Agents of SHIELD. Season 1 Discussion Thread

[Turtletrekker]

An interesting breakdown of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ratings suggest that it's not doing nearly as bad as some would claim.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Very interesting. I think it shows promise of a season two depending on how things play out. That being said, cost is still a factor worth considering. Programs with lower ratings but higher profit margins are obviously more valuable. I would imagine AoS has a pretty large budget.

 

[Mr Light]

I don't believe that article mentioned the huge bump in the last episode was because NCIS was a rerun that week.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

It mentioned the rerun, but not in context of the bump. I don't think it remotely changes its point, but it does at least explain that giant spike. It suggests that if this show were on another night and didn't compete against NCIS, it might have even better ratings. That being said, it's probably best finishing second to NCIS (which it can't be realistically expected to beat) while being safe from competing against other heavy hitters.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I don't believe that article mentioned the huge bump in the last episode was because NCIS was a rerun that week.

Yes, it did...

One very significant note about these charts: the 6th episode of "NCIS" season 11 aired without a new "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." episode opposite it; and episode 9 of "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." aired without a new "NCIS."

 

[Alidar Jarok]

It also said this:

While it's unknown exactly what contributed the the recent bump in ratings and viewers of last week's episode, there are two major factors that may explain the upwards trend. First, the impending Thanksgiving holiday, where viewers may have begun vacationing early, giving them more free time to tune in. Second, the previous episode's tie-in to "Thor: The Dark World" likely helped as well.

You would think that would be an appropriate place to mention that NCIS was a rerun. After all, it might be a factor.

 

[Turtletrekker]

True enough.

 

[JD]

I know the only reason I watched Agents of S.H.E.I.L.D. live last week, instead of on Hulu like usual, is because NCIS, which I usually watch, was a repeat.

 

[sojourner]

Hehe, the police chief on Grimm referenced going to Tahiti tonight. I guess it is a magical place.

 

[Thestral]

I noticed that too and thought the same thing!

 

[RJDiogenes]

That's an encouraging article. I'd love to see this show get a second season, as long as they don't re-tool it to appeal to the lowest denominator.

 

[sojourner]

Isn't it pretty much already tooled to the lowest common denominator?

 

[The Old Mixer]

I think that most of us who follow the show have expressed the opinion at one time or another that it could use a little retooling, whatever denominator they're going for.

 

[Captain Craig]

An interesting breakdown of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ratings suggest that it's not doing nearly as bad as some would claim.

Thanks for bringing this over. It does indeed add perspective and Sleepy Hollow is the only other new show I've committed to watching as well which made it even more interesting.

Be curious to see what the Cap:WS lead in will be in March and how they end the first half of the season...is that next week or will we get one or two more?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

It's gotta be next week. If not, they've done a terrible job of promoting the episode that comes after because we don't even have a title yet.

Plus, they seem to definitely be setting up a cliffhanger of sorts.

 

[Turtletrekker]

Yes. This week is the mid-season finale.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Isn't it pretty much already tooled to the lowest common denominator?

Well, I don't think so. I think it's pretty sharp. If it was tooled toward the lowest common denominator, the characters would be psychopaths or child molesters or something, and there would be a shocking, unexpected death of a major character every other week, and every episode would reveal shocking revelations that Change Everything You Know, and everybody would be dirty and unkempt, and the sets would look like a factory basement and life would be dark and meaningless and oh-so edgy. Instead, we've got a nice, slick production with interesting, likeable characters who manage to get along like adults despite their believable conflicts, tight stories that make sense, with snappy dialogue, and stuff going on in the background that might come to something someday. It leans more toward the Doctor Who school of storytelling than, say, nuBSG.

I don't mind if the show changes or evolves, I'm just worried about what kind of changes they'll make to grab a wider audience.

 

[Turtletrekker]

AoS to add two new recurring characters in episode 14.

Other than the return of Centipede, what’s going on with the S.H.I.E.L.D. team? –Mahika
Episode 14 will introduce two recurring characters: an African-American agent who specializes in combat/weapons, and a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent/munitions expert who has past ties to both Coulson and Ward.

Interesting that episode 14 is the first ep beyond their original commitment from ABC.

 

[Shazam!]

Episode 14 will introduce two recurring characters: an African-American agent who specializes in combat/weapons, and a high-level S.H.I.E.L.D. agent/munitions expert who has past ties to both Coulson and Ward.

Why do they have to make mention of this? Is it so it won't come as a surprise to all the racists when a black person turns up?

 

[The Old Mixer]

Probably to address criticisms that there wasn't enough diversity in the main cast.