Ahead of the ABC Up Fronts press meeting when everyone was expecting the big news ABC has officially renewed Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The season 1 finale will air this Tuesday May 13th and Season 2 is expected to begin mid-September.
In addition ABC has given the go ahead to companion Marvel series Agent Carter based on the character of Agent Peggy Carter from the movies Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and the Agent Carter one-shot short film found on the Iron Man 3 Blu Ray release.
Response to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was certainly mixed early in the season with a lot of complaints coming from a small group of viewers, mostly because the show turned out to be different than what they wanted or because they misunderstood what the series would be about in the first place.
In stark contrast to these complaints, activity on social media reveals that the majority of viewers are actually thrilled with the series and it is interesting to note that even many of the vocal critics of the show continued to watch each week are now admitting the show is has become much better than they expected, particularly with the strong tie ins to the Marvel movies, including Captain America: The Winter Soldier which has helped solidify the show’s fan base.
Despite negative reviews from some genre websites the series has performed well in the ratings even after a significant drop from the first episode (which huge had ratings far exceeding anybody’s expectations). Against the most viewed drama on TV (NCIS) and the highest rated reality/competition show, (The Voice) Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could not have tougher competition and to still return good ratings week after week is evidence viewers are enjoying the series.
Back in January at the The Television Critics Association winter press tour ABC President Paul Lee told press that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will “be around for a very long time.”
Congratulations to the series cast and crew!
