Things are not looking good for Inhumans. The first review tore the show to pieces and fans have not responded well to the trailers and images which have found their way online. As a result, it appears as if the series will be a high profile and big budget flop for Marvel, ABC, and IMAX but executive producer Jeph Loeb has urged fans and critics alike - via Deadline - to be patient because...it's not finished?
That's right, talking at the show's TCA panel last night, Loeb claimed that Inhumans is still a work in progress despite the fact that it hits IMAX screens in three weeks and that what we've seen from the first couple of episodes would almost certainly be done at such a late stage in its production.
Addressing Inhumans' IMAX opening, he said that it's "simply extraordinary and should be seen on that screen" before adding: "I can tell you that the show you have seen is not the finished product, so if you’re asking me whether it’s done, it’s not." That was in response to a critic saying that the show doesn't actually appear to be making good use of those IMAX cameras and when another pointed out a muddled subplot with Karnak, Loeb once again attempted to defend the upcoming series.
"What you’ve seen so far is something that’s unfinished," he repeated. "Once you’ve seen the whole finished product you actually do [understand]." As excuses go, that's really far from the best one!
However, the EP wasn't the only one forced to go on the defensive. Star Serinda Swan was quizzed on Medusa's terrible looking wig and the appalling CGI effects which have made headlines since the release of that second trailer and said: "It’s never been done before so there are going to be issues. There are going to be trial and tribulations. I think there was software that actually had to be built with it. If we only did things that were perfect we would never start and so it’s a phenomenal start."
The problem is that IMAX has spent a lot of money on Inhumans and will not be happy with a less than perfect show premiering on their screens. A bad start is unlikely to help ratings too and while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has survived, a show like this simply won't be able to if people choose not to tune in.