What is going on with Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. television show? This week’s episode hit an all new low for the series.
With the subtle hint of the Inhumans, the tie to the upcoming Agent Carter series, and the continued tie to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. should be a slam dunk, must watch show each and every week – yet the series hit another low this week. With a 1.5 rating, the latest episode only brought in 4.27 million viewers, which is down 12 percent from last week’s 1.7 share.
Is it the time slot? Last year during this same time, Agents of SHIELD brought in 2.45 million viewers. Is it the fact that SHIELD is being rebuilt and going through changes? Could it be that there is no major motion picture that ties directly to the show, and the lack of recognizable comic book characters is causing the casual viewer to wander off? Are the DC related shows, like The Flash, creating too much competition? Poor writing? Is this our chance to finally point at the naked king and laugh?
Honestly, I haven’t been able to pinpoint exactly what is going on for a show that was once the talk of the water cooler. There is always the chance that ABC could cancel the series, but since the show is part of the same parent company, keeping the show on the air wouldn’t be a budget breaker for the House of Mouse. Plus, it keeps the Marvel property in the minds of viewers and continues to push the greater MCU.
Do you have an idea why Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD is tanking in the rating? Use the comment section below to share your thoughts, ideas, and conspiracy theories.
10 Comments
It was on at 8 last year. The shift to 9 has been rough
I agree, that time slot is harsh sometimes, I liked it better at 7pm cst and that was where it should have stayed, of course, it would have had to go against Flash, but then I still think Marvel would win out.
To be honest, I watched first 6 episodes of season 2 and barely remember what happened in them. Only thing that stuck my mind was Absorbing Man.
When I think about it, problem to me is that there are absolutely no memorable characters, everyone seems bland “basic agent show” stereotypes to me, including Coulson. His shtick carried the few funny parts in Avengers, but it has become painfully clear that it wont carry whole show.
Thats the biggest problem, superhero stories are defined by larger than life heroes and villains, in this one there are none of them. Good villain could save the story, but they are even more boring than main cast. Its just not interesting enough in character or plot department.
I think you could be on to something there. If the show is going to be about “ordinary” heroes then it would help to contrast them with some slightly over the top villains.
Part of the problem is crappy lead-ins. Both “Selfie” and “Manhattan Love Story have been cancelled. AOS gets a 71% bump in the 18-49 rating with the +7 DVR numbers. “The updated ratings can make a difference in timeslot rankings, too. For example, ABC’s “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD” ended up outdrawing CBS’ “NCIS: New Orleans” in 18-49 (3.6 to 3.5) even though the latter had prevailed by 0.5 in L+SD (2.5 to 2.0).”
http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/gotham-murder-top-rookie-dvr-gainers-in-premiere-week-flash-is-cws-biggest-bow-ever-1201328483/
I watch the show every week and I am very happy with it. I catch all the ‘easter eggs’ and teasers and I really don’t have a problem with any of it. Honestly I don’t understand why so many people don’t watch this show. I was really happy I did when Winter Soldier came out. I watch Arrow and love it, Flash and love it, Constantine and love it. I will NOT watch Gotham. Tried it, hated it. Why all the others and not Gotham? Because the other shows show some reverence to the source material. Characterizations are close if not spot on. SHIELD is good show and deserves to be seen. Watch what happens when they reveal a Kree Warrior or an Inhuman or something how many people wind up going back and catching up.
I think it was because a lot of us hated the first season.
Season 1.0 was doubleplus ungood, but since Cap 2 it’s been pretty decent. I agree with Malone above: the characters are bland at best, and now we have a half-dozen new empty suits to keep track of. I’ve found Fitz’s mild aphasia since the beginning of season 2 the most compelling character hook.
And, yes: Coulson is a great character for one-liners, as a foil for the supes, but he just hasn’t been compelling to watch over the course of the season.
I think it fell victim to its own hype machine. People expected a Joss Whedon-helmed follow-up to The Avengers on TV, which is a pretty tall order no matter who you are. The mediocrity of the first season combined with too big of expectations to create a perfect storm of disappointment the show has yet to overcome. It’s too bad though. A few complaints aside, I’ve really liked the new season so far.
This is purely speculation on my part:
Season 1 really put all the people hoping for another Joss Whedon TV series out. A lot of people stopped watching in Season 1 who were hoping for a smart, well-written network show. I think now that the show is getting smarter and darker, a lot of people who stuck with it are the people who watch procedurals like CSI, who aren’t necessarily looking for groundbreaking so much as they are comforting and familiar. I think they’re all falling off too. (And those are the people who tend to submit to Nielsen ratings as well) I wouldn’t be surprised if we start to see the show be more of a sleeper that rebuilds its audience.
For me, the show is doing really well, but it still feels loose and all over the place. It definitely feels like they have a strong core now, but there are a LOT of characters who fall by the wayside, and with a network order of 24 episodes some of them feel like obvious filler episodes. But I’m liking each episode more and more.
Hopefully my theory is correct.
I’m a faithful