Best TV Trailers From Comic-Con

What was once just an annual convention for strictly comics has, over the years, evolved into one of the biggest pop-culture events of the year, with some (mostly me) referring to it as "Nerd Christmas." A lot of trailers premiered at 2017's San Diego Comic-Con, and these were my top five favorite.

5 - Marvel's The Defenders

What Marvel's accomplished with their MCU on the big screen, they've been able to do quite well over on the small screen with the Netflix-Verse. The shows are darker than their cinematic counterparts, but that allows them to explore some of the darker aspects of being a hero. If you still need to catch up before The Defenders premieres on August 18th, the best bet is to watch it in order, which is Daredevil Season 1, Jessica Jones, Daredevil Season 2, Luke Cage and Iron Fist (Iron Fist being the weakest of the shows). We also received updates on Punisher (hitting Netflix later this year), Daredevil season 3, and second seasons for Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist.

4 - Star Trek: Discovery

I'm approaching new Star Trek with cautious optimism. I'm not 100% on board with setting it pre-Kirk, because it MAY back them into a wall with what they can do. But maybe they'll pull it off. I just think that with a property as future-focused as Trek, they should go further in the future with it, rather than regressive into the past, so to speak. But they've assembled an impressive cast, and an even more impressive writer's room filled with Trek-veterans. But really, Trek is back on TV where it belongs, so I'm happy. Star Trek: Discovery premieres on CBS on September 24th, then new episodes will debut on CBS All Access, their streaming platform (which is a big part of the "cautious" part in "cautious optimism").

3 - The Walking Dead

Sometimes I do feel like the lone holdout on not giving up on The Walking Dead, but I think it's still great, and this trailer looks amazing. Series creator and source comic book author Robert Kirkman confirmed that he has an end in mind for the comics, but that has no bearing on the current state of the TV show. However, this does look like this season is doing what Game of Thrones is currently doing: moving the pieces into play to end the show. Like it's working toward an endgame, even it's still mostly undefined. Season 8 premieres on AMC on October 22nd.

2 - Westworld

Westworld was one of the most compelling and brilliantly orchestrated new shows of 2016, with the cliffhangeriest of cliffhangers. This trailer for season does not in anyway disappoint. It teases the larger scope of the park, and more things to come. I can't wait for the new season. Unfortunately we have to wait until next year for the next season.

1 - Stranger Things

Of all the trailers, this is the best one. The. Best. One. Movies, video games, TV shows, this is the best thing to come out of San Diego Comic Con. It shows they've attempted a return to normalcy, and that the stakes have been seriously raised. Make sure you get caught up on season one before the October 27th premiere of season 2 on Netflix.

Honorable Mentions

In the absence of enough footage for full trailers (they JUST started filming like 2 weeks ago), the CW's Arrowverse offered up "sizzle reels," recapping last season, with glimpses at the next season of Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, and DC's Legends of Tomorrow. All shows premiere the second week of October

History Channel's Vikings is about to start its first Ragnar-less season, but they aren't letting that stop them. Vikings premieres on November 29th.