TV: Daredevil
As anyone who witnessed that unhappy meeting between a car door and a Russian gangster’s head will attest, the first season of this Marvel saga was unprecedented within the superhero genre for its violence. But Daredevil was more than gore and bruising Oldboy-style set-pieces – it was also a long-form comic-book adaptation that boasted a surprising level of moral complexity. This second season introduces antagonist The Punisher who, like Daredevil, has been badly served in film adaptations. He should receive a more respectable airing here. Available from Friday.
Netflix
Audio: The Bill Simmons Podcast
Fans of superior sport and pop-culture writing were left bereft last autumn when ESPN shut down the Grantland website and fired its founder Bill Simmons. The good news is that Simmons has got together many of his top Grantland writers for a new site, The Ringer, which will be open for business in the summer. In the meantime there’s Simmons’s podcast series to get stuck into, which includes deep dives into NBA basketball and American football, as well as Andy Greenwald and Chris Ryan’s entertaining TV chat session The Watch.
TV: Who Is The Slender Man?
As well as series such as Thirteen and dopey comedy Cuckoo, the new online BBC3 has been dabbling in short-form content. So far it’s been a scattergun affair, featuring everything from an abridged Watchdog spin-off to this one-off on internet creation The Slender Man, who was cited as the reason for two American teens attempting to murder their friend in 2014. It traces the origins of the character, and the hold he has over certain quarters of the internet.
Audio: Green Room Radio
A tie-in with forthcoming hardcore-scene horror flick Green Room, this podcast promises to “cover the good, the bad, and the crazy moments of this subculture”. It’s hosted by Tony Rettman, author of the indispensable NYHC: New York Hardcore 1980-1990, and features an interview with veteran US punker Ted Leo in its opening episode.
Video: Gaycation
Now the owners of an actual TV station in the US – who said old media has had its day, eh? – Vice has started to ramp up its original video content. This series sees Juno actor Ellen Page and her friend Ian Daniel exploring LGBTQ lifestyles around the world. Frustratingly, later episodes are unavailable to UK viewers due to rights restrictions, but the opener, in which the pair explore Japan, which has a vibrant gay culture although gay marriage is illegal, is available for all.
