Streaming columnist NICK OVERALL looks a television series giving the middle finger to superheroes.

ONE might think driving a speedboat through a CGI whale would be just about as far as any TV show could push the limit.

If not that, what about a court hearing where heads explode? Or a baby that shoots lasers from its eyes being wielded as a weapon? 

If there’s a line to how far audiences are willing to go, Amazon Prime’s hit series “The Boys” hasn’t found it yet.

Fans of this jet-black superhero satire will know all too well that laser-eyed babies and whale explosions are only surface scratchers of the diabolical debauchery that’s made the series a wild success, and a show which, despite continuing to push the limit, keeps bringing people back for more.

They might also be delighted to know that the series has doubled down on this madness in its third season, which has just started streaming.

The show poses the question of what superheroes get up to behind the scenes of their showy righteousness. In this universe, not-so-subtle spoofs of Superman, Wonder Woman and other heroic icons spend their spare time snorting drugs, visiting strip clubs and using their powers for far worse when they’re not out saving the day.

The heroes are owned by a power-hungry corporation called Vought, which banks billions from the branding of these super powered individuals who are worshipped by the general public.

One of these worshippers is a young tech store employee named Hughie, a boy who’s grown up with posters of these heroes on his walls and action figures in his hands. He’s given a shocking wake up call when his girlfriend is accidentally killed by a hero resembling The Flash who’s out on a drug-fuelled, sound-barrier-breaking afternoon jog.

Hughie is soon after recruited by “The Boys”, a rag-tag group of superhero haters who want to do everything they can to bring them down. The “bad guys”, if you will. 

They’re led by Butcher, a Cockney crook charmingly played by Karl Urban who is undeniably a stand out and who’s back more insane than ever in season three. Amazon Prime Video has dropped the first three episodes of the new season for fans to get stuck into, with more to follow weekly.

While the show is indeed about caped crusaders and is inspired by a comic book, viewers who are sick of the superhero craze that continues to sweep entertainment may actually find some solace here.

“The Boys” is parody dialed up to 11. It not only satirises the superhero phenomenon, but uses it to gut punch this generation’s political and pop-cultural preoccupations.

In season one and two it held nothing back in tackling modern political issues such as the “#metoo” movement, white nationalism, the exploitability of social media and far more.

It’s no-holds-barred style has resonated with audiences because it cuts through the oft censored conversation around these issues like a hot knife through butter. Viewers who can roll with the punches have found “The Boys” a brutally refreshing social commentary of the age.

There’s a method to the madness here. It wants to make its audience question both the people and the establishments they glorify in real life, and doesn’t care who it offends in the process. The result is a show that’s been described as “inappropriate in all the right ways”. 

It is fascinating indeed that every time the series seems to go just a bit too far, the controversy actually becomes a drawcard that pulls in even more viewers. 

Season two of “The Boys” became one of the most streamed shows of 2020 and even saw it score an Emmy nomination for best drama, an award category normally reserved for the upper echelons of high-brow TV.

It’ll be interesting to see whether the Emmy selection panel can stomach a third season of “The Boys” which promises to care even less about the sensibilities of viewers.