While the future of ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ – which is currently in the midst of production on its sixth season – is as uncertain as ever, Marvel can nonetheless remain confident about their future at ABC. And yet, with ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ not returning until next summer, the 2018-2019 season marks the first time since the series’ debut that ABC will not have a Marvel show on its schedule.
But that probably won’t be the network’s new normal. Speaking to Deadline, ABC president Channing Dungey hinted that the network has at least one more Marvel series in the works. Of the prospective series, Dungey said, “In terms of Marvel, we have some things that we are in discussions with them right now that we are in development.” She added that she was “very excited about it.” That was all Dungey had to say on the subject, though even with Marvel’s characteristic secrecy, I would expect to hear more about this as pilot season (which typically runs through the first few months of the year) approaches.
Of course, while ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ is gearing up for its sixth season (and Dungey has previously made clear that she does not envision this season as the last), ABC has had markedly poorer luck with its other Marvel offerings. In addition to a handful of ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’ spinoffs that never got off the ground, the network has hosted both ‘Agent Carter‘ and ‘Inhumans.’ But while ‘Agent Carter’ quickly became a fan favorite and critical darling, it never quite established a foothold in the ratings. And the less said about ‘Inhumans’, the better. While not every Marvel project has been a home run, that show holds the dubious distinction of being the only out and out failure to emerge from Marvel’s decade-long shared universe experiment.
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