Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is something of an anomaly within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. While the show maintains the lighter, more humourous tone seen in the films, it also manages to have several dark (sometimes violent) moments that puncutuate the levity, while never crossing into the territory of Marvel's Daredevil or Jessica Jones. According to Marvel TV Head Jeph Loeb, this is set to change when the show returns.
The show, which originally debuted at an 8 p.m. timeslot in its first season, will now be airing at 10 p.m. this fall. According to Loeb, this shift will allow for S.H.I.E.L.D. to explore some of the darker areas that are so readily afforded to shows like Daredevil. "By going to 10 o'clock, we're going to be taking on just a little bit more edge, a little bit more grit," Loeb told CBR in a video interview. "The show is pretty violent for something at 9 o'clock, but when we get to 10 o'clock, we're going to be just a little hair of something that I think people are going to really enjoy."
Marvel has found continued success in its television division, following up S.H.I.E.L.D. with programs like Agent Carter, and the aforementioned Netflix shows, which received massive critical acclaim in comparison to S.H.I.E.L.D. Despite this, Loeb maintains that Marvel's first television show remains his favorite to work on. "People ask me all the time, what's my favorite show of all the shows that we do," Loeb told CBR. "I really do have a very special place for S.H.I.E.L.D. Without S.H.I.E.L.D., nothing else happens. We had to prove to the world that Marvel Television could make a television series, and that we could compete in this incredibly competitive atmosphere. Yes, we had an incredible gift that Clark Gregg came from features and reprised his role as Phil Coulson. but all those brand-new characters, all those people that [executive producers] Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen and Jeff Bell work with every single time, the fans out there who so embraced our entire cast -- all that makes a huge difference."
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About The Author:
Matt is a graduate of the Ryerson University School of Journalism, and has been a fan of superheroes since he picked up his first comic book issue as a child. While he works as a professional musician, Matt has a massive passion for comic books, films and heroes, along with participating in discussion and debate with the CBM community.