We are nearly a week into this new year, and for many of us that means one thing…
Our shows are back!
Congratulations, you made it through a month (maybe two) of repeat programming, holiday specials, and finally watching a few of those movies and shows you added to your Netflix queue two years ago.
While I don’t want to belittle the joy of returning favorites, there is something even better than that, and that’s the arrival of entirely new shows. This new year has many exciting new offerings, and my early favorite is Marvel’s “Agent Carter” on ABC.
This show is wonderful for many reasons, and I’m going to list them all (or most of them…I’m sure I’ll think of more later) right now:
- It’s got a kick-ass female lead: From the moment she first appeared onscreen in “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) was a wonderful breath of strong, feminine, fresh air. Giving Agent Carter her own story was a dream come true, especially to the many female comic fans who have waited a long time for a lady-led story. We’re only two hours into this eight-part series, and you get the feeling that they were holding out on us in Captain America. Sure, she’s not technically a superhero, but she is to us.
- It’s a mini-series: So many wandering shows could be saved by this concept—start out with a beginning and an end in sight, tell your story, then let it go. The day of the never-ending series is behind us (cough…Grey’s and Glee…cough). You could cite a disintegrating attention span as the cause of this, but I prefer to think that audience’s are more informed and expect more from their programming. Whatever the cause, it’s effect is some great, concise storytelling. Plus, the format always allows for a sequel season, should Agent Carter warrant an encore… I have to applaud ABC, not only for trying out this format with “Agent Carter,” but also with the much zanier experiment that is “Galavant” (and it is awesome).
- It’s getting us through until “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” returns: More than that, it’s exceeding the expectations that we have for a Marvel series. Sorry S.H.I.E.L.D., but if I’m being honest, you started a little slow and had me worried for the first half of the season. It’s been a home-run since then, but the beginning was touch and go. “Agent Carter” is just hitting it out of the park from the get-go. They have a great story, a great cast (they’ve set a glorious new record for Marvel movie cameos) and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
…bi-daily smile…
