Marvel fans can rest assured that their small screen fix will continue for at least one more year. ABC has renewed both Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Agent Carter for a third and second season, respectively. It is expected that the shows will follow the same scheduling pattern as they did this season with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. debuting in the fall before taking a hiatus in January. Agent Carter would then fill in for a limited run of episodes before S.H.I.E.L.D.’s second half finishes it’s run.
In other news, the network has cancelled plans to spin Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters into their own series. The spin-off was going to be based on storylines set-up in the final episodes of the current season but it appears the strength of these two is better served on the Clark Gregg-headed series. This does not impact John Ridley‘s spin-off which is still in development. Ridley’s current ABC series American Crime was also renewed for a second season.
While Agent Carter was vastly superior overall to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Joss Whedon-created series has been stronger this year than last with a renewed focus on the introduction of the Inhumans to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I would anticipate with Marvel Studios planning an INHUMANS film for 2019, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. could potentially have at least three more seasons of safety.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s season finale airs Tuesday, May 12th on ABC.