In the war of the streaming services, killer content is the best ammunition. Amazon’s original series The Boys is so popular that not only was a third season ordered before the second season even aired, but a spinoff is also in the works. Executive producers Seth Rogen and Eric Kripke confirmed the news on Twitter, and the spinoff will feature a superhero college run by giant corporation Vought International, according to Deadline.

While The Boys is based on the American comic book series of the same name, the untitled spinoff is expected to focus on the university and feature original writing. Deadline reports that like the existing show, the spinoff is likely to be R-rated and irreverent as it explores the Hunger Games-style competition between hormonal superheroes (or Supes) as they test their physical, sexual and moral boundaries. No word yet on when the new show will be ready, but Deadline said development is “being fast-tracked in light of the success of the original series’ second season which marked the most-watched global launch of an Amazon Original series ever.”

One of Amazon’s tentpole Prime Video shows is finally close to resuming — though you’ll have to be patient if you want to see all of it. The service has revealed that the second season of The Boys will premiere on September 4th, but only the first three episodes. The remaining five will arrive weekly. The show creators want viewers to “absorb” what happens in the story, executive producer Eric Kripke said in a livestream (below). Of course, this also makes it difficult to rush through the show on a free trial — something Disney+ was keenly aware of when it strung out The Mandalorian (and later ended free trials altogether).

As for what happens in season 2? The stream included the first three minutes of the first episode, so steer clear after the initial teaser clip if you want to avoid spoilers. However, it’s safe to say there’s a lot to address after the end of season one. The namesake Boys are trying to survive both the law and Vought’s mostly corrupt band of superheroes, all the while dealing with the rise of supervillains and the uncertainties around Butcher. The new season introduces the social media superheroine Stormfront (who may challenge Homelander’s leadership) and even includes a part for comedian Patton Oswalt.

There’s still no release date for the new season beyond “2020.” Having said that, The Boys‘ new season could easily snag one of Amazon’s premier launch windows. While it’s not certain just how many people have seen the first season so far, there’s little doubt that it was hyped-up — and there are many questions left unanswered. Throw in a plot that doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects (we don’t just mean violence) and it will likely be one of Prime Video’s most important shows for next year.

Amazon is apparently confident The Boys will prove a hit — so confident that it’s committing to more before the Prime Video show is even available. The company has renewed its ugly-side-of-superheroes production for a second season days ahead of the series’ July 26th premiere. On top of this, Amazon has confirmed that Aya Cash from You’re the Worst will take on the role of Stormfront, the most powerful member of Payback (a spoof of the Avengers) and a “diabolical” character.

The series features Karl Urban as Billy Butcher, a CIA operative who leads a ragtag unit of human miscreants called “The Boys”, composed of Hughie (Jack Quaid), Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso), Female (Karen Fukuhara) and Frenchie (Tomer Kapon). The Boys must serve as the sole enforcer of law and order in a world where superheroes are as “powerful as politicians, as popular as celebrities and worshipped like gods”. The gang fight to dismantle The Seven, the most powerful and corrupt group of superheroes that exists. It’s a David versus Goliath matchup that requires the humans to often fight dirty to outdo their superhero counterparts.

The show is based on a comic book series by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which published its final issue back in 2012. The eight-episode first season of The Boys premieres on July 26th. You can catch the trailer below.

The eight-episode season premieres on July 26th. It’s too soon to say if this superhero takedown will succeed, but the ingredients are there for a possible hit. The series also features stars like Simon Pegg and Elisabeth Shue, and it’s created by Supernatural‘s Eric Kripke with the help of producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. If nothing else, it could prove cathartic if you’ve ever felt that most superheroes are too squeaky clean.