Anthony Stokes on why Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t deserve a second season…
Sometimes the geek community will get behind something and defend it to the death, while others are left scratching their heads wondering why. There are a number of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fans – or as I like to call them ” apologists” – out there who defend the show to the hilt, and are appalled at people who don’t share their view. I’ve already written a response to them here, but with ratings dropping to an all time low, the subject of a potential cancellation is now on everyone’s minds. And this is just my opinion, but ABC should go ahead and do just that.
First and foremost, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. suffers from a lack of quality. The show has been progressively getting better, but that still doesn’t mean it’s even close to good. The characters are all boring, the jokes are cringeworthy, the pacing is slow, and the show feels like it’s been in a time capsule for 20 years. Maybe two decades ago Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. might have been riveting television but at this point in time it’s just dull. And with so many other great television shows out there, watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. feels more like a chore than entertainment.
The show works on reveals. Every episode has a big twist. And more times than not you can tell what’s going to happen based purely on that knowledge. It’s the same problem with M. Night Shyamalan movies. If your audience goes in expecting a twist, they pick up on clues and figure it out. But even if you guess a reveal in advance, if it’s good enough it can still be interesting. However, all of the reveals on this show have been extremely boring and unsatisfying, even the much-hyped explanation as to Agent Coulson’s return from the dead.
There are far more interesting members of S.H.I.E.L.D. that the show could focus on, based purely upon the One-Shots and the small cameos from Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The couple from Item 47 would’ve been cool to develop. Even the guy who played Galaga on the Helicarrier in The Avengers is more interesting than any of the characters we’ve seen introduced in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Marvel is clearly rolling out some bigger and better shows on Netflix, based upon characters fans actually want to see… and Jessica Jones. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has really been the only blip in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the studio really needs to reassess whether this show is even worth keeping on the air, as ratings would suggest that even the die-hard, non-discriminating Marvel fans are getting tired of it.
Originally published April 9, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
