The Boys‘ spin-off has been canceled after two seasons, but a returning Stephen King show in 2026 could serve as its perfect replacement. Arguably, The Boys’ spin-off, Gen V, turned out to be better than its parent series. In more ways than one, Gen V’s young supe characters seemed more relatable because of how perfectly the show portrayed their supe powers as hard-hitting metaphors for their coming-of-age struggles.
Since Gen V also told some of its own standalone stories, it became an incredible superhero series in its own right instead of merely coming off as a subset of The Boys. Unfortunately, Prime Video has canceled Gen V after just two seasons. What makes its cancellation even more disappointing is that its characters do not have any major parts in The Boys season 5.
Gen V will likely never get a second chance. However, viewers who miss the show’s exploration of how acquiring supernatural abilities at a young age can affect young minds have to check out MGM+’s The Institute. Based on a Stephen King book of the same name, The Institute dabbles with many similar themes as Gen V and is all set to return soon with a new season in 2026.
The Institute Season 2 Can Make Up For Gen V’s Cancellation
Simone Miller as Kalisha and Joe Freeman as Luke in The Institute
Gen V and MGM+’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Institute are unique depictions of the “kids with superpowers” trope. However, it is hard not to ignore how they share many similarities. Unlike Gen V, The Institute’s story does not tie into a larger franchise. Still, both shows carry a similar “academic horror” vibe where children with superpowers are experimented upon by adults in a facility that hides in plain sight.
While “The Woods” in Gen V is portrayed as a secret prison where young supes are captured and treated as test subjects for a supe-killing virus, the ones in The Institute are forced to enhance and use their telekinetic or telepathic abilities to carry out assassinations. Both shows highlight how young “gifted” children are exploited by adults instead of being protected.
The nature of the supernatural abilities in both shows is slightly different. For instance, the supes in Gen V possess myriad powers and acquire their powers after being injected with Compound V. The Institute, on the other hand, does not explicitly show how its characters got their powers but only hints that they possess them naturally.
Despite the difference in the nature of the powers, though, both shows walk through the young super-powered children’s struggles against a system designed to oppress them. Towards the end of both Gen V and The Institute’s first seasons, the young superheroes reach the end of their wits and set out to punish the adults who harmed them.
In terms of spectacle, Gen V is far bigger in scale compared to The Institute. However, it seems likely that in its upcoming season, The Institute, too, will raise the bar for its storytelling scope and visual ambition.
With so many underlying parallels between Gen V and The Institute, the Stephen King adaptation can be the perfect series for viewers who feel letdown by Gen V’s cancellation after season 2.
The Institute’s Bigger Scope In Season 2 Can Make It Gen V’s Perfect Follow-up
Joe Freeman as Luke Ellis being experimented on in The Institute
The Institute season 1 took quite a few creative liberties and changed many aspects of the original Stephen King book. At the same time, it also covered almost all major arcs from the novel and exhausted its story. Owing to this, The Institute season 2 will now unfold an original storyline, which will expand the source material’s lore.
One of the biggest criticisms of The Institute season 1 was its inability to stand out. It seemed a little too similar to other supernatural horror shows like Netflix’s Stranger Things. In season 2, however, The Institute has the perfect opportunity to rise above the genre’s conventions and set itself apart.
Since The Institute season 1 hinted at the existence of children with precognition abilities, the show’s season 2 can delve deeper into their stories and even dabble with ideas surrounding determinism and free will. If it manages to leverage its strengths and find creative ways to tell a more unique story about super-powered kids in season 2, the Stephen King adaptation could come off as the perfect follow-up to Gen V.
Hopefully, MGM+’s take on Stephen King’s The Institute will not disappoint with its upcoming installment and prove to be as good as The Boys’ spin-off, if not better.