10 Best TV Shows Of 2016 (So Far)

While Marvel were busy conquering the world on the big-screen, it's TV efforts were leaving something to be desired. Agent Carter was entertaining, but no one was watching; S.H.I.E.LD., meanwhile, had its moments, but couldn't quite make the step-up into becoming 'must-watch'.

Enter Netflix and Daredevil. They changed the game for the MCU last year, showcasing a dark and edgy side of it that they simply can't do in the films, and then Jessica Jones came along and bettered it. So, could Daredevil raise the bar again in Season 2?

Not quite, at least not across the full breadth of its 13 episodes, but that shouldn't really be a slight. In Season 2, Daredevil introduced far more elements, making this a bigger show than the Murdock-Fisk battle of the first run. In came Elektra, the Hand, and best of all the Punisher. The show once again pushed the boundaries of what fight scenes could look like on TV, with a staircase scrap that ups the ante of the corridor fight in Season 1, and then Frank Castle gets his own version in the prison. It was incredibly violent, but also rounded out characters more so that you really cared about them: Foggy became more than just comic relief, Karen became far more than the damsel-in-distress, and Matt was forced to ask serious questions about himself and the choices he makes.

The season can be split into three mini arcs: Daredevil vs The Punisher; the Elektra introduction and setup, bridging the gap to the final few episodes; then the culminating battle with the Hand. All are good, but the only thing letting down Season 2 of Daredevil is that the first of those is the strongest; the opening four episodes arrive at a blistering pace, with Jon Bernthal's Punisher instantly captivating, and while it's good to slow things down for a bit afterwards, the series never quite recovers that momentum or sense of a brutal thrill, with some misguided Hand mysteries getting in the way. Even then, though, there's a load of ninjas to fight, so it's not all bad.