I do think the idea behind the character is an interesting one. I liked the movie with Thomas Jayne, it was fun, the others not so much. I have enjoyed the graphic novels, and the changes that were made to the character when he was introduced in another Netflix superhero show, while a little annoying, weren't unexpected. However, there were several things about this series that I didn't enjoy.
My first issue was the entire anti-military issue this show seemed to have. Several times it seemed to be against the military and the life the military members lead, making them all seem insane or stricken with crippling PTSD, and not all of them are like that. It also made the military members seem like they didn't have minds of their own and that they always follow orders, even if they know they are wrong, which is also not one hundred percent true. Every single military veteran had an issue, and it wasn't an easily treated issue. Even at the PTSD meetings they were all horribly scarred by their service. While this is true for some members, it isn't for others.
Then there is the fake Vietnam vet and the crazy vet who goes insane and kills a bunch of people, without cause, which isn't who he is. It was almost as if this show was strictly against the American milirary.
This show also seemed to be against everything else to be honest. It was against guns, even thought the character of the Punisher needed guns, the whole point was that he NEEDED them, and he couldn't do what needed to be done without getting HIS guns or having guns. So there was a strong anti-gun message.
And, while I really enjoy horror movies I thought there was too much violence in this movie, and too much unnecessary violence. I don't mind violence, I mean I did just finish watching all of the SAW movies for the second, third, or fourth time, but this violence was over the top, especially for a television show. The beating of Castle, the killing of the fake Vietnam vet, the beating of Curtis, they were all so very over the top. To get the point across they could have done what Quentin Tarintino did in RESEVOIR DOGS and the ear cutting scene, less is more. They could have left more to the imagination and shown less, it would have had the same effect as showing all of the violence.
After all of these comments, and thoughts I've had about this, I will say I didn't hate this show, I just thought it didn't stand up to what I feel THE PUNISHER stood for. I feel as if it didn't quite keep the integrity of the premise behind the character. I would have liked to see more character building, of all of the characters, and less anti-military sentiment, and less on the violence of the scenes.