Originally published July 11, 2015. Updated April 15, 2018.
Samuel Brace with the four best new TV shows of 2015 so far…
Here we are, over halfway through 2015 and already there is plenty a new show to be shouting and raving about to your friends and family. There are 4 stand outs however that should be at the top of everyone’s list and probably will still be by the end of the year. I can’t see many dislodging them come December but if that happens then we as television fans are going to be spoiled rotten. That three of the four below choices are from new television juggernaut Netflix isn’t so much as a surprise these days but a realisation of the times we are in, a world where binge watching is method number one in how many choose to digest their favourite shows. Like I said, 2015 has been great so far but the below four are some truly great works in the format and most certainly worth your precious few viewing hours.
Daredevil
“I’m just trying to make my city a better place”
Daredevil was a surprise to me. I always intended on watching and I always assumed, being a Marvel/superhero fan, that I would enjoy doing so. I didn’t however think it would change not only the way I looked at the superhero TV genre but how I looked at Marvel’s merry band of superheroes as a whole. Matthew Murdock, a blind man that yes, is blind but can still see (kind of) fights crime as a vigilante of sorts, delivering his own brand of justice by pummeling criminals into comas with his fists. If you’re thinking that sounds violent then you would be correct, Daredevil is very violent, not your typical superhero outing, far from it and maybe that is one of the reasons this show is so striking, that it is so different from anything else Marvel has to offer, especially when you consider their other TV shows, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter. Now I enjoy both those shows, they are good, not great but enjoyable. Daredevil however is a completely different kettle of fish. Being a Netflix show and not having the constraints of a network like ABC, the creative minds behind the show are playing with toys that the guys over at S.H.I.E.L.D. just are never going to get their hands on, allowing for a much richer, darker and satisfying experience. Characters are allowed to stew in the atmosphere around them, nothing is rushed, everything happens when it is supposed to happen and when Daredevil is leaping across the Hells Kitchen skyline you could allow yourself to think you were watching a movie.
The show is also impeccably cast. Charlie Cox is a revelation, this guys is a star and everything he does under the red tinted glasses of Matt Murdock is riveting. Vincent D’onofrio as the villain of the piece is an absolute juggernaut, a huge presence both literally and figuratively but the character isn’t just a monster looking to destroy and corrupt, he actually shares many of the same goals and ambitions as Daredevil himself, the lines between the two blur constantly which is one of the many great things about watching the show. The piece also boasts incredible fighting sequences that have already left their mark on the TV landscape, inspiring other shows to come up with new and fresh ways to stage their action sequences.
Daredevil is a treat and not just for fans of the genre. The Netflix show, renewed for a second season, is a fascinating, dramatic work with characters that latch onto you and never let go. Daredevil has instantly become my favourite Marvel character and will no doubt have many a fan screaming for him to pop up in future MCU films in the future.
