By Published Apr 11, 2026, 6:45 PM EDT Sean is a senior writer for ScreenRant and has been writing about new TV releases since December 2026. He has received multiple advance screenings of popular shows and ideated his own coverage read by hundreds of thousands of readers.
Sean is a self-published author of a Western novel. Sean has also written award-winning opinion pieces related to local politics while getting his Bachelor's degree in journalism. Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
A three-part Disney+ crime thriller started off on a different streaming service, but it's still one of the streamer's best shows. Some of the come from a wide variety of genres thanks to Disney's huge catalog. From superhero shows including some of the best MCU shows to science fiction series like Star Wars, The X-Files, and Alien: Earth, Disney+ has a lot to offer subscribers.
One of Disney+'s absolute best shows is a crime thriller that originally started out as a Netflix original series. The series earned an average score of 80% across its three seasons, and it scored even higher with viewers. Fans of the show enjoyed it so much that they actually advocated for the main character of Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, to appear in a sequel series this year.
Jessica Jones Has Everything You Could Want Out Of An Action Thriller
Though Jessica Jones is a superhero series that takes place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's also a great crime thriller. introduces a new and compelling mystery for Jessica to solve, as she works as a private investigator. Jessica Jones also has a darker and more mature tone than the MCU shows are typically known for, which helps give it even more credence as a crime thriller.
As part of that darker tone, Jessica Jones also has some of the best villains in the MCU. David Tennant's Kilgrave is a masterclass in a psychologically manipulative and sociopathic antagonist, and he's endlessly entertaining to watch. Jessica Jones feels like a crime thriller, but it also uses its larger-than-life superhero elements to its benefit in almost every way, such as by having Jessica's enemies have powers that perfectly complement and counter hers.
The real star of Jessica Jones, however, is its writing. The series is filled with complex, morally gray, and very realistic characters. Jessica herself feels like a Russian doll that's constantly revealing new layers, while the enemies she goes up against have really interesting motivations. Jessica's friends also have their own stellar writing, and every single character in Jessica Jones feels like a full-fleshed-out and realized person.
That web of complex characters also lets Jessica Jones have one of the twistiest and most surprising plots of Disney+'s crime thrillers. You never know what's going to happen next in Jessica Jones or how the series is going to surprise you again. Every episode is a roller coaster that takes you from suspense to tragedy to heartfelt emotion, and the action scenes keep it all engaging the entire time.
Jessica Jones Helped Pioneer Marvel's Best New Action Thriller
Jessica Jones wasn't just good in its own right, it was also so good that it made the entire MCU better. Jessica Jones was one of Netflix's best Marvel shows back in the late 2010s, with Daredevil being the other prime example. Jessica Jones and Daredevil worked in tandem to fill out the underworld of New York and make the entire city feel like a living, breathing system. They were the highlights of the entire Defenders era of Marvel shows.
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Jessica Jones is actually so good that's it's still making the MCU better. Both it and Daredevil pioneered a darker, more gritty, violent, and mature tone for the franchise. Now, 11 years after Jessica Jones premiered, that darker tone has lived on in Daredevil: Born Again. Krysten Ritter is even poised to make her return to the role of Jessica in an upcoming episode of Born Again season 2.
It's hard to imagine that a show like Daredevil: Born Again, which restarted Matt Murdock's story seven years after the original show ended, would have ever happened without Jessica Jones. As previously mentioned, Ritter's show helped shape the landscape of New York, it helped establish Daredevil's tone as more than a one-off thing, and it helped make Netflix's entire time creating Marvel shows more memorable and beloved. Without Jessica Jones, who knows if Daredevil would have been as popular as it was.
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StreamingWriters Melissa Rosenberg Franchise(s) Jessica Jones Expand Collapse
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