'The Punisher' Season 2 Release Date Officially Revealed

As the calendar inches closers to 2019, the debut for season two of Netflix's The Punisher will be [...]

By Adam Barnhardt

As the calendar inches closers to 2019, the debut for season two of Netflix's The Punisher will be here before you know it. The streaming giant announced that the sophomore outing featuring Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) will arrive January 18th, 2019.

Earlier this week, news leaked online that the season would be making its way to the streaming service later this month. Now that Netflix has released the first teaser trailer for the season, the streaming giant has confirmed that The Punisher season two, will in fact, debut on January 18.

Season one of the show was received pretty well with critics, with the show netting a 66% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Punisher was received much better by fans, with 93% of fandom enjoying the show according to the review-aggregating site.

The Punisher showrunner Steve Lightfoot had previously said that the massive outpouring of support from fans didn't have as much impact on season two as one would think. According to Lightfoot, the plan was to be as true to the character as possible.

"That's always tricky because you get such a variation, some people love it, some people hate it, some people are in the middle," Lightfoot told Collider. "My personal opinion with that stuff is you just have to be true to the character and the story you choose to tell. You want them to love it obviously, but if you start worrying about the audience it can be a trap. I think we just have to keep trying to be true to Frank's character and make him someone people want to hang out with."

With the cancellation of the vast majority of Netflix's shows featuring Marvel characters, The Punisher has an uphill battle — if anything — if the show plans to return for a third season. So far Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Luke Cage have all been canceled by the streaming platform leaving just The Punisher and Jessica Jones left alive, both shows of which have seasons in production yet to premiere.

While all signs point to Netflix moving The Punisher and Jessica Jones to the chopping block almost immediately after their premieres, the two shows do create a unique opportunity in that they're two of the more adult-themed properties under the Marvel umbrella. While characters like Daredevil or Luke Cage could certainly be adapted to a more family-friendly format, a PG-13 version of Frank Castle isn't something that'd fly with fans — meaning it could be one of the only shows to remain on Netflix due to its adult content.

Are you looking forward to season two of The Punisher? What'd you think of season one? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

The Punisher season two drops January 18th, 2019. Season one of the show is now streaming on Netflix.

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