The Boys Amazon season 2 release schedule: When are new episodes released?

Unlike season one, which saw the entire season come out at once, season two dropped the first three episodes of The Boys season at the same time before switching to a weekly release schedule, with new episodes now arriving on Fridays.

"The airing schedule came actually when we were pretty close to being done – probably 3/4ths of the way through post-production," showrunner Eric Kripke told Collider.

"For the record, it didn’t come from Amazon. It came from the producers… we’re the ones who pitched them.

"A lot of people over there were actually reluctant because it was a new idea, or they don’t do it that often. We really wanted it and Amazon ended up agreeing that they’d give it a try."

Still confused? Well, you can check out the full details of The Boys' release schedule - and when you can expect the finale - below.

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The Boys season 2 release schedule

While season one of The Boys made every episode available at the same time in the style of Netflix original releases, season two is taking a more staggered approach.

On September 4th, the first three episodes of the new season (which sees the titular Boys continue to try and take down murderous, corrupt superheroes) were available to watch – but since then new episodes have been released weekly every Friday.

This will continue until Friday October 9th, when the season two finale will be released.

In other words, the full release schedule is as follows:

Friday 4th September – Episodes 1-3 (The Big Ride/Proper Preparation and Planning/Nothing Like It In The World)

Friday 11th September – Episode 4 (Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men)

Friday 18th September – Episode 5 (We Gotta Go Now)

Friday 25th September – Episode 6 (The Bloody Doors Off)

Friday 2nd October – Episode 7 (Butcher, Baker, Candlestick Maker)

Friday 9th October – Episode 8 FINALE (What I Know)

In mid-September the creators also released a five-minute mini-episode called BUTCHER, created after a substantial number of scenes starring Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher were cut from episode two.

“We are going to release a pretty substantial thing,” showrunner Eric Kripke previously told Collider.

“We had a whole storyline in episode 2 – it’s not really spoiling anything, season 2 begins with Butcher MIA and then [he] shows up. In episode two, we had shot something that really revealed where he went and what his experiences were. It ultimately didn’t end up fitting that way into the episode. It made Butcher’s story a lot less mysterious and intriguing… it was better to not know in that episode.

“We strung them into a short film called “Butcher”… it’ll work as a companion piece to the show,” Kripke continued.

“There’s actually references in the show that you won’t understand unless you see this thing as it’s really tied into our plot.”

Why didn’t The Boys release all episodes at once?

The Boys season one released every episode at the same time, which could lead some fans to wonder why the same approach wasn’t attempted for season two.

And now, showrunner Eric Kripke has revealed why the change was made.

“Our feeling is that when it airs all eight at once, it becomes a sugar rush of a binge. People burn through it in a week or two. There’s an intense amount of activity, and then it sort of fades," he said.

"There’s so many great moments in season two, we want to give it time to marinate, so people can reflect on it and talk about it before they move on to the next thing and be in the conversation a little longer. I think a little anticipation for the fans is healthy."

In other words, they wanted to keep fans talking about The Boys for longer and in more depth – and the fact that they did still offer three episodes at launch may help soften the blow for fans who wanted a good chunk of new material to watch.

And if you do want to watch the whole thing at once? Well, you could always wait until 9th October. It's not long now...

For more on The Boys season three, read our guide to Soldier Boy, the new character played by Jensen Ackles.

The Boys releases new episodes on Amazon Prime on Fridays. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide