Into the Badlands 

In this current climate of book and comic book adaptations, we're getting used to seeing well-loved characters and stories being brought to life (with admittedly varying results) on the big and small screens. While this is all fine and good, it's a little sad to think that there's been very little in the way of completely original movies or TV shows in recent times.

Thankfully, shows like 'Enter the Badlands' come along every now and then to remind us that there are still some wildly creative and ambitious folks out there in the industry that are intent on unleashing their creations on an unsuspecting public. And it would appear that 'Enter the Badlands' came completely out of the blue as, despite being on many geek TV/comic/gaming forums and groups, I'd not heard a single thing about the show until one of my colleagues at work started raving about it and how amazing it was.

After watching the opening scene on the first episode, I had to pick up my jaw from the floor. Not only was this one of the prettiest, most visually arresting shows I'd ever seen, it was clearly going to be incredibly entertaining. It opens, you see, with one of the finest fight scenes I've ever seen on a TV show - if you think along the lines of the sublime sword-based fight scenes in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon', that should give you some idea of what the opening brawl of 'Enter the Badlands' is like, but with some eye- watering, bone-crunching and bloody slaughtering of bad guys added into the mix.

But this show isn't all about the fighting. Well, OK, it is really but thankfully it's backed up with an intriguing plot and some excellent acting performances. It's difficult to wade into the story without giving too much away, but the show appears to be set in a post-apocalyptic world (I think?) and in an indeterminate part of the world that is ruled over by five 'barons' who are in a power struggle over the regional resources. That's about all I want to give away in terms of plot!

I've only watched the first three episodes so far, but I'm absolutely convinced that this is definitely one of the best new TV shows I've seen since... Well, Marvel's Daredevil, to be honest! But at least that in itself should speak volumes about the quality of this show.

I can't wait to see more!!