It's official.. Marvel's new TV series is.. S.H.I.E.L.D!

[thalaw2]

I wasn't impressed with the trailers for this show, but then again I wasn't impressed with the trailers for Arrow either.  I hope it comes out strong and lasts a few good seasons.

[Starman]

So, if not Cage, I wonder if J August Richard is playing a Marvel superhero? Isaiah Bradley? Rage?

[Talavar]

J.  August  Richards  is  Luke  Cage  right? omg  I'm  so  excited this is going to be awes!

sorry for the extra spaces

It has now been confirmed that J. August is NOT playing Luke Cage.

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=45510

In the movie/tv business, an outright denial doesn't actually mean much.  Think Lost, the Dark Knight Rises, JJ Abrams, etc.

[Panther_Gunn]

I vote for Morbius.  Or Man-Ape.

[Tomato]

I'd presume it's someone made specifically for the show, or someone obscure enough they can actually use. For what I can tell, this is a character who might well be part of the main cast, in which case I'm sure they'd rather not get bogged down with a character who has a large fan base, like Cage.

[Mr. Hamrick]

While Richards won't be playing Cage, he apparently will be playing some Marvel character.  There was a tease in the article that the character's name started with M.  First guy that came to mind was Machine Man.  (Due the what looked to be some sort of circuitry in his arm in the trailer which Cage does not have.)

Also, Clark Gregg has hinted that there WILL be some Marvel HEROES AND VILLAINS (and I assuming other characters) will be making appearances throughout the season.   http://omg.yahoo.com/news/agents-h-e-l-d-clark-gregg-teases-213013978.html

Oh... and Ming Na is following me on Twitter and I followed her back out of courtesy.

[BentonGrey]

I don't particularly care for the attitude displayed by the statements about the show not wanting to stay too close to the comics in terms of cast and interpretations...but with the state of modern comics, maybe it's for the best.

[Tomato]

I don't think it's so much that as it is that I'm sure they don't want to potentially ruin characters that could be in later Marvel films. For better or worse, everything this show does will be canon in the cinematic universe... which means that if they have an arc centered around say... Luke Cage, but Marvel wants to make a Heroes for Hire movie, they're likely stuck using at least the backstory used by the show (possibly the actor as well, and actors who're good in a tv show aren't nescessarily good enough to carry a film.)

Keep in mind, we haven't seen this show yet. We don't know how it's going to re-imagine characters from the comics into a tv show budget. I trust Whedon as much as anyone, but even he's admitted he's not running the show like he has for other shows. I'd rather they DON'T use major character until we've seen them handle the smaller ones.

[Cyber Burn]

Just saw the trailer for this, may end up giving it a shot or two.

[steamteck]

I don't particularly care for the attitude displayed by the statements about the show not wanting to stay too close to the comics in terms of cast and interpretations...but with the state of modern comics, maybe it's for the best.

After the liberties of Iron Man 3 , I agree with you. Marvel stuff has mostly taken characters back to their more primal roots instead of the modern stuff so I actually wasn't too worried before.

[BentonGrey]

I figure this deserves bumping, Uncle Yuan's new thread notwithstanding.  This way we can keep early speculation in the same place as actual responses.  It is coming on tonight, and I am recording it!  I'm excited...and more than a little nervous.  I can't wait!

[Uncle Yuan]

Mine was more of a technical question.  This is a better place for discussion of the actual show.

[crimsonquill]

I watched and loved the pilot. They handled Agent Coleson very well writing wise and pretty much gave a hint to how he actually survived his death (and for those who followed my comments about why Stark mentioned a certain technology in Avengers as an easter egg).

So, how many viewers are split on how they handled the superhero origin of J. August Richards character? It's pretty obvious they tweaked the origin of The Power Broker into that of a female scientist we just meet briefly. Since Mike Peterson needed a new name and identity after his recovery.. who takes a bet that he ends up with a familiar name when he discovers that he retains his unbreakable skin and super strength?

- CQ

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Whedon said specifically that it wasn't him.

But yeah, the pilot was fun to watch and had lots of humor and action and a great set of characters.  Definitely looking forward to the next one.

[Glitch Girl]

I really enjoyed it.  I'm really liking the character interplay with this team and we've got some very nice groundwork laid for future plot and character development.

I think my favorite scene was the one with the truth serum. 

[Shogunn2517]

I'm two ways about this so far.  There was a lot a liked.  There were times I was really on the edge of my seat eagerly waiting for the commercial breaks to finish.  But then there were times I'm like "Meh.  Come on, really?"(It was often directed at Skye)

Spoiler

I think for a start the show did well.  It didn't blow my socks off.  I wasn't expecting it to, but it was a nice start, nice intro to the characters.  As far as the characters go, I liked what I saw from most of them, the one that really irked the ish out of me was Skye.  It's like she wasn't taking the entire show serious at all.  Not until Peterson pimp-locked her at least.  I don't blame her overall.  A lot of the writing seemed rather... cheesy at times.  I'd want to say "come on" through half the first bit of the episode.  But the actress herself, I think she did well with what she had.  I'm not sure if it was the direction or herself making her seem very unlikeable and breaking the 5th wall. (As in, WE know this is a world of superheroes, we read comic books, but this is your REAL world lady, it ain't like that).  Speaking of which, I'm really glad to see them connect to the cinematic universe as they have.  Using Maria Hill and references to Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Black Widow were welcome.  I was pleasantly surprised at the use of the Extremis storyline, just as Iron Man 3 comes out on DVD too(Well played Marvel) and I hope to see more of that as the series goes on.  However much I'm glad they extended to the cinematic universe, I hope they pull from the overall S.H.I.E.L.D. and Marvel universe too.  I'd like to see Clay Quartermaine, Sharon Carter and other SHIELD agents have cameos.  I want to see HYDRA or AIM be bad guys(even though I doubt we'd see AIM, since that was kind of killed with Killian).  Could that have been Madam Hydra in the Car with the facial injury?  I want to see more.

As far as the other characters go, I liked them well enough.  I actually liked Ward.  He'll carry most of the action in the series and the actor seems capable and believable enough to do it.  The banter back and forth with Fitz and Simmons was done well.  I'd want to think of them as one instead of a pair because then having a bio-chem, engineer and computer expert all on ONE team seems like having too many nerds in the kitchen, if you will.  Agent Coulson was of course good.  Gregg does a great job with him and the consistency of the character is very dependable.  He delivered his lines with humor when needed it.  His stern and aggression when called for was actually as natural even though we really didn't see it in the movies at all, it worked here.  However, I do have to say, as much as I like Coulson, it is highly probable that my favorite character will be Melinda May.  Even the name itself SPEAKS Marvel, in the same vein of a Peter Parker, Reed Richards and a Matt Murdock.  Her character is really intriguing.  I like the way she handles herself.  And when the action gets heavy she can bring it.  As far as the other characters go, I liked the addition of Maria Hill, even if it's just for an episode or two, she WAS Maria Hill.  Mike Peterson or J. August Richards did a REALLY good job from beginning to end and I think was one of the stronger parts of the show.

Another thing that bothered me and I hope it doesn't continue like this is the episode framing.  This particular episode seemed to wrap itself up too quick.  I just hope they don't continue to do that in that way.  Most of the best shows today have storylines that can like 3-4 or even more epsiodes.  If they are going to wrap plots in a quick 40-45 minutes then views can start to think they can miss an episode or two without any real development and before too long, they skip out on the series.  So I hope that doesn't happen.  I know there's some intrigue with Coulson's "resurrection", and the story behind the other shooter, but I hope it's more than just a fleeting reference.

[Podmark]

I saw it and I liked it, but I didn't love it.

My biggest problem is the characters, I just didn't get into them just yet. Reminds of Dollhouse like that. Hopefully that will work itself out over time.
My favorite character was J. August Richards's Mike Peterson, and I haven't heard if he's returning for any more episodes.

[Starman]

What a boring pilot episode! The only thing this show has going for it is that all Joss Whedon's TV series are slow starters.

[detourne_me]

The biggest thought going through my head the whole time was "yes. This sure is TV"
I only really watch Breaking Bad and Arrow these days, so I couldn't really compare it to anything else, but about 75% of the central cast is such a bore.
I'll give it a few more episodes.

[BentonGrey]

Well, I watched our taped version, and I certainly enjoyed it.  However, like many folks, I've got some reservations.

Updated thoughts after a second viewing below:

Spoiler

I'm very excited to see where this show goes.  Coulson was fantastic, as always.  I love that they are getting a chance to explore his character some more, as he certainly deserves it.  I love the hints of a mystery with his recovery, and, like many, I'm assuming that he's an LMD with the memories of Coulson.  That has some mileage, for sure.  I agree with some of the folks who have said that the team seems fairly generic at the moment.  I like them, but we really don't know much about them yet.  It's only the first episode though, so that's mostly okay.  I imagine even the Firefly crew didn't spring fully formed onto the screen.  I think Ward is good as an action hero, and there are glimpses of a worthwhile character there.  The same is true of Fitz/Simmons.  There are glimpses of something interesting, but it's awfully generic at the moment, as if they are purely relying on stock characters.  Melinda May and Coulson are certainly the most interesting so far, and I look forward to learning more about their esoteric 'pilot.' 

The action, for the most part, looked good.  The dialog had some cringe-worthy weak spots, but it also had some really strong moments.  Almost all of Coulson's lines were good, and the final monolog of our hero/villain was pretty darn good.  On the other hand, there are some majorly painful elements. 

I wish that the Sky character would die a rather grisly death as soon as possible.  She was incredibly obnoxious.  I understand what they were trying to do with her, and while I rather enjoy the self-consciously pop-culture reflective nature of the show, that character was just painful.  She was less terrible in the second watching, but I still don't care for her at all.

All-in-all, I'm excited and hopeful.  I can't wait 'till next week!

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Enjoyed the episode.  This one focused largely on characters and bringing the team together, when there aren't action scenes.  We have another special guest star, and the beginning of a new ongoing plot.

Spoiler

Nick Fury makes a brief appearance in what was actually a pretty funny overall scene.

More importantly--Sky is a mole.  Although she seems to be more than a bit unsure of herself.  It's pretty painfully obvious how that will be ultimately resolved, though.

Definitely looking forward to the rest of the season.

[Shogunn2517]

Again, this episode had its share of problems, but the end TOTALLY made up for it!!!

Spoiler

S.H.I.E.L.D. Director NICK FURY!!!!

Totally was NOT expecting it.  Maybe later, SEASONS down the road or some fake hints, but Marvel scores BIG points for that!

Spoiler

Characters again.  Getting better.  Skye is still irritating, but I like what they're going to do with her.  I was really concerned with Fitz, Simmons AND her it was too many nerds in the kitchen, but if they're going to have her do field and story tell through her, I can work with that.  As much as I like Coulson, but that "Coulson smirk" is really weird in some situations.  Melinda May CONTINUES to impress.  I want to marry her.  The action and acting, they tried to make it Big-screen/Avenger-esque but it didn't look as right on the small screen.  Some of the movie references, Thor, Hulk, Captain is nice.  Still would like extra Mrvel references.  They revealed new info for the universe that Hydra has "died off" and if you ask me, I think that was purposely done... Since they are HYDRA and as suggested, it can't die that easy.  The effects kinda were wonky.  In all, I liked it, but still had some dialogue problems.  And again, the VERY unexpected appearance of Samuel L Jackson was a really nice touch.  I expects them to mention his name.  Make references to his presence, but NEVER did I think he'd appear in the SECOND episode.  Maybe a season finale like 3-4 seasons in, but WOW!  Good pull Marvel.  I'm almost certain SLJ did that for a Big Mac meal too.

[BentonGrey]

Wow, this was definitely a step up.  The first episode was a solid beginning, but this was a clear improvement.  I'm feeling more confident about the show now.  They managed to make all of the characters much more interesting in this episode.  As Cat said, it's mostly about character development and action, both of which are well done for the most part.  You know, I really like the crossing over this show is doing with the movies.  Hopefully they'll continue that with the new releases.  Think about that for a moment, though.  They're doing with live action what has previously only ever been done with comics, building a shared universe.  That is amazing.  This is something that really only a comic universe could support, and it's such a perfect fit, it's almost hard to believe no-one has ever done it before (well, other than Bruce Timm, on a much smaller scale).

Spoiler

Okay, specifics time.  Skye was much less obnoxious this episode, but the whole mole thing is a twist I didn't quite expect.  I agree with you, Cat.  It seems obvious how that will shake out.  Still, maybe they'll surprise us.  With any luck, they'll play with our expectations.  I think everyone got fleshed out nicely in this episode, which is good, as we're only at our second outing.  The girl betraying Coulson was pretty well telegraphed, though.  I didn't think she did a great job after the reveal, if only because her accent seemed to get a little spotty a few times.  Maybe that was just me, though.  The whole 'learning how to work as a team bit' was really hackneyed, but I felt it worked out alright, if only because they built up to it fairly well.

Fury's cameo was nice, though I wouldn't have minded more world building and less humor.  Still, I enjoyed it.

I can't wait for next week's episode!

[Shogunn2517]

Benton,

I completely agree.  Marvel has lead the way on this.  Ever since the early days of watching the old Superman movies and Incredible Hulk series.  Everyone knew ALL these characters live in a SHARED universe.  I wanted to see other characters, big or small bleed into other franchises.  Marvel did it giving us Thor and Daredevil in the tv movies.  But it really did what we all were expecting with Iron Man and then Hulk and no one expected the Avengers to come together like it did.  What they're doing with the tv show, Joss is the only one who's done anything close with Serenity/Firefly.  We've seen TV shows based on movies before, but not like this.  We hardly ever(not that I can remember) storylines and now actual characters and actors bleeding from the big screen to the small.  What are the chances we get a Ming-Na cameo in A:AU?  Or George's St Pierre(Batroc) featured on a MAOS episode?  There are a lot of possibilities with a format like this.  I hope they take advantage of them all!

[Podmark]

That was alright. I think I liked the pilot better though.
I'm still having the same problem as the pilot where I just don't care about the characters enough. Characters make shows for me. Right now the show feels like Dollhouse where I never really got into the characters and dropped out after the first season. I need it to be more like Buffy, Angel, and Firefly (to use more Whedon shows) where I loved almost every member of the cast. This episode did help me get to know the characters a bit better, especially Ming-Na's. So step in the right direction but I'm not loving the show just yet.

Spoiler

I did enjoy Nick Fury's guest appearance, it was fun, but I wish they'd used it to further the plot instead of just jokes. ABC is apparently hyping the end of every episode so that's certainly interesting.

[JeyNyce]

I want this show to succeed, but I'm not liking the Scooby Doo gang of Sky and the 2 scientists, and they really need a super power type character in the group.  At first I thought Cage would be a good choice, but a friend told me that Jessica Drew would fit perfectly in that group.  I would keep sky and let her be a field agent and as for the "wonder twins" keep them on the plane and let them be the "Q" of the team.   

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I do not wonder a super hero of any kind on the team.  I don't want that person to take over the show.  So far it's looking to be a show addressing what happens after the hero wins and all the villains weapons and assets are scattered everywhere for anybody to take and abuse and I find that more interesting.

But you'll get your wish with Sky.  The preview for the next episode showed her undergoing combat training.

[Tomato]

Agree with Cat on this. A super powered character would interfere with the dynamic of the show, and would take focus away from the other characters. This show is about a team of characters, and having any hero show up as anything more than a recurring cameo would not be welcome in my book.

That being said, one thing I noticed that really impressed me about this last episode that I should point out:

Spoiler

When the team blew a hole in the side of their plane, I was expecting the bad guys to just start being kicked out of the plane. We've seen it a hundred times in spy movies, the unnamed minions just get casually tossed out of an airplane to make the heroes seem awesome or whatever.

Thing is though, they DIDN'T.

In the entirety of the plane sequence, there are all of two deaths: one after the initial explosion, and the one guy whose shirt got torn. Despite the fighting, the SHIELD agents are clearly making an effort to save as many of the villains as they possibly can. Even when the second guy gets sucked out, there is a clear look of regret on Agent Ward's face: even though the dude was fighting him, Ward still wanted to save his life.

It's almost a hollywood mandate that blowing a hole in the side of an airplane is nothing more than excuse for "heroes" to toss minions out of it that seeing these agents tying them down and securing them baffled me, in a good way. Even when I was talking to a friend about it, their immediate reaction when I mentioned he hole was "and did all the bad guys get sucked out of it?" It's so refreshing that they didn't go that route, and that human life was treated with some modicom of dignity in this show.

[BWPS]

I think the lack of super heroes in a Marvel show is disappointing.  Buffy and Willow and Angel and Spike had powers,  that didn't ruin that show.

That said, I really like the show. I can't understand the scientists's stupid accents and I don't like the tough guy.  Still my favorite new show and just having a Marvel U show is awesome.

[Tomato]

And in all of those cases, the show was about a specific character with a supporting cast, not a team show. If there was a super-powered character on the team, specifically one we know from the comics, the show would instantly be about that character on his own. The only way for there to be equal focus on the entire team if you did have a character with powers would be if the entire team had powers as well, which would disrupt the whole "normal people in a world of heroes" thing the show has going for it. Yes, I think we should get some more superheroes as cameos or even as part of a story arc, but not permanent cast members.