this is interesting





Disney Saved Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. From Being Cancelled


A new report claims Disney mandated ABC renew Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for season 5,
despite the network wanting to cancel it after season 4. When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
debuted in 2013 on ABC, it was the first television offshoot from the massively successful
Marvel Cinematic Universe. The series’ home network made sense
since Marvel Studios, Marvel TV, and ABC all operate under the umbrella of Disney.
Following S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) – who was resurrected after
being killed by Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in The Avengers – the ABC series has evolved
a great deal over four seasons, and many fans believe it to be for the better.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 introduced fan favorite comic book character Ghost Rider
(Gabriel Luna) to the MCU, introduced the technology of Life Model Decoys, and explored
an alternate reality called the Framework in which Hydra defeated S.H.I.E.L.D. While
season 4 was well received by critics and fans alike, ratings still declined. As season 4
drew to a close, many wondered if Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. would renewed. Although
ABC did order Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 5, it’s release has been delayed to make
way for the network’s other Marvel series, Inhumans, and the show has been moved
to a Friday night slot. Both moves seemingly hint at a lack of faith in the series on ABC’s
part and a new report offers further insight into how close Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. came to being cancelled.

In an in-depth report on ABC’s fall TV season from Variety, the trade reveals “the mandate
came down from Disney for ABC to renew [Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.] despite the desire by
some at the network to end the series after four seasons.” Variety doesn’t go into further
detail or reveal why exactly Disney wanted Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to continue.

Disney’s reasons for mandating ABC renew Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. are unknown, but
fans may take it as the company having faith in the showrunners of the series and the
viewers’ interest in the continued stories of Phil Coulson and his team. Certainly, Agents
of S.H.I.E.L.D. also goes a long way in connecting disparate aspects of the MCU by doing
much of the heavy lifting when it comes to Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb’s “It’s all connected”
mantra. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. also works as a launchpad for Marvel TV properties,
since the mythology of the Inhumans were introduced in season 2 before the
standalone series was announced – plus there have been rumors of Ghost Rider receiving a spinoff.

Of course, it’s also possible Disney aimed to avoid another situation like the fan outcry
in the wake of ABC cancelling Agent Carter after two seasons. In addition to the fans,
the show’s stars, producers, and Loeb himself have voiced interest in returning to
the series if they can find a home for it. Loeb even blamed ABC for Agent Carter being
cancelled. Now, Agent Carter still talked about as a show many fans hope to see revived
. Were Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cancelled, fans would no doubt launch campaigns to keep the series going somehow.

All that being said, the Variety report hasn’t been confirmed by Disney or ABC – and
it likely won’t be – so it’s unclear how much merit it has. Still, considering how successful
the MCU has become in the last decade, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that
Disney would have a vested interest in all aspects of the sprawling cinematic world.
What this report means for a potential Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 remains to
be seen, but fans at least have season 5 to look forward to once it debuts
on ABC later this year.

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