The Boys season 3 release date and time — how to watch right now

Antony Starr as Homelander in The Boys
(Image credit: Prime Video)

Surprise! The Boys season 3's release date just moved up, as one of the best Prime Video shows is back. And they've brought a new Supe, too: Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles).

The Boys season 3 start time, schedule

The Boys season 3 debuted early, at around 9 p.m. ET on Thursday (June 2) on Amazon Prime Video .
The first three episodes drop at the same time, and one each follows the following Fridays.

The twist for The Boys season 3 (our pick for the one show to binge-watch right now on Amazon Prime Video) is that everyone's starting off in unfamiliar situations. Homelander is subject to all of the scrutiny in the world, after the whole "I was dating a Nazi" thing with Starlight. But his forced smile and repeated phrase to the press: "out of crisis comes change" makes us wonder how exactly he will change. We're betting on a most twisted and evil Homelander, but ... how?

Meanwhile Hughie's actually got Butcher reporting to him as he works for the government and its most-powerful secret Supe: congresswoman Victoria Neuman. Butcher will get his hands on some V, though, and it will give him a chance to see how he can stand by his beliefs that powers are wrong.

Meanwhile, Stan Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) lurks in the background, and word has it this season will be as controversial as ever. We've heard that season 3 will be three times as bloody as before, and the Herogasm (you read that right) arc is coming this season. And it's not the craziest part of the season — as we've chronicled The Boys season 3 episode 1's wildest moments — including the one that shocked two cast members more than anything else. 

Oh, and now that the season is done, want the jam-packed The Boys season 3 ending explained? We've got you covered.

Just what might that material entail? Fans are eager to find out and see what happens to Homelander (Antony Starr), Billy the Butcher (Karl Urban), Hughie (Jack Quaid), Starlight (Erin Moriarty) and others. Also, check out our spoiler-free The Boys season 3 review to see what I thought

Here's everything  you need to know to watch The Boys season 3 online — along with a new clip starring Soldier Boy himself. Released to tease the new season of the show, it shows Ackles' character saying that only losers do drugs. We can't wait to see how this conflicts with the actual character:

How to watch The Boys season 3 in the US

In the U.S., viewers can watch The Boys season 3 right now on Amazon Prime Video.

The first three episodes debuted together, and then the final five follow with one per Friday.

The Boys season 3a one-month free trial.

<a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=45724&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2FThe-Boys-Season-3-Trailer%2Fdp%2FB09WV9C176%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Boys season 3 is an Amazon Prime Video original. The streaming service comes with a Prime subscription, which you can sample with a <a href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=45724&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fgp%2Fvideo%2Fdetail%2FB09W5KR2ZP%2F%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" data-link-merchant="Amazon US"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">a one-month free trial. Prime Video's library includes original movies and series, like The Boys, Wheel of Time and Underground Railroad.

Looking for something else to watch? Unfortunately, we have to wait until July to watch the next Better Call Saul episode. Also, you've gotta check out the new epic action movie that cracked the top list on Netflix. And we've got all the WWE Hell in a Cell live stream info too.

How to watch The Boys season 3 anywhere on Earth

While Amazon Prime Video is available in many countries around the world, it's not everywhere. If you are in a region without access to Prime Video, you don't have to miss The Boys season 3. Watching along with the rest of the internet can be pretty easy. With the right VPN (virtual private network), you can stream the show from wherever you go.

We've evaluated many options, and the best VPN is ExpressVPN. It meets the VPN needs of the vast majority of users, offering outstanding compatibility with most devices and impressive connection speeds. It's also affordable at $12.95 per month. (Signing up for longer periods of six months or a year reduces the cost even more.)

Image

Our favorite VPN service, <a href="https://go.expressvpn.com/c/4550836/1330033/16063?subId1=hawk-custom-tracking&sharedId=hawk&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.expressvpn.com%2Foffer%2Ftomsguide%3Foffer%3D3monthsfree%26a_fid%3D744" data-link-merchant="expressvpn.com"" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ExpressVPN, really shines thanks to its safety, speed and simplicity-to-use. It's also compatible with loads of devices - from iOS and Android to Roku, Apple TV and PlayStations. You'll even get an extra 3 months free if you sign up for a year, or there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you just want to give it a try.

Using a VPN is incredibly simple.

1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, ExpressVPN is our favorite.

2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're in the U.S. and want to view a U.K. service, you'd select U.K. from the list.

3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to Amazon Prime Video or other streaimng services and tune in.

The Boys season 3 episode schedule

  • The Boys season 3 episode 1: June 3
  • The Boys season 3 episode 2: June 3
  • The Boys season 3 episode 3: June 3
  • The Boys season 3 episode 4: June 10
  • The Boys season 3 episode 5: June 17
  • The Boys season 3 episode 6: June 24
  • The Boys season 3 episode 7: July 1
  • The Boys season 3 episode 8: July 8

The Boys season 3 reviews 

As we touched on in our The Boys season 3 review, this season isn't just bloodier and wilder than ever, but it's also more emotionally resonant than the previous outings. The cast, with Laz Alonso (M.M.) in particular, get much more meatier character developments, as we learn more about them as people. 

Sure, The Boys season 3 is wilder than ever, episode 6 in particular, but this outing from Eric Kripke and co. is a phenomenal return that will have fans applauding.

Over at IGN, Matt Donato writes "Character beats can be predictable when Butcher regresses as a father or a deadness in his eyes erases what little flickers of humanity grew, but it’s still those character beats that showrunner Eric Kripke does best with The Boys. It's still spectacularly gore-heavy, filled with harsh lessons, and loaded like a powder keg ready to burst once Butcher or Homelander finally lays the gauntlet."

The Boys season 3 trailer

The first full trailer for The Boys season 3 teased the gang's new roles — which sound like just the way that Billy Butcher gets angrier.

And then there's the trailer for Dawn of the Seven, the movie within the show. Hilariously, the fate of the world lies within ... a flash drive. And it's hitting theaters and Vought+, because of course it is.

Our first official look at The Boys season 3 came with the above red band teaser, which seemingly has it all — including giant lasers shooting out of Billy Butcher's eyes. There's also a supes boy band, a patriotic sex toy and a tease of Soldier Boy (more on him below).

The Boys season 3 cast

From the on-set photos above, we can deduce that Urban, Quaid and Moriarty will be back along with main cast members like Antony Starr as John/Homelander, Dominique McElligott as Maggie Shaw/Queen Maeve, Jessie T. Usher as Reggie Franklin/A-Train, Tomer Capon as Serge/Frenchie, Karen Fukuhara as Kimiko Miyashiro/The Female and more. 

Gaston Villanueva, it's also been revealed, is going to portray the supe known as Supersonic. He formerly dated Starlight, and went by the name Drummer Boy.

There will also be at least two new faces when season 3 of The Boys premieres. The latest addition to the cast is Katia Winter (Dexter) as Little Nina, who has worked with Vought and used a version of Compound V to make new supes. Jensen Ackles of Supernatural fame is also set to appear in the series as Soldier Boy. This character has been referred to on the show in the past and has been described as "the original Superhero.” 

The Boys season 3: Jensen Ackles photos

Now that new cast member Jensen Ackles is on set, we're seeing a lot more of him — including in full gear. We got our first look at Soldier Boy in costume from Amazon itself, check it out:

The Boys season 3: Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy

(Image credit: Amazon via Twitter)

And what is The Boys if not a little antagonistic? It looks like Jensen Ackles is fitting in just perfectly on the set, as we see in this photo that Karl Urban posted to Instagram, of the two of them and Jack Quaid flipping the bird. Urban also notes that they're halfway through filming the season.

The latest photo from the set of The Boys season 3 shows that new addition Jensen Ackles has had a bit of a shave. Is this his new look as Soldier Boy? Only time will tell.

The Boys season 3 Jensen Ackles Twitter

(Image credit: Eric Kripke via Twitter)

the boys season 3: Jensen Ackles' new look

(Image credit: Instagram/@JensenAckles via CinemaBlend)

Supernatural star Jensen Ackles is arguably the biggest addition to The Boys season 3 cast, and he started filming for the season on the week of April 19. The above photo he shared (which we assume is tied to his character) teases that Soldier Boy may need a haircut.

The Soldier Boy character, as we learned from Mr. Edgar (Giancarlo Esposito) in season 2, was one of the soldiers who was (apparently) a recipient of Compound V during World War II. But unlike Stormfront, Soldier Boy was fighting on the Allied side, as Frederick Vought had already switched sides. 

Soldier Boy, it seems, would be a big riff on Captain America. Or at least that's how he was portrayed in the comic books. There, he led a group named Payback, the team that pre-dates The Seven. His group included Crimson Countess, Eagle the Archer, Tek Knight, Swatto and ... Stormfront.

In an interview with Collider, The Boys' Laz Alonso (who plays Mother's Milk) noted that the addition of Soldier Boy enables The Boys to make "all of the other ensemble Supes darker as well."

Ackles, fresh off of a 15-year stint leading Supernatural, jumped at the role, according to The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke. Specifically, "He texted me back in three minutes and said, 'I definitely want to do this!'" And Ackles was signed on in the next week.

The Boys season 3 set photos

The latest set photo from The Boys season 3 teases a reality show dubbed "American Hero," at play. The site Insauga shared a photo of a $50 million mansion in Mississauga, Ontario, with a billboard that says American Hero at the top. 

The Boys season 3 set photo

(Image credit: Insauga)

Another leak shows that the "Dawn of The Seven" movie is finally hitting theaters.

The Boys season 3: Set photos

(Image credit: Anita Windisman / Twitter)

Antony Starr has reported for duty and put on the Homelander boots, as evidenced by this tweet:

The Boys season 3: Homelander's boots

(Image credit: Antony Starr / Twitter)

Eric Kripke posted the first photo from the set of The Boys season 3. It's not very revealing, though it is a bit titillating. The photo depicts a gold statue of Homelander and focuses on his, uh, package. 

The Boys season 3: Homelander Statue

(Image credit: Eric Kripke / Twitter)

The Boys season 3 plot

Last fall's finale of The Boys ended with some stunning revelations about Stormfront (Aya Cash). She turned out to be a Nazi and the wife of Vought's founder. 

Season 3 will continue to explore the origins of Vought as well as the Seven. As we noted above, Jensen Ackles has been cast as Soldier Boy. He was part of an original teamed called Payback, whose members included Stormfront, Eagle the Archer, Tek Knight and Chrimson Countess.

"One of the reasons that we're getting into Soldier Boy [in season 3] and that team, Payback, is we're interested in exploring a little bit of how we got here," Kripke told Entertainment Weekly. "Through the history of the supes, we can tell a little bit about the history of America and how we ended up in the current fraught position that we're in. Soldier Boy gives us an opportunity to do that."

That "fraught position" is one where white supremacy and violence still exist and people continue to try to fight back — and it's become even more fraught since Kripke discussed it in October.

"Certain politicians like to pitch this somehow idyllic ‘good old days’ where everything was perfect and calm. That is complete and utter bulls---," Kripke said. "It was never that way. So, by exploring the history of Vought in the history of America, we get to make some of those points. There was never an America when they say ‘Make America Great Again.’ It was always a struggle. That's the point. It's a struggle to make things better."

One the most talked about rumored scenes in The Boys season 3 will be Herogasm, which was basically a sexual retreat for superheroes, the biggest super-powered orgy ever. Kripke told EW that "the dailies are bananas. I've been around the block a few times. I'm a seasoned producer. Every single day on those dailies, my jaw was on the floor. I just could not believe how insane those dailies were. It's just crazy. I can tell you that for anybody who is a fan of the comic and is expecting to see Herogasm, we are delivering it. That is happening." That said, Kripke also said a "crazier thing," is in episode 1.

One thing we can definitely expect from The Boys season 3? There will be blood. 

Laz Alonso, who plays Mother's Milk, told Collider that this may be the most violent season yet — and that's really saying something. 

"I was talking to the head makeup artist and she's in charge of ordering the blood — that's one of her many jobs," he explained. "She told me that all of Season 2... When you talk about bulk, I don't think they used over a gallon of blood in Season 2, believe it or not. Season 3, we're already at three and a half gallons of blood. So that should give you a little indication of where it's going."

(Image credit: Future)
Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.