Television series

Gen V

Gen V drops you into a cutthroat superhero college where ambition and power collide. It's *The Boys* filtered through campus politics—sharp, violent, genuinely funny, with twists that sting. For people who want their superhero story complicated: these kids aren't becoming heroes, they're becoming *something*, and you won't always like what you see.

TVMaze rating3.7

If you liked this

The Boys2019

The spiritual parent of Gen V. Same universe, same savage take on superhero mythology, same willingness to let characters be casually terrible. Sam Houser's work is electric throughout.

But Eight episodes in, the satire gets louder and the plotting thinner. Needs a tighter edit; it loves its own cynicism too much.

The Boys poster

Euphoria2019

Shares Gen V's fearlessness about young people doing dark things without redemptive framing. Gorgeous cinematography, ensemble cast doing career-best work, each episode a small disaster.

But The tone is relentlessly bleak and the graphic content is not window dressing. If you want lightness at all, this isn't it.

Euphoria poster

The Umbrella Academy2019

Dysfunctional superhero families, similar balance of action and absurdist humour, episodes that pivot wildly between registers. It gets weird in ways that land.

But Loses narrative discipline after season two. The more powers it gives characters, the less interesting the conflicts become.

The Umbrella Academy poster

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Something you would not have found on your own.

The Facility2012

Both are about young people whose talents make them valuable to powerful systems that don't care if they're destroyed in the process. The college and the facility are cages wearing different names.

British film about teenagers trapped in an institution undergoing mysterious tests. Same paranoid energy as Gen V's worst moments, same sense that the system itself is the enemy, same slow realization that escape isn't the point.

But Shot on video, claustrophobic and deliberately unglamorous. No answers provided; it's about confusion and institutional dread, not plot resolution.

The Facility poster
More like this (8)

Invincible2021

Animated superhero story that deconstructs the genre without winking at you. The violence means something because the characters matter. Genuinely affecting.

But The first four episodes are setup before the gut-punch arrives. If you need immediate payoff, it tests patience early.

Invincible poster

Kick-Ass2010

Same energy: teenagers with superpowers or weapons in a world that doesn't protect them from consequences. Lean, kinetic, dark comedy that doesn't apologize for hitting hard.

But Relies on shock for effect sometimes rather than character. The 11-year-old's violence will alienate people on principle.

Kick-Ass poster

Daria1997

Campus satire that works because the writing is intelligent and the characters are allowed to win arguments. It's funny in quiet ways Gen V never is, but the eye-rolling at institutions is identical.

But Slower than you expect. If you need plot momentum every scene, watching people be sardonic won't sustain you.

Daria poster

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina2018

Takes the template of 'teen with hidden world' and pushes it dark. Genuinely unsettling in places, doesn't flinch from what it's showing you, cast commits fully.

But Tonal shifts are sometimes clumsy. Swings between camp horror and sincere trauma without always landing the transition cleanly.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina poster

Marvel's Runaways2017

Young ensemble discovering their parents are villains. Strong character writing, good chemistry, willing to let plots breathe and characters change.

But The back half of each season sags. Needs a tighter showrunner to cut bloat.

Marvel's Runaways poster

Extracurricular2020

Korean series about high schoolers committing crimes to pay for education. Moral ambiguity without sermonizing, compact season, excellent ensemble work.

But Subtitles and some violence is presented matter-of-factly rather than dramatized. The pacing is deliberate, not rushing you.

Extracurricular poster

Flesh and Bone2015

Both trace how institutions turn talent into leverage. At Gen V's Godolkin and in this ballet company, excellence is currency and bodies are spending it. Power is abuse you're taught to accept.

Miniseries about ballet dancers at a company that grooms, exploits and abuses them. Uses the beauty of the form to make predation visible. Unflinching about institutional violence and complicity.

But Extremely dark, sexual violence is central to the story, and it doesn't provide catharsis or neat justice. The ending is ambiguous in ways that frustrate some viewers.

Flesh and Bone poster

A Serious Man2009

Both ask: what do you do when the system is rigged and everyone important knows it? Gen V answers with violence and betrayal; this answers with prayer and confusion. Both are honest about which world they're describing.

Coen Brothers film about a man watching his life collapse while everyone around him prospers. Uses Jewish theology and high school setting as scaffold for moral chaos. Darkly funny in a way that respects the darkness.

But No protagonist wins or learns anything. The tone is austere. If you need a character to root for or a problem to solve, this refuses both.

A Serious Man poster

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