The Punisher

TV review by Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media
The Punisher Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 17+

Intense, brutal violence and language in dark drama.

Netflix Drama 2017
Rate TV

Parents say

age 14+

Based on 19 reviews

Kids say

age 15+

Based on 33 reviews

Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Your purchase helps us remain independent and ad-free.
Rate tv

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Marvel's The Punisher is based on a comic book character who uses very violent methods to fight crime. The near-constant and brutal violence will be parents' chief concern, particularly since both "heroes" and villains kill and torture others. Characters are abruptly killed (bludgeoned, shot, strangled, drowned in liquid concrete), with spurting blood, the crunching sounds of bones being broken/bodies being run over, gory wounds, and spattered brain matter. Some of the violence has a sexual tinge, like when men mistake a toilet-stall strangulation for a sexual encounter. And one character is shot while receiving oral sex. Language is frequent: "ass," "bulls--t," "s--t," "a--hole," "goddamn," "bastards," etc. A man who's viewed as intellectually disabled is called "dumbass" and "retard" by co-workers. A group of co-workers drink until they're drunk in a bar; it's implied that a main character has a drinking problem.

Community Reviews

Rthom84
Rthom84 Adult
August 23, 2020
age 11+

Great show. Suitable for teens

The show was, in my opinion underrated and under promoted. It should’ve been a higher grossing tv show. The characters were dark and enigmatic. The settings were awesome. Overall great show. Violence is blown way out of proportion by critics and over protective prissy mothers. I watched this with my 12 and 16 yo boys and they loved it. If I’d had an 11 yo I would have let them watch it
4 people found this helpful.
moeanddaz
moeanddaz Adult
December 24, 2021
age 18+

Great show… for ADULTS who can handle extreme violence.

It’s pretty sad to see so many ratings on here saying parents are letting their young kids watch this. This is an adult show with graphic violence throughout every episode. The violence is over the top, showing faces beaten so repeatedly that their face structure actually changes… every detail shown. Loads of brutal shootings, stabbings, beatings and broken bones in which details are shown close up. Someone has the skin on their face brutally scraped with glass, several torture scenes, eye gouging, stomping continuously on faces. Kids have zero need to see this level of violence. No wonder we have some of the problems we do today. I watch a lot of violent shows… Vikings, war movies, zombies and other gory shows, but this made me look away several times. Please let kids be kids. They can choose to watch this kind of violence on their own when they’re adults. I personally don’t care much about “adult” language, but there was a lot in this series. 3 or 4 sex scenes that I can recall. One that’s a bit more than the others and shows mild nudity. Additionally there are many themes are adult in nature including severe war PTSD and support group discussions, and grief after death causing violent mental illness.

This title has:

Too much violence
2 people found this helpful.
See all 19 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Once, Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) was a soldier and a family man. But that's before he got involved in some murky business while deployed -- and before he returned home to see his wife and children murdered. Now, having exacted mortal revenge on those responsible for his tragedy, the man formerly known as THE PUNISHER is in hiding, using a new name and working a dead-end construction job where he talks to no one. But when Frank uncovers a conspiracy that runs even deeper than New York's mob-controlled underworld, he realizes there are more injustices he must correct. Evildoers, beware! The Punisher is stalking the streets of NYC, and you may be next to fall.

Is It Any Good?

The presence of the magnetic Jon Bernthal elevates this Marvel series, but it has so many familiar beats that the whole proceeding feels stale. Frank is a man with nothing to lose, galvanized into great (and often brutal) efforts to root out crime by his lost and broken heart. Comic book fans even have a word to describe female characters who are dispatched in gruesome ways to give a male character motivation: "fridged." It refers to the tendency of comic book girlfriends and wives to end up murdered and stuffed into a refrigerator for their superhero men to find, all the better to make him come after the perpetrator with a mortal vengeance. It's both regressive and disappointing that The Punisher chose to fridge Frank's family -- and though a revenge fantasy may have flown just fine for another generation of fans, to modern viewers it's not quite the thing.

Viewers who can get past that bit of murky morality will enjoy Bernthal as Punisher: growling at baddies in his hoodie in a convincingly feral way, and showing up at VFW counseling sessions to absorb some positivity from an old army buddy (Jason R. Moore). Other side characters also have a little crackle: Ebon Moss-Bachrach as a wormy junior detective, picking away at the same conspiracy as Frank with conflicted agent Dinah Madani (Amber Rose Revah). You've seen this sort of "big bads with big bad plans" setup before, but the actors make it compelling enough, if the violence and mixed messages don't turn you off. If parents allow teens to watch, they may want to ask a few pointed questions about the show's violence and what it means: Is the Punisher a hero? If this is a hero, what does a villain look like?

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about The Punisher's violence. How does the violence compare to that of other superhero movies or shows? Do the supernatural or superpower-based characters make the violence seem less realistic? What impact does media violence have on kids?

  • Is Punisher or any of his cohorts role models? Why or why not?

  • What does the word "antihero" mean? Why are antiheroes appealing? What sets them apart from "regular" heroes?

TV Details

Our Editors Recommend

  • Daredevil Poster Image

    Daredevil

    Dark, violent superhero adventure has cursing, drugs.

    age 14+
  • The Avengers Poster Image

    The Avengers

    Heroes work together in explosive comic-book adventure.

    age 13+
  • Spider-Man 2 Poster Image

    Spider-Man 2

    A popcorn pleasure with heart, soul, and insight.

    age 11+

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate