ComingSoon Senior Editor Brandon Schreur spoke to Gen V Season 2’s Hamish Linklater and Sean Patrick Thomas about starring in The Boys spin-off show. Linklater and Thomas discussed being shocked by the scripts for Gen V Season 2, how Polarity has changed since Season 1, and more.
“In the second season of Gen V, the acclaimed spinoff series set in the Emmy Award-winning world of The Boys, school is back in session,” the synopsis reads. “As the rest of America adjusts to Homelander’s iron fist, back at Godolkin University, the mysterious new Dean preaches a curriculum that promises to make students more powerful than ever. Cate and Sam are celebrated heroes, while Marie, Jordan, and Emma reluctantly return to college, burdened by months of trauma and loss. But parties and classes are hard to care about with war brewing between Humans and Supes, both on and off campus. The gang learns of a secret program that goes back to the founding of Godolkin University that may have larger implications than they realize. And, somehow, Marie is a part of it.”
Gen V Season 2 premieres on September 17, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video.
Brandon Schreur: Hamish, I am such a fan of your work in shows like Midnight Mass and Legion. You’re now joining Gen V in Season 2 after the very well-received Season 1. Season 1 was awesome. What was it that made you want to be part of this project? What was it that you were most excited about when joining Gen V and the greater The Boys universe?
Hamish Linklater: I came in as a Gen V fan before — I caught up on The Boys later. But I was just so thrilled. I’ve got a teenager, and I’m so glad that she hasn’t totally discovered her superpowers, yet. But I was just so blown away by using eating disorders, self-harm, and all these sorts of negative things that kids go through, and exploring them as their powers. I just thought the metaphor of the show was so exciting, so I leapt at it.
Totally. I feel like the more the show goes on, the more it explores that, too. It’s so interesting to watch, like you said, that all these complex things can come out in a show about superpowers. Sean, you were obviously part of Gen V Season 1, and you’re character has been so interesting. I mean, you play him so well. Some things have changed since we saw him last in the first season, and then they continue to change throughout this new season. What surprised you the most when it comes to the path your character takes in Gen V Season 2?
Sean Patrick Thomas: I think what surprised me the most is that Polarity really decides that he’s not just going to be this guy who is going to be a tool of the establishment. I think, to the extent that we can all do that, is what’s exciting to me. To play a character that’s making a conscious decision to do that is what I found thrilling. You can’t just sit around and let the waves of events carry you. You have to take a stand. I found that thrilling. That he finally does that, for the first time in his life, in this story.
A question for both of you. Gen V and The Boys, they’re known for having these big, shocking moments, whether it’s the violence, the stuff with the puppets in the first season, or the gross-out moments. Gen V Season 2 is no exception — I don’t want to spoil anything, but a lot of crazy stuff happens throughout the course of these eight episodes. Was there anything that really shocked you when you were reading the scripts for the first time? Did you guys ever have a moment where you’re like, ‘Whoa, we’re actually allowed to do that?’
Thomas: I know I had a moment. I saw something on the page, and I thought that there’s no way in hell that they’re going to be able to pull this off…You see it on the page and you’re thinking, ‘There’s no way they can pull that shit off. Like, what is this?’ And then, when you watch the show, you’re like, ‘Oh my god. They did it.’ There’s this one particular thing where I guess you can say it’s a Trojan Horse — I think that’s the title of the episode. There’s a Trojan Horse motif that I found particularly disturbing and exciting at the same time.
Linklater: I was like, ‘We’re going to need a body double for that page.’ And that’s nice. You want people who write stuff that’s so audacious that you really don’t think your own body should do it.
Thanks to Hamish Linklater and Sean Patrick Thomas for taking the time to discuss Gen V Season 2.
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