Marvel's The Punisher

:

Season 1
  • Network: Netflix
  • Series Premiere Date: Nov 17, 2017
Season #: 2, 1
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 821 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 697 out of 821
  2. Mixed: 36 out of 821
  3. Negative: 88 out of 821
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  1. bassam1985
    Nov 20, 2017
    5
    not recommended for those people who read comics, this version of The Punisher doesn't remind at all with the original, still Jon Bernthal acting is quite good, the plot is a bit slow, unnecessary episodes, violence is spected in a Punisher series, is maybe the only thing that keep you awake.
  2. Hoshi82
    Nov 22, 2017
    5
    Und wieder hat Marvel und Netflix es geschafft einen interessanten Marvelcharacter in eine totlangweilige Serie zu packen.

    Wer Punisher und Action sucht schaut besser die Filme, als diese Serie. Natürlich bietet die Serie eien Möglichkeit Frank Castle näher zu betrachten, aber die komplette erste Staffel lang? Die Action mach vielleicht 20% der Serie aus. Der Rest besteht aus einem    Und wieder hat Marvel und Netflix es geschafft einen interessanten Marvelcharacter in eine totlangweilige Serie zu packen.

    Wer Punisher und Action sucht schaut besser die Filme, als diese Serie. Natürlich bietet die Serie eien Möglichkeit Frank Castle näher zu betrachten, aber die komplette erste Staffel lang? Die Action mach vielleicht 20% der Serie aus. Der Rest besteht aus einem langweiligen Hauptplot und einem noch langweiligeren neben Plot über Posttraumatischen Stress von Soldaten.

    Punisher war nie ein tiefgründiger Charakter und eher eine Parody und übertriebene Gewalt, das was man von dem Punisher erwarten. Nichts davon wird hier geboten. Ersetzt Punisher mit einem Exsoldaten und vergesst das es auf den Marvelcharakter basiert, dann ist die Serie gerade noch so ok. Große Enttäuschung.    … Expand
  3. tage01
    Dec 6, 2017
    6
    Netflix's take on Punisher is much more of a family (well, what's left of the family) drama than a action packed experience. Show's dependency on exploring Frank's battered mind makes watching Punisher rather boring. Not really what you'd expect from the violent antihero you might know from comic panels.
  4. Methos
    Nov 23, 2017
    5
    If you want to see the most boring thing you can make out of a fantastic Comic Series like the Punisher than watch this TV Show.
    I don't know what they had in mind but for me as a long time Comic Fan of the Punisher this was just a giant disappointment.
    This and "Luke Cage" are the worst Marvel Series on Netflix IMO.
  5. hahahacker
    Nov 24, 2017
    4
    The Punisher spends almost no time killing mobsters instead they threw in some generic government conspiracy **** its a decent show but its not a good Punisher show
  6. UncutSuspiria
    Nov 20, 2017
    6
    The series is good, but painfully boring. There is absolutely no action from episodes 2 to 10. All action is in the first episode and last two, the middle is nothing but a long drawn out story. This is a huge letdown and not at all a good way to portray the Punisher, especially after his badassness in Daredevil. It is worth watching, but don't expect to watch a series with action.
  7. jerkface910
    Nov 23, 2017
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As a fan of The Punisher comic from #1 on up, I did expect to hold this to a high bar, but I also thought The Punisher was excellent in Daredevil season 2. Unfortunately the series creators were not content with rolling right along and so they decide to retire The Punisher and then provide a new origin story that unfolds at a glacial pace. Will Frank return as The Punisher? Hmmm, the series I'm watching is titled 'The Punisher' so probably. Will Frank and Micro team up? Probably!
    The overarching military conspiracy is tedious and there isn't much mystery to it after three episodes. The Punisher wears his iconic tactical outfit for perhaps fifteen minutes total in the entire season. He's often badly wounded by stuff his vest would have stopped, leaving you wondering why Frank is so dumb. Things pick up a little in the final few episodes but not by much. I literally finished the series just to see if Billy would indeed become Jigsaw.
    Hopefully there is a season 2 and it can come out guns blazing.    … Expand
  8. mikemcadams55
    Nov 26, 2017
    5
    In my opinion, this was probably the weakest of the Marvel Netflix shows. I keep reading review after review of this show and people are praising it as the best of the best? Why? It was 1-2 episodes of decent content, and then 9 episodes of boring exposition that just seemed to be filler, and then 2-3 episodes-worth of ACTUAL "The Punisher". And as much as I enjoy Bernthal and think heIn my opinion, this was probably the weakest of the Marvel Netflix shows. I keep reading review after review of this show and people are praising it as the best of the best? Why? It was 1-2 episodes of decent content, and then 9 episodes of boring exposition that just seemed to be filler, and then 2-3 episodes-worth of ACTUAL "The Punisher". And as much as I enjoy Bernthal and think he is a great actor, he keeps playing psychopaths. Frank Castle is not some angry, brooding child but a calculating and precise instrument of war who scares the PEE out of his adversaries. This version of The Punisher made me feel like I was watching a man with "special-needs" running around with guns half of the show (when they actually had him pick up a gun and fight). This was bar-none the most boring of the different Marvel shows on Netflix, and makes me wonder what everybody else is praising. 13 episodes that could have been condensed into a 4-part mini-series honestly. What a waste of talent, resources, and most importantly, my own time.… Expand
  9. MrNonono
    Nov 19, 2017
    4
    People attacking 'the critics' ad hominem because they don't agree. Babbling about unrelated (American) politics. But they still give the show a 9 or 10, without a single argument. This kind of negativity and stupidity will kill off the social media factor in media.

    If you like the show, tell as detailed as possible WHY you like the show. Talk about the action, the story, the actor,    People attacking 'the critics' ad hominem because they don't agree. Babbling about unrelated (American) politics. But they still give the show a 9 or 10, without a single argument. This kind of negativity and stupidity will kill off the social media factor in media.

    If you like the show, tell as detailed as possible WHY you like the show. Talk about the action, the story, the actor, anything. But don't bother others people with your unrelated, uninteresting and predicable rant about libtards or SJW. Don't make this about you, it's about The Punisher.

    /ontopic: Good things about The Punisher: a good insight on PTSD, nice action and Bernthal. Bad things: way too long, boring and it feels like another Marvel cashcow. Not recommendable, only on a hangover day.    … Expand
  10. ComandanteCobra
    Nov 28, 2017
    6
    It looks great at first ....but soon ...frome episode 3 ....you'll be looking for something a bit better.
    The show is about the Punisher dealing with his past military life (in this tv version his background is different form what we see in the comics...moved up in time 4 example).
    Next to the main characther storyline we see four different subplots: One about Microchip (Punisher old    It looks great at first ....but soon ...frome episode 3 ....you'll be looking for something a bit better.
    The show is about the Punisher dealing with his past military life (in this tv version his background is different form what we see in the comics...moved up in time 4 example).
    Next to the main characther storyline we see four different subplots: One about Microchip (Punisher old sidekick); One about a young soldier struggling to adjust to civil life; One regarding a Homeland Security agent and the fourth about Billy Russo.
    There are too many sublots that steals a lot of screen time of the episodes, and unfortunatley the scripts of this subplots are very predictable.
    Almost every characters of this production are different from the comics book counterpart and not in a good way (particurally Jigsaw and Microchip) both in story, characterization and look.
    Action scene are scarces and often stealed from famous action movies of the 80's.
    The is almost no "Vigilante aspect" of the original work
    Most of the scene are about people speaking to cellphones.
    The main villain is very weak.
    Some unecessary fan service scene and silly jokes.
    Bernthal and Moss-Bachrach and Newman do a good job but other actors are almost without expressions.
    I liked the punisher apparition in Daredevil 2 a lot more.
    To sum up...better than Iron fist but worse than Defenders, Jessica Jones, Daredevil 1 and 2    … Expand
  11. Goo4you
    Feb 23, 2018
    4
    Slow, depressingly miserable to watch and this is exactly what I think Marvel was going for with it. While they get high marks for executing this--that doesn't make it something worth watching let alone good storytelling.

    I grew up reading The Punisher comics. Frank Castle's story was gritty, dark and sad. What made that work was frankly the medium it was in: Comics. Story Arcs could    Slow, depressingly miserable to watch and this is exactly what I think Marvel was going for with it. While they get high marks for executing this--that doesn't make it something worth watching let alone good storytelling.

    I grew up reading The Punisher comics. Frank Castle's story was gritty, dark and sad. What made that work was frankly the medium it was in: Comics. Story Arcs could be contained to a series. Plot was always there behind the scenes ready to rear its head when it was needed. The Writer's had moments of reprieve because of the release window and the creative control of just what and when things were taking place--crossover stories were perfect for this. There was room for more dimensional growth of Frank in the comics. On one hand he was scarred, his sense of justice broken by a system that no longer worked...yet at the same time revered a person like Captain America which was justice personified. Depth, the comics gave it, the show did none of it.

    We were instead left with a man suffering with PTSD on steroids, but with enough knowhow and training to take on entire small military forces on his own (or with a touch of backup). Simmering anger to outright rage and a depressive outlook on the world is not what the Punisher is. And if it is, it doesn't make for good storytelling in a show format; not at all for a standalone story. Watching this was like pulling teeth.

    By far the weakest of the Marvel/Netflix stories, and that's saying much because Iron Fist was a jumbled mess, but at least the lead was working towards something...what was Frank in the show?    … Expand
  12. brockcheese
    Mar 18, 2018
    6
    He does very little actual punishing. He mostly just mopes about his dead family in an arc that should have already been wrapped up in Daredevil season 2.
  13. Voodoo123
    Jan 3, 2018
    6
    There is some great material here, especially from the excellent cast. Punisher has dimension and is entertaining, but really suffers from poor pacing issues. The show delivers occasional moments of gruesome action padded with long scenes of dialogue and filler backstory for the various sub character plotlines. I strongly feel this particular batch of shows would benefit from culling 50%There is some great material here, especially from the excellent cast. Punisher has dimension and is entertaining, but really suffers from poor pacing issues. The show delivers occasional moments of gruesome action padded with long scenes of dialogue and filler backstory for the various sub character plotlines. I strongly feel this particular batch of shows would benefit from culling 50% of the side characters material into more concise 6-8 Punisher-focused action thriller episodes.

    So in the end, like daredevil, luke cage, jessica jones, iron fist and defenders, with Punisher, Marvel Television have once again disrespected the viewers time, taking the 'super' from the hero and diluting the core character identity from the colourful panels of a comic book to the now familiar 13 episode 'gritty', side character heavy reality based format (thriller/drama/soap opera - akin to sopranos/the wire).    … Expand
  14. Romanvs
    Mar 18, 2018
    6
    Fraco, de todos os Punishers que eu já vi o mais fraco no quesito personagem, muito chororo do Castle, nada a ver com a cegueira de ódio que ele teve na segunda temporada do demolidor, fui com expectativa alta me arrependi, a história é muito cliche, me perdoem mas ja assisti prision break, e esse negocio de militarismo, agencias governamentais fazendo açoes secretas ja deu ne? DeveriamFraco, de todos os Punishers que eu já vi o mais fraco no quesito personagem, muito chororo do Castle, nada a ver com a cegueira de ódio que ele teve na segunda temporada do demolidor, fui com expectativa alta me arrependi, a história é muito cliche, me perdoem mas ja assisti prision break, e esse negocio de militarismo, agencias governamentais fazendo açoes secretas ja deu ne? Deveriam ter explorado o lado italiano do castle, mafia matando, e ele matando a mafia, inclusive o retalho era um assassino da mafia nos quadrinhos… Expand
  15. imthenoob
    Jan 21, 2019
    5
    Jon does a fantastic job as the Punisher and the rest of the cast does solid as well. The action scenes are fantastic but sadly, They're the only source of entertainment with this show. The main plot and subplots are both predictable and boring. They fail to add any interest or excitement to the show and I think that is what really brings down this season.
  16. JulianIncen
    May 5, 2019
    6
    The photography in certain parts is out of the "Marvel mold" and that is quite appreciated. In general the story is good and Jon Bernthal's performance was brutal.

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Most Discussed TV Season of 2017
7
#7 Most Shared TV Season of 2017

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
55

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. The Atlantic
    Reviewed by: Sophie Gilbert
    Nov 20, 2017
    60
    All too often it’s a plodding slog. Bernthal’s performance somehow finds energy in Frank’s pain. ... Lightfoot’s breadth of storytelling is gratifying--he wants to do more than give the cultural landscape another killing machine to idolize. It makes The Punisher less uncomfortable to watch than it could be amid so many outbreaks of extreme gun violence. But it isn’t an easy ride.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Lorraine Ali
    Nov 17, 2017
    50
    The show is well-written and Jon Bernthal ("The Walking Dead") is fantastic as Castle, the Afghanistan war veteran turned vigilante. ... But the story itself isn't dynamic enough to punch through all the cultural baggage this show is unfairly (or as some believe, justifiably) saddled with. It doesn't help that the burly character's superpower isn't a superpower at all. It's old-fashioned rage, coupled with special ops training.
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  3. RogerEbert.com
    Reviewed by: Allison Shoemaker
    Nov 17, 2017
    50
    Better too rich than too thin, to be sure, but “The Punisher” casts its net so wide that almost none of these stories get a fair shake. When they do, it’s usually the acting that closes the gap — Woll and Bernthal are so good together that it almost doesn’t matter that their scenes get snapped out quickly — but it’s hard to escape the feeling that, in giving us all that story, “The Punisher” doesn’t have much time for substance. It’s simultaneously too much and not enough.
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