Marvel's The Defenders: Season 1

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Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 433 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 433 Ratings

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Marvel's The Defenders: Claire Temple

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Season Details & Credits

Netflix | Season Premiere Date: August 18, 2017

Starring: Eka Darville, Krysten Ritter, Scott Glenn

Summary: Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) and Danny Rand (Finn Jones) join together to defeat a major threat.

Creator: Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E8. The Defenders
Air Date: August 18, 2017
tbd
S1:E7. Fish in the Jailhouse
Air Date: August 18, 2017
tbd
S1:E6. Ashes, Ashes
Air Date: August 18, 2017

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Terry Terrones

Aug 17, 2017

Intense, mysterious, action-packed and flat-out fun, this series takes all the best aspects of earlier Netflix Marvel shows and rolls them into one great package. Read full review

Jeff Jensen

Aug 10, 2017

The images are sharper and more inspired, the dialogue is wittier, and the pace is breezier than the usual Marvel-Netflix escapade. Kudos to showrunners Douglas Petrie and Marco Ramirez--the team behind the disappointing second season of Daredevil--for upping their own game, honoring the best parts of every series, and elevating the franchise. Read full review

IndieWire Liz Shannon Miller

Aug 18, 2017

The ultimate weakness of The Defenders is found in its plotting, especially the way it indulges in one massive superhero storytelling cliche towards the end. But when the show focuses on character, it’s at its best, especially when the secondary characters,--the women!--get a chance at the spotlight. Read full review

Maureen Ryan

Aug 15, 2017

The Defenders is a workmanlike series that gets the job done with a reasonable amount of energy and a few bursts of flair. Read full review

UPROXX Alan Sepinwall

Jul 28, 2017

The Defenders is yet another Netflix ultra-slow burn. None of the heroes interact at all in the first hour. ... The parts of Defenders that actually, you know, feature all the Defenders are promising enough--if only for the chance to watch Jessica continually insult the others--for me to gladly watch the second half. Read full review

Matt Zoller Seitz

Aug 17, 2017

The Defenders is a pretty grim slog for the most part, enlivened mainly by Jessica’s hard-bitten one-liners, “surprise” appearances by major characters from Marvel’s other Netflix shows, and a couple of lively fight scenes (though not the opening bout, which is so darkly lit and chaotically edited as to be barely comprehensible). Read full review

Michael Haigis

Aug 15, 2017

The story's larger stakes aren't always clear, and momentum falters, especially in the episodes that jarringly shift focus between the four characters. The Defenders' adversary complicates narrative coherence in the early going, with vague motivations and unclear means. Read full review

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7.0

User Reviews

ManWithoutFear

Aug 18, 2017

Loved it. Start to finish this kept my attention. After the disappointment that was Iron Fist (the portrayal itself), I have to admit he was great in this!
I loved the chemistry between Luke and Danny as it teases their friendship in the future as "Heroes for Hire". Charlie Cox as MattLoved it. Start to finish this kept my attention. After the disappointment that was Iron Fist (the portrayal itself), I have to admit he was great in this!
I loved the chemistry between Luke and Danny as it teases their friendship in the future as "Heroes for Hire". Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil was amazing as always and so was Jessica Jones. I really loved Luke Cage in this, he was a great addition! The Hand was known to be a weaker link in the past, but here we finally get a more in depth story and their motives are so clear now.

In the end the Defenders throw a punch powerful enough to break through it's limits and it ties loose ends perfectly, whilst making us want more. I'm really excited for Season 3 of Daredevil most of all. But nonetheless they were all perfect.

10/10… Expand

6 of 15 users found this helpful69

Yoel1995

Aug 19, 2017

The series begins slowly but when the four protagonists meet the series improves a lot.
I love the color changes according to the character and the cast is great.
The only bad thing is that they give much importance to Iron Fist and very little to the other characters, especially they missThe series begins slowly but when the four protagonists meet the series improves a lot.
I love the color changes according to the character and the cast is great.
The only bad thing is that they give much importance to Iron Fist and very little to the other characters, especially they miss Jessica Jones and Luke Cage.
Overall very good.… Expand

3 of 9 users found this helpful36

Destrath

Aug 22, 2017

While nowhere near perfect, this season was thoroughly enjoyable by anyone who's been a fan of Netflix's Marvel shows since the beginning. The villains could have been fleshed out better, the side characters could have been handled a little better than throwing them into a box together andWhile nowhere near perfect, this season was thoroughly enjoyable by anyone who's been a fan of Netflix's Marvel shows since the beginning. The villains could have been fleshed out better, the side characters could have been handled a little better than throwing them into a box together and shaking it up, and the chemistry between the 4 defenders felt a little off. Or rather, the chemistry between Daredevil and everyone else in the show felt off, or forced. The other three heroes meshed well eventually.
The plot was good but not great. The fighting scenes were great, but never felt like there was much consequence attached to them. A lot of people complained that the show started slow, but that's a given when you're forcing 4 strangers together into an heroic situation.
Essentially, while this season will never be "must watch" tv, it was still a great way to spend a couple lazy afternoons. Very entertaining despite it's flaws!… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

reasonate

Aug 29, 2017

I agree with many of the other posters. This was okay. I didn't hate it, but I kind of didn't care that much about it either. I watched the whole thing over a few days and while I didn't have to force myself to finish, nor was I excited and looking forward to the next episode. The writingI agree with many of the other posters. This was okay. I didn't hate it, but I kind of didn't care that much about it either. I watched the whole thing over a few days and while I didn't have to force myself to finish, nor was I excited and looking forward to the next episode. The writing and directing needed to be tightened up and improved. I think if they weren't spending so much time catching people up on all of the characters and trying to give a nod to the supporting cast for all four series, the show would have been more engaging. They tried to combine too many shows into one. They tried to capture the essence of each separate series, and shoe horn them all together, but failed to create a new "essence" for The Defenders' series. It is tough to merge so many story lines and characters into a new, disparate show, and they did an okay job of it. Worth watching, but hope they do a better job the next time around.… Expand

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

thoodee

Aug 19, 2017

Don't know what it is, but after the last two Daredevil seasons, these Marvel shows have been getting more campier, predictable, and very formulaic. Very ABC network cookie cutter type of show, much like agents of shield. Why even have this on Netflix if you can't be a little edgier or putDon't know what it is, but after the last two Daredevil seasons, these Marvel shows have been getting more campier, predictable, and very formulaic. Very ABC network cookie cutter type of show, much like agents of shield. Why even have this on Netflix if you can't be a little edgier or put more thought into a storyline. I will say I got through it all unlike Iron Fist.… Expand

11 of 14 users found this helpful113

abm0

Nov 24, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Could've been good, seemed to be gearing up for great things for the first half or so, but then it turns into excessive use of dramatic conversations (Jessica Jones S1 had its share of those, but not to the detriment of the plot and action like here) and at the very end excessive low-level fights against armies of dumb "minions", i.e. the stupid Daredevil-style neverending torrents of punches and kicks that don't mean anything and don't make any impression. And to think some of the first multi-hero fights were actually promising, had more focus, fewer moves that were more interesting to watch, and then they decided to close the deal with some Daredevil levels of boring and repetitive fights, going way down in quality instead of up. What a waste.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

HJRodrigo

Sep 4, 2017

Show started too slow and had little payoff. It seems that Netflix is regressing to the crappy era of superhero movies that was ashamed of the source material and had the characters/settings be more "realistic". These characters are supposed to be larger than life. That is one of the reasonsShow started too slow and had little payoff. It seems that Netflix is regressing to the crappy era of superhero movies that was ashamed of the source material and had the characters/settings be more "realistic". These characters are supposed to be larger than life. That is one of the reasons kids liked to read the comics, because it was an escape from reality. The Netflix Marvel stuff is currently getting fairly boring and lame. I hope that Daredevil does not continue in this awful direction.… Expand

6 of 12 users found this helpful66

SEE ALL 89 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

63

Series Overview
Season 1

63
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E8. The Defenders
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E7. Fish in the Jailhouse
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E6. Ashes, Ashes
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E5. Take Shelter
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E4. Royal Dragon
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E3. Worst Behavior
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E2. Mean Right Hook
  Air Date: August 18, 2017
- tbd
  S1:E1. The H Word
  Air Date: August 18, 2017