Comic book adaptations have been an extremely popular sub-genre of action films and television shows for years, and one of the most exciting ones available today is Prime Video's Emmy-nominated The Boys (Metascore: 77).

Hailing from creator and showrunner Eric Kripke, based on the comic series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, The Boys twists the usual story tropes by making the Supes the bad guys and the titular team of vigilantes the ones with the more noble mission.

In this world, Supes are intentionally created, by giving young children a substance called Compound V, which comes from evil conglomerate Vought International. These Supes get addicted to the substance in addition to the newfound power and fame it grants them, and they often put their own selfish needs ahead of actually saving the wider public. (They also get involved in sexual assaults, accidental murders, Nazism.) Meanwhile, the vigilantes are people whose personal worlds have been negatively rocked by the Supes, and they want to expose the truth to the world.

Naturally, along the way there is a lot of bloody fighting and gory explosions, in addition to some romance, surprise alliances, and greater political conspiracy.

The greater world of The Boys is expanding, with its first spin-off, the animated anthology The Boys Presents: Diabolical (Metascore: 70), streaming its first season in the spring of 2022. But if you've already finished that, plus the explosive three seasons of the flagship series, there are lots of other sharp superhero dramas to give a try.

Here, Metacritic highlights 10 shows to watch next if you like The Boys, ranked by Metascore.

Watchmen

Metascore: 85
Best for: Fans of alternate history and twisty mysteries with a heavy dose of social and political commentary
Where to watch: 

Damon Lindelof's Emmy-winning limited series stars Regina King as Angela Abar aka Sister Night, a police officer by day who suits up as a vigilante by night. In this world, though, vigilantes are treated as major criminals, so she has to be careful to protect herself and her family, but her story is one of understanding her past just as much as it is protecting her future. Set more than three decades after the events of the comics of the same name, this version of Watchmen explores how white supremacy remains strong in 21st-century Tulsa and also features multiple groups trying to get their hands on the god-like Doctor Manhattan. The series also stars Jean Smart, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Irons, Tim Blake Nelson, and Hong Chau.

"The series' scope is astonishing give its subject matter, and even more so given its relentless entertainment value." — Ben Travers, IndieWire

Legion

Metascore: 82
Best for: Fans of mind-bending dramas and stories that often present more questions than answers
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Noah Hawley's three-season drama based on Marvel Comics character David Haller aka Legion, a man who was diagnosed with schizophrenia but has "mutant" powers too, follows the eponymous character (played by Dan Stevens) as he teams up with a group of people with similar powers to stop the evil Amahl Farouk aka the Shadow King, who can infect people's minds and has a plan to end the world. In true Hawley form, there is a lot of worldly commentary and blurring of typical genre boundaries as the show mixes the possibilities of the superhero world, including time travel, with everyday issues, including budding relationships and mental health struggles. It also stars Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Jean Smart, and in later seasons, Jemaine Clement, Lauren Tsai, and Hamish Linklater.

"Legion is the most brazenly inventive series on TV." — Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture

Preacher

Metascore: 76
Best for: Fans of supernatural dramas that delve deeply into religious themes and conflicted male protagonists
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Ennis created the Preacher comic series along with artist Steve Dillon, only instead of superheroes, this time he focuses on a man of the cloth who happens to have some supernatural abilities. Dominic Cooper plays this man, Jesse Custer, who is experiencing a crisis of faith and abusing alcohol and cigarettes to cope with his new lot in life. Being able to influence everyone around him - literally getting them to do whatever he says - Jesse has to come to terms with his power in order to understand and keep from abusing it. And he sets out on a literal search for God in the process, joined by his ex (played by Ruth Negga) and a vampire (Joseph Gilgun). The Boys executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg also executive produce Preacher.

"Within its oversize color panels there's some hard-boiled philosophy about trying to be good in a world of sin. And there's little on TV quite like its fallen world." — James Poniewozik, The New York Times

Arrow

Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of dark vigilante dramas and trendsetters 
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Stephen Amell stars as Oliver Queen aka the Green Arrow in this small-screen adaptation of the DC Comics character. The show starts with former playboy Ollie returning to his hometown after being presumed dead due to a shipwreck that had him missing for five years. In actuality, he was on a remote island, where he trained in martial arts, and when he returns he is a much different man, deciding to take up a quiver and protect his city from the criminals that are ruining it. Here, the vigilante and the superhero is one and the same. As the story goes on over its eight-season run, secrets about his own family's involvement in the criminal underbelly emerge, and Oliver eventually learns to let others in, not just personally, but into his mission to become a team. The show was the first of the DC-on-CW dramas, paving the way for everything from The Flash, which first aired as a backdoor pilot on Arrow, to Supergirl and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

"It has a forthright narrative seriousness, a respect for the gobbledy-gook that makes up any superhero's backstory — and a game-changing cast performing with the correct degree of seriousness." — Tom Gliatto, People

Invincible

Metascore: 73
Best for: Fans of adult animation and coming-of-age tales set in the superhero world
Where to watch: 

Simon Racioppa, who serves as showrunner on The Boys spin-off Diabolical, is also the showrunner of this Prime Video adult animated series based on the comic series of the same title from Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley. The show centers on Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun), a teenager who becomes the titular superhero. His father Nolan aka Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons) is the most powerful superhero his world knows, but Mark struggles with his own powers, as well as his desire to be his own hero (and man), separate from who is father is. That proves to be a really good thing for Mark and for the rest of humanity in this world, as his father proves to have a villainous streak. Sandra Oh and Gillian Jacobs are also key members of the voice cast. The show leans into gore just like The Boys does: always driven story, rather than the need to shock.

"From its slick animation to its excellent voice cast, it's a winner from top to bottom." — Brittany Vincent, Decider

Marvel's Daredevil

Metascore: 72
Best for: Fans of character-driven crime dramas and Marvel Comics characters
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Charlie Cox stars as Matt Murdock aka Daredevil in Drew Goddard's three-season drama based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Matt is both the law and order of this show: a blind lawyer with an extra-perceptive ability to tell when people are telling the truth who also masquerades as a vigilante fighting crime. Set in New York, Matt ends up uncovering a criminal conspiracy led by gangster Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio). The show spawned a spin-off centered on Jon Bernthal's character of Frank Castle aka Punisher, another vigilante who has much harsher methods of stopping the bad guys.

"Daredevil, like the similarly sensational Jessica Jones, feels like a show that is constantly evolving, and consistently searching for challenges." — Chris Cabin, Collider

Doom Patrol

Metascore: 70
Best for: Fans of outcasts finding their way, explorations of trauma, and character-driven superhero stories
Where to watch: 

If following a group of brooding misfits is what you love about The Boys, Doom Patrol gives you that in droves —only here the misfits are the ones with powers. These characters, from DC Comics, received their powers through terrible circumstances, such as being exposed to toxic gas and being subjected to experiments against their will. The world they live in don't accept, let alone embrace, such abilities, either, which makes them traumatized and marginalized. But they band together, not only to come to the aid of the doctor (played by Timothy Dalton) who has taken care of them, but also to help each other heal.

"Having hopped on the trauma exploration train long before its current fever pitch on TV, Doom Patrol gives you the ugliness of characters struggling." — Katherine Smith, Paste

Peacemaker

Metascore: 69
Best for: Fans of action with a heavy dose of comedy and John Cena
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Cena reprises his Suicide Squad role of Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker in James Gunn's 2021 drama series. A little worse for the wear due to his injuries (no spoilers for that movie, but given the nature of superhero fights, you can imagine), now he joins a mysterious black ops squad that has a mission to eliminate butterfly-like parasites that are taking over human bodies. His bald eagle (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) is back, too, but his team also includes characters played by Danielle Brooks, Freddie Stroma, Chukwudi Iwuji, Steve Agee, and Jennifer Holland. The show mixes a big, important mission to save the world with self-deprecating humor at Peacemaker's expense, which all begins in the insane and much-Tweeted about opening credits sequence.

"Self-conscious but never smug, sociopathic and yet also sweet, and timely if never preachy." — Nick Schager, The Daily Beast

Happy!

Metascore: 65
Best for: Fans of offbeat humor, Christopher Meloni, and live-action/animation hybrids
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Happy!, which originally aired on Syfy, is another adaptation of a comic from Robertson (though this time the comic story was from Grant Morrison). Meloni stars as a former detective named Nick who drinks too much, swears too much, and generally gets in his own way so much even his new job as a hitman isn't a sure thing. A medical event allows him to suddenly see the eponymous animated unicorn (voiced by Patton Oswalt), who gives him a new purpose: to help him save a young girl, who also happens to be Nick's estranged daughter, from kidnappers. The two-season drama unfolds to expose other criminal actions, as well, as Nick and Happy work together.

"Happy! is far from perfect. But if you're up for venturing down a dark path where the only one seemingly capable of the titular emotion is someone's imaginary friend, it still might make you smile." — Chris Barton, Los Angeles Times

Supernatural

Metascore: 60
Best for: Fans of creatures of the week that give way to heavy mythology, complicated brother dynamics, and tales of resilience
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Technically Supernatural wasn't Kripke's very first show, but given its history-making success, the 15-season demon-hunting drama is the series that really put the writer and producer on the map. Supernatural follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, respectively) as they travel the country in their father's 1967 Chevy Impala "saving people, hunting things." The show starts as a monster-of-the-week series, with the brothers chasing down everything from Wendigos to witches, but because a demon targeted their family from decades back, they very quickly get caught up in a much larger fight that spans both heaven and hell and includes God himself (Rob Benedict). The show is full of the witty banter and intense relationships that you see on The Boys because this is where Kripke, who ran the show for the first five seasons, really cut his teeth. But it also has fun with format, often breaking out of its mold to take on versions of Groundhog Day, Scooby-Doo animation, and even a stage musical. Just be warned: You may use up all the time between now and when The Boys returns with this one: Not only is it 327 episodes long, but it's almost impossible not to fall down the fandom rabbit hole once you've watched a few.

"It is a well-made little show of horrors that's likely to scare and thrill its target audience." — Rob Owen, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette