Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The RATINGS Thread - Part 2

[NotNickFury]

I didn't realize their live + 3 ratings grew so much. I think they'll get another season for sure now.

Conviction looks like it's toast though. Good, bring back Agent Carter.

Those ratings weren't any better, really. They only got progressively worse as the season went on, so not like Agent Carter returning would be any game changer for ABC- it'd just be for those who want to see Atwell in the role again, even in a show that's a ratings disaster.

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

Those ratings weren't any better, really. They only got progressively worse as the season went on, so not like Agent Carter returning would be any game changer for ABC- it'd just be for those who want to see Atwell in the role again, even in a show that's a ratings disaster.

Just give Season 3 a good plot, like Season 1 and not an underdeveloped one like Season 2 and the ratings should be fine

 

[NotNickFury]

Heck, Season 1, good as it was, didn't even have stellar ratings. The fact that Agent Carter even GOT a second season was nice, but surprising since it barely passed muster. Adding to that, given how Season 2 ended on a ratings low for the show, there's no reason for it to be renewed when there's no huge audience for it as far as ABC is concerned.

How SHIELD remains on the air is beyond me when it's not exactly a ratings giant, even with the addition of Ghost Rider.

 

[Zarex]

How SHIELD remains on the air is beyond me when it's not exactly a ratings giant, even with the addition of Ghost Rider.

Again, what's more important than actual ratings is relative ratings. If you look at AOS in comparison to other ABC shows, and to what the network had in the Tuesday 10 pm slot last year, it's not that surprising.

And while I think Ghost Rider has been a great addition, it's no shock that he didn't lead to an increase in viewers. Two underwhelming Nick Cage films didn't propel him onto the A List.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Heck, Season 1, good as it was, didn't even have stellar ratings. The fact that Agent Carter even GOT a second season was nice, but surprising since it barely passed muster. Adding to that, given how Season 2 ended on a ratings low for the show, there's no reason for it to be renewed when there's no huge audience for it as far as ABC is concerned.

How SHIELD remains on the air is beyond me when it's not exactly a ratings giant, even with the addition of Ghost Rider.

As soon as the decision was made to renew it for Season 3, it guaranteed a full Season 4 for syndication reasons no matter how bad the ratings end up getting.

 

[Mike Murdock]

They used to want 100 episodes. I guess that's no longer a thing. A 12 episode mini-series to build up to Infinity War would still be great. Have the show start in February (the week of Black Panther's release if there's no breaks, maybe a bit before if there are). It could go straight through until the Tuesday before Infinity War is released.

I know I'm pushing my luck, but, alternatively, start it a few weeks later and have the finale actually set in the events of Infinity War (provided there are Earth-based scenes).

 

[Zarex]

I may be pressing my luck as well, but I could see there actually being some real tie ins between the movie verse and AOS with a shortened final season. Feige and company didn't appear to be all that interested in keeping continuity with a "real time" MCU TV show, but with just 9 hours remaining the show could serve as a prequel comic and potentially be as exciting as the HYDRA reveal back in 2014.

 

[NotNickFury]

The HYDRA reveal where no one high up at Marvel Studios cared or noticed what what Agents of SHIELD was doing and the show itself had to scrap and retool its first season just because of what Winter Soldier did since it feeds off of the movies?

 

[Zarex]

The HYDRA reveal where no one high up at Marvel Studios cared or noticed what what Agents of SHIELD was doing and the show itself had to scrap and retool its first season just because of what Winter Soldier did since it feeds off of the movies?

Yes, I'm talking about the HYDRA reveal that turned a group of well financed government operatives into a rag tag, woefully outgunned unit. That same reveal that turned Grant Ward into a fascinating character and had Bill Frickin' Paxton chewing up the small screen. It also had Sitwell, Hill and Fury seamlessly moving back and forth between the big and small screen.

Scrapping and retooling the first season was a blessing to AOS. In case you don't remember, the initial two thirds of the premiere season was awful.

 

[Silvermoon]

The HYDRA reveal where no one high up at Marvel Studios cared or noticed what what Agents of SHIELD was doing and the show itself had to scrap and retool its first season just because of what Winter Soldier did since it feeds off of the movies?

Where's the indication that AOS had to 'scrap and retool' it's first season? Everything I've read on the subject indicates that the showrunners knew from the time that they were hired for the job what would be happening to SHIELD in spring of 2014. They've been open about saying that they receive the scripts for the movies early on so that they can plan any necessary elements around them, and that they went into the writing for season 1 knowing where they would have to take it by the end of the season.

And I'm pretty sure Marvel knew what they were going to do to SHIELD well before they had plans for a tv show. Since the movie would have started getting planned before the idea of a show had been conceived.

Let's look at the timeline. If I remember correctly, (according to Marcus & McFeely) CA:TWS started getting written in mid 2011 (which fits with the Avengers filming and Feige's indication that he told Evans during the last days of that filming some of the things they had planned for Cap and for SHIELD)

ABC didn't even order a pilot for SHIELD until a year later in August 2012 and it wouldn't get picked up officially for series until April/May 2013 (which is when CA:TWS started filming). The announcement that a full 22 episode season had been ordered wouldn't happen until October 2013.

Unless you have links to quotes or articles from the showrunners stating such, I don't think AOS had to scrap/retool anything due to the HYDRA reveal.

 

[psylockolussus]

Just give Season 3 a good plot, like Season 1 and not an underdeveloped one like Season 2 and the ratings should be fine

It is easy to say, but ABC is not a cable show. I don't see why they would want to resurrect a show with such low ratings instead of just moving on to a new show.

 

[NotNickFury]

Where's the indication that AOS had to 'scrap and retool' it's first season? Everything I've read on the subject indicates that the showrunners knew from the time that they were hired for the job what would be happening to SHIELD in spring of 2014. They've been open about saying that they receive the scripts for the movies early on so that they can plan any necessary elements around them, and that they went into the writing for season 1 knowing where they would have to take it by the end of the season.

And I'm pretty sure Marvel knew what they were going to do to SHIELD well before they had plans for a tv show. Since the movie would have started getting planned before the idea of a show had been conceived.

Let's look at the timeline. If I remember correctly, (according to Marcus & McFeely) CA:TWS started getting written in mid 2011 (which fits with the Avengers filming and Feige's indication that he told Evans during the last days of that filming some of the things they had planned for Cap and for SHIELD)

Unless you have links to quotes or articles from the showrunners stating such, I don't think AOS had to scrap/retool anything due to the HYDRA reveal.

Please. The folks behind SHIELD are the only ones saying the whole 'It's all connected' stuff in regards to the greater MCU, when it isn't. For them to say that this was part of the plan all along feels like trying to say they had to retool some things.

"Hopefully people who've had mixed feelings about the show will now understand it was all part of a big plan," Tancharoen says.

Or even...

The main cast was left mostly speechless after they learned of the series' turn following the movie — "The girls were a bit shocked, but Iain was like, 'Yeah, that's really cool,' " Tancharoen says — yet Gregg believes everybody's been energized by the influx of treason, drama and continued surprises leading to the season finale.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2014/04/06/captain-america-agents-of-shield-tv-series/7313369/?linkId=7899022

I mean, if the showrunners, writers, cast and such already knew of what was going to happen, there'd be no need for shock or surprise on their part. I don't expect foresight from the people behind SHIELD.

And hey, if they do, as you said, receive scripts from movies early on, there'd be no need for them to pretend that the events of their show play into the greater MCU narrative, because they don't. Again, if the writers of Civil War, for example, have admitted that they don't keep up with SHIELD or know about the Inhumans stuff, given how much of an impact Civil War has on the heroes, I don't see why anyone else involved with the films would.

 

[Silvermoon]

Please. The folks behind SHIELD are the only ones saying the whole 'It's all connected' stuff in regards to the greater MCU, when it isn't. For them to say that this was part of the plan all along feels like trying to say they had to retool some things.



Or even...



http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2014/04/06/captain-america-agents-of-shield-tv-series/7313369/?linkId=7899022

I mean, if the showrunners, writers, cast and such already knew of what was going to happen, there'd be no need for shock or surprise on their part. I don't expect foresight from the people behind SHIELD.

And hey, if they do, as you said, receive scripts from movies early on, there'd be no need for them to pretend that the events of their show play into the greater MCU narrative, because they don't. Again, if the writers of Civil War, for example, have admitted that they don't keep up with SHIELD or know about the Inhumans stuff, given how much of an impact Civil War has on the heroes, I don't see why anyone else involved with the films would.

Your second quote indicates it was the main cast that was surprised. It doesn't say that the showrunners were surprised or the writers. It says "main cast". That doesn't contradict what I said because no where did I say that the cast themselves also knew of film plans. I said the showrunners and the writers. It's not unusual for casts on tv shows to not know where a season is headed until they read the scripts of the upcoming episodes, and considering that on tv shows scripts for later in the season are still being written even after the show has started to air....

Edit: and in regards to your example about Civil War, look at the production times (this is, IMO, the biggest reason why it's difficult for the films to work in tv show plotlines). Civil War started getting written (again, according to Marcus & McFeely) before The Winter Soldier even hit theaters. So Agents of SHIELD was still working on finishing writing their first season alone. By the time the end of season 2 of AOS aired, Civil War had already begun filming (meaning the script was probably pretty much locked a few months prior... possibly before the scripts for those final episodes of AOS were written).

This is why it's easier for the tv shows to be reactionary to the movies instead of vice versa, with their quick/short turn around time it's easier for them to work in the storylines of the films (that have been getting written up to a couple years in advance) than it is for the films to try to work in plotlines of a show who's relevant episodes haven't even been written yet.

 

[scarlet-witch]

Agent Carter would've did better if it wasn't airing during the Winter, IMO. Most shows go on break around the time that it was on. Give it a Fall, Spring, or Summer debut and a shorter season than AoS and it could be fine.

 

[OB12]

I may be pressing my luck as well, but I could see there actually being some real tie ins between the movie verse and AOS with a shortened final season. Feige and company didn't appear to be all that interested in keeping continuity with a "real time" MCU TV show, but with just 9 hours remaining the show could serve as a prequel comic and potentially be as exciting as the HYDRA reveal back in 2014.

I think this would be the best course of action, a short season that is completely concerned with IW. This would be the way to fit nearly the entire MCU into IW. Assuming there is an Earth-bound component to IW, they should have a place for all of these characters. I'd love to see them bring out all of the stops and have guest appearances by Fury, Hill, Agent 13 and bring back Mockingbird and Deathlok and maybe even use the Defenders.

 

[Marvel]

The cast being so vocal about their moronic political beliefs aren't doing anyone any favors.

Do these good-hearted but rather dim liberal actors even consider that half of America pays to see and tunes in to the things they make? Why alienate half your possible clientele? Why does Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and even Ming Tweet anti-Trump stuff and thus anti-America stuff?

I know ABC is one incestuous liberal family but someone in the PR department should insist on shutting these fools up. It's not smart and it's bad for business.

 

[Uskok]

The cast being so vocal about their moronic political beliefs aren't doing anyone any favors.

Do these good-hearted but rather dim liberal actors even consider that half of America pays to see and tunes in to the things they make? Why alienate half your possible clientele? Why does Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and even Ming Tweet anti-Trump stuff and thus anti-America stuff?

I know ABC is one incestuous liberal family but someone in the PR department should insist on shutting these fools up. It's not smart and it's bad for business.

Because they live in the land of the free, not in Nazi Germany or the Soviet Union. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects the right to freedom of expression.

 

[R_Hythlodeus]

Because they live in the land of the free, not in Nazi Germany.

Yesterday was a big (sorry, a 'yuuuge') step in that direction, though

 

[Zarex]

The cast being so vocal about their moronic political beliefs aren't doing anyone any favors.

Do these good-hearted but rather dim liberal actors even consider that half of America pays to see and tunes in to the things they make? Why alienate half your possible clientele? Why does Clark Gregg, Chloe Bennet and even Ming Tweet anti-Trump stuff and thus anti-America stuff?

I know ABC is one incestuous liberal family but someone in the PR department should insist on shutting these fools up. It's not smart and it's bad for business.

In which area of the multi-verse does anti-Trump "stuff" equate to anti-American? For now at least, people have the right to criticize our elected officials.

And if you want to enjoy entertainment featuring Trump supporters, you can always purchase "Charles in Charge" on DVD.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

In which area of the multi-verse does anti-Trump "stuff" equate to anti-American? For now at least, people have the right to criticize our elected officials.

And if you want to enjoy entertainment featuring Trump supporters, you can always purchase "Charles in Charge" on DVD.

lmao!

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Marvel also freaked out when Cap destroyed Hydra. It was so alienating.

 

[scarlet-witch]

How could there not have been some retooling? AOS felt like a completely different show after the Hydra reveal. All the episodes before that were not pretty.

 

[psylockolussus]

Now that the Inhumans has been picked up for fall 2017, I hope the folks at ABC are pulling the plug on Aos after the season is over. ABC studios is also responsible for the Netflix shows but I hope, for a show that it will air on the alphabet network, they should put all their focus on the Inhumans, instead of trying to put effort in an already low rated show.

 

[Zarex]

Inhumans is going to be only 8 episodes, so I wouldn't be surprised if AOS comes back for 12 episodes in order to get to 100.

 

[psylockolussus]

ABC could have done that to Nashville (though it was later picked up by CMT) which is a less expensive show and renew it for a short fifth season but still canceled it. Ratings wise, I feel like Aos have overstayed it's welcome. If it was not for ABC's weak drama line-up for the last four years, its state right now would have been more alarming.