The Authorities season 1
| The Authorities | |
|---|---|
| Season 1 | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 22 |
| Release | |
| Original network |
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| Original release | October 19, 2026 – May 3, 2027 |
| Season chronology | |
The first season of the American superhero television series, The Authorities, which is based on Squared Media. The season is produced by Mob Productions, Mojang and Warner Bros. Pictures, and released on October 19, 2026 until May 3, 2027, and finished with 22 episodes. The season follows a team of powered "metahumans" who set out to stop the powerful Lord Shadowmancer, who uses the deceased against the team of Authorities.
The season was ordered by Freddie Goodwin and Jackson Greene in 2022, who worked with Sara Case, Benjamin Knowles, Homer Gutierrez and Myla Salazar to write the season. Goodwin and Greene directed the episodes in turns. Development for the season began in 2023 with Goodwin and Greene. They began working on a story that involves a superhero team that would be created to connect with Minecraft.
Chris Hensworth reprises his role as Simon Lowe from Archer that released in 2025. He is joined by Brie Larson, Dave Bautista, Rami Malek, Zoë Saldana, Robert Downey Jr., Natalie Portman, and Mads Mikkelsen. Even though they appear in most of the episodes in some compacity, Jack Black, Tom Holland, and Amy Poehler reprise their roles as Steve Stonecutter, The "Agent" Derp, and Alex Stonecutter from the original series through CGI usage.
The season was ordered by Mob Productions in June 2022, who planned it to feature the "Minecraft" title in it, however chose to exclude it due to the theme of the series' story. The season received positive reviews from critics and audiences, with praise for its social commentary, story, screenplay and the performances of the entire cast, specifically that of Hemsworth. On February 2, 2027, the series was renewed for a second season.
Episodes
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code | U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Pilot" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | October 19, 2026 | 10101 | 11.19 |
| 2 | 2 | "Team Up Jumbo" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | October 26, 2026 | 10102 | 10.27 |
| 3 | 3 | "Traps" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | November 2, 2026 | 10103 | 9.73 |
| 4 | 4 | "Herobrine Returns!" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | November 9, 2026 | 10104 | TBD |
| 5 | 5 | "The Lord of Death" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | November 16, 2026 | 10105 | 9.52 |
| 6 | 6 | "The Boy Named Simon" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | November 23, 2026 | 10106 | TBD |
| 7 | 7 | "Accidents that Happen" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | November 30, 2026 | 10107 | 8.65 |
| 8 | 8 | "Shadowmancer's Plan" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | December 7, 2026 | 10108 | 8.72 |
| 9 | 9 | "Stop the Nether!" | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | December 14, 2026 | 10109 | 8.52 |
| 10 | 10 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | February 8, 2027 | 10110 | TBD |
| 11 | 11 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | February 15, 2027 | 10111 | TBD |
| 12 | 12 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | February 22, 2027 | 10112 | TBD |
| 13 | 13 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | March 1, 2027 | 10113 | TBD |
| 14 | 14 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | February 8, 2027 | 10114 | TBD |
| 15 | 15 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | March 15, 2027 | 10115 | TBD |
| 16 | 16 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | March 22, 2027 | 10116 | TBD |
| 17 | 17 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | March 29, 2027 | 10117 | TBD |
| 18 | 18 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | April 5, 2027 | 10118 | TBD |
| 19 | 19 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | April 12, 2027 | 10119 | TBD |
| 20 | 20 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | April 19, 2027 | 10120 | TBD |
| 21 | 21 | TBA | Sara Case | Sara Case, Freddie Goodwin, and Jackson Greene | April 26, 2027 | 10121 | TBD |
| 22 | 22 | "We Are the Authorities!" | Sara Case | Teleplay by : Jackson Greene Story by : Freddie Goodwin, Homer Gutierrez, and Sara Case | May 3, 2027 | 10122 | TBD |
Cast and characters
Main
- Chris Hemsworth as Simon Lowe / Archer
- Jack Black as Steve Stonecutter
- Tom Holland as The Derp / "The Agent"
- Amy Poehler as Alex Stonecutter
- Brie Larson as Aurora Skye / Celestia
- Dave Bautista as Lucas Stone / Titan
- Rami Malek as Nathan Reed / Hydron
- Zoë Saldana as Isabella Cruz / Spectra
- Robert Downey Jr. as Maxwell "Max" Jennings / Gearhead
- Natalie Portman as Serena Blackwood / Mystica
- Mads Mikkelsen as Dr. Victor - / Lord Shadowmancer
Recurring
Guest
Production
Development
Development began in 2016. Originally thought as a series within its own universe, Sara Case was limited from the characters Steve, Alex, and Derp, that Freddie Goodwin had a deal with. Negotiations with
Case approached Mojang to hopefully make a deal with them regarding the series, which they declined due to them having a contract with Goodwin. Case for the following weeks talked about possible deals with Goodwin, who agreed to let her make her show as long as it is part of his universe and he runs it with her, which allowed her to use everything in his universe and the characters she wanted. By 2022, Case pitched her idea for a 22-episode-long first season, which was accepted and ordered in June 2022.
Writing
In regards to the deal made with Goodwin, Case wrote the episodes with co-writers with her. She oversaw the episodes and kept a "top star quality". Case ensured the writing and story felt grounded, realistic, and heroic in a few different ways. In a few interviews years before the release, Case began teasing the story of the season and wrote "I am only doing one season.", which prompted her to end on no cliffhanger. This decision allowed the team to make the season feel complete when finished.
In 2023, it was announced Case had joined the Archer project a year before the release and built a "strong change" for it to set up this series.
Casting
In March 2026 , it was announced that Chris Hensworth would reprise his role in the series from Archer that premiered the year before. In June 2026, it was announced that Brie Larson was cast as Aurora Skye / Celestia, Dave Bautista was cast as Lucas Stone / Titan, Rami Malek was cast as Nathan Reed / Hydron, Zoë Saldana was cast as Isabella Cruz / Spectra, Robert Downey Jr. was cast as Maxwell "Max" Jennings / Gearhead, Natalie Portman was cast as Serena Blackwood / Mystica, and Mads Mikkelsen was cast as the villain Dr. Victor Kaine / Lord Shadowmancer.
In September 2026, it was announced that Jack Black would appear as Steve Stonecutter throughout the season alongside Tom Holland as The Derp / "The Agent", and Amy Poehler as Alex Stonecutter.
Filming
Filming for the first season began in June 2025 and concluded in March 2026. On June 20, 2026, it was announced that filming had to be careful to ensure the actors were available. On top of filming extra scenes to help with post-production, the team spent extra time on action scenes and put extra effort to scenes that would usually be done in CGI. The team wanted to reduce CGI usage to help reduce costs on small parts.
Due to the 22 episode season order and a budget directed at a 8–10 episode season, the team worked hard to keep the budget smooth throughout the season. Goodwin stated that they spent lots more budget on the season finale than any of the other episodes.
Visual effects
Case had Mob Productions work Visual Effects with the focus on not adding much visual effects.
Marketing
The series was announced by Freddie Goodwin on June 10, 2022 as part of their plan to schedule content years before. According to Goodwin, the series is a "big step up from what we usually do", and he explained the release date of October 19, 2026, and confirmed filming would begin in 2025.
In June 2023, it was announced that the season would consist of 22 episodes with a possibility of having a second season in the coming years afterwards. It was also confirmed that the miniseries: Archer, The Speed Man, and Starlight would directly setup the events of this series.
The first trailer was released on June 10, 2026 which lasted 1:30 minutes; a second and final trailer was released on September 1, 2026.
On October 19, 2026, it was announced that after episode 9 premieres on December 14, 2026, the next episode would release on February 8, 2027. The series finale was confirmed to be titled "We Are the Authorities!".
Release
The season premiered on The CW and Netflix on October 19, 2026 and is set to conclude its run on May 3, 2027.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season holds an approval rating of 98% based on 151 reviews, with an average rating of 8.05/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Managing to up the ante on what was already one of television's most audacious satires, The Boys' third season is both bracingly visceral and wickedly smart." On Metacritic, the season has a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".