Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Assemble in Front of Your TVs

From the latest TV comedies, we now turn to the latest TV dramas. I must confess, I don't watch much network drama, but of course, Joss Whedon is no network stooge. So I sat down with his latest TV offering, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and reveled in the return of Whedon to the small screen.

Superheroes have taken over film, but enjoy mostly sporadic success on TV. So it makes sense that the man responsible for The Avengers, aka the highest-grossing superhero film of all time, should be tasked with furthering Marvel's quest for world dominance on television. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. takes place after the events of The Avengers, with the miraculous survival of Agent Coulson, who (spoiler alert!) died in the movie but is back to work on the show. The means of his survival is shrouded in mystery, and seems to involve some kind of intrigue in Tahiti. Clark Gregg is reliably fantastic as Coulson, who is gathering together a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to investigate various crises involving alien technology, supervillains, and everything in between.

To be perfectly honest, I thought I would stop watching after the second episode. The show seemed a bit too action-focused and formulaic, not Whedonesque enough. However, I stuck with it, and it's winning me back. The allusions to the films in the Marvel franchise are great if you remember anything that happens in those films (sadly I don't) but the show is developing its own identity and ensuring that the Marvel stuff doesn't completely take over. And the motley crew that make up the S.H.I.E.L.D. team are becoming snider, funnier, and cooler by the episode. The corny dialogue in the first few episodes is gradually giving way to snappier chatter, and I'm starting to feel much more invested in these characters and their bizarre missions.

ABC has clearly thrown a lot of money at Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. because each episode offers a blast of cinematic entertainment that makes you feel like it's summer blockbuster season all over again. So if you're looking for something fun and action-packed to enliven your week, this might be your new favorite fall show.