Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

They have the first promo out, now.

I know its not much to go on, but this show could turn out to be really good. It makes sense to make this series a prequel to the events of The Avengers, so as not to alienate a potential TV audience who haven't seen all of the Marvel movies, while also not alienating the people who only watch the Marvel movies by adding in plot points that would have to be heavily referenced in future films. Its also going to be great to get to know more about Phil Coulson as a character, being that he made such a memorable impression for a guy who got very little screen-time throughout a few of the movies leading up to The Avengers, as well as in The Avengers, itself.

I figure that actors like Samuel L. Jackson and the other characters of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the Marvel Movie Universe are too high-profile and expensive to make regular appearances on a televised TV series like this, but it'd be cool if they could make some guest appearances in an episode or 2, or even just a cameo appearance to acknowledge this show's tie to the rest of its respective Universe.

[Silverstar]

I want to like this show, I really do, but I just can't get psyched about this for some reason. Based on the footage I've seen, the production values seem pretty high, which is good given that it's on regular broadcast TV, but for all the bells and whistles this just looks like another generic special forces/police show, only set in the Marvel Universe. The producers have practically painted themselves into a corner by having this show come in the wake of The Avengers knowing full well that they won't be able to get any of the movie's actors to appear in it, and most of the cool Marvel super heroes who could appear on it are going to be blocked by ownership and licensing restrictions; they'll probably just end up going after a bunch of generic monsters and aliens with passing references to Marvel characters who don't appear on screen or lame knockoffs/imitations thereof. Not to mention bringing Phil Coulson back alive and well to run the show, while it will definitely please the fans and happily gets actor Clark Gregg back on the payroll, it basically renders Coulson's noble sacrifice in the movie pointless (unless this series is going to be a prequel to the movie), but I've gotten used to that since in the comic book world, death is about as scary as a Hawaiian vacation and is just as permanent.

I guess it's just that I've never given a crud about S.H.I.E.L.D. beyond their association with the capes, and if the super heroes won't appearing on this show, there's nothing for me to get excited about. It would be like giving all of those workers in the blue uniforms on the Watchtower on Justice League Unlimited their own show.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Actually, if you watch the promo, I'm pretty sure that it heavily implies that this series is a prequel to the events of The Avengers. So, that's why I wasn't surprised to see Phil Coulson alive and well in this show. Of course that does mean that we would all know that he's inevitably going to die in The Avengers, it still doesn't bother me as long as the character is portrayed well, here.

[Silverstar]

Just watched the promo again, and sure enough, this series is a prequel.

I just hope this doesn't mean that the writers are going to pull a Star Wars: The Clone Wars type of deal and start creating a bunch of made-up characters and events like creating never-before-seen-nor-heard-of fanfic relatives of established Marvel characters and massive story arcs that couldn't have possibly have went down before the events of the movie.

Either that or it could end up like Smallville and become another "team battles metahuman freak of the week" type of thing. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Here is a full on trailer.

So now its....NOT a prequel?

Honestly, I'm kind of confused about this since the promo implied that this took place before The Avengers, but this trailer clearly references that the events of The Avengers have already happened, so that means that they basically just resurrected Agent Coulson, which really cheapens his "death scene" from The Avengers, IMO. At any rate, I still plan to check this series out when it rolls around this Fall. It may not be as interesting as the actual movies in its Universe, but I don't think I would make for a bad show, either, so I'm definitely interested in this.

[Avaitor]

The timeline on this one is... weird.

Apparently the plan for the show was for it to take place after Avengers, and to bring Coulson back to life. For a brief period, it seemed as if Joss and the crew realized that this would be in poor taste, and decided to make it a prequel instead. And now it seems like they have zero fucks and they're sticking with bringing him back to life.

There's speculation that a revived Coulson will eventually turn into the Vision. That's not a bad idea, honestly.

[Foggle]

The timeline on this one is... weird.

Apparently the plan for the show was for it to take place after Avengers, and to bring Coulson back to life. For a brief period, it seemed as if Joss and the crew realized that this would be in poor taste, and decided to make it a prequel instead. And now it seems like they have zero fucks and they're sticking with bringing him back to life.

So it's a Marvel comic, basically.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I don't see this turning out well.

[Avaitor]

The premiere is this Tuesday. My local theater is going to show it in one of their big screens, and I'm probably going to check that out, even if I end up alone.

Also, this may not be the only MCU show. I hope this one at least turns out well though.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The first episode premiere's tomorrow night. So, who else is going to watch it? I honestly don't have high expectations for this show, but I think that it's at least worth a shot.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I can't check it out live, but I'll watch it on Hulu the next day if they put it up. I don't know what to expect, but I'm hopeful that it'll be a fun show to watch.

[Avaitor]

Turns out they're showing the entire season at the theater as it goes along each week. I'll try to go to the first couple, unless the show really does turn out to suck.

Reviews for the pilot have been solid, but there's been rumors that Joss had to personally rewrite a lot of episodes as their earlier drafts just came out that poorly. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it doesn't bode well for the series.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I saw the pilot episode....it was just OK. I'll certainly give the next few episodes of this show a chance, but I think its biggest limitation and problem is that it seems to be heavily reliant on continuity from the Marvel Movie Universe, so anyone who hasn't seen all of the films can easily get lost in the mix of things. In the first episode alone we get references to all of The Avengers, and Extremis actually serves as a plot point here, but they don't do anything to explain what it is, so if you haven't seen Iron Man 3 yet, then you're pretty much boned.

That said, the show has some bright spots. The production values are amazing for a TV show, and Agent Coulson is just as likable of a character as ever. If this show has any chance of succeeding, I have a feeling that it will lie in the strength of its characters.

[Avaitor]

I think that was kind of intentional for the pilot, to get fans interested in the show and to give them a reference point. If they focus more on the characters and less on the going-ons of what happens in the movies, they'll make a good call, but I'd get a little annoyed if they become over-reliant.

I liked the pilot myself. It wasn't revelatory, but I don't have a problem with any of the characters yet, and there's a decent enough set-up for a show here. I'll definitely be going to the next few theatrical showings.

[Silverstar]

I saw the pilot episode....it was just OK. I'll certainly give the next few episodes of this show a chance, but I think its biggest limitation and problem is that it seems to be heavily reliant on continuity from the Marvel Movie Universe

Yeah, the writers definitely need to dial back the constant references to characters and events in the movies, especially since we know that none of the movie characters are going to appear on the show. We know that gradually a portion of viewers are going to stop watching once they realize that none of the Avengers are going to be showing up, so it's better that they don't keep dropping references to the far more interesting and colorful costumed heroes who we're never gonna get to see on this show. But like Aviator said it was most likely just to give the show a reference point and to ensure that the opener got a lot of curious viewers.

The premiere was OK, nothing mind-blowing, but I wasn't expecting mind-blowing on broadcast television. The production values are surprisingly high, it remains to be seen what sort of things they'll be able to accomplish on network TV with a network budget. None of the characters really left a lasting impression on me yet, though Clark Gregg is clearly having a ball as Coulson. I may give this one a few more weeks to see how it pans out.