 customer support available if you’re having trouble using the service. You can try NordVPN free for seven days, after which you’ll be able to save 75% when you subscribe to its three-year plan using the below link.