It's been some time since Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has served as a ratings juggernaut for ABC, so if like me, you're always surprised to hear that the series has been renewed, prepare to be surprised once again. It was announced today that ABC had renewed Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a seventh season, just six months after it was renewed for a sixth season which hasn't even aired yet.
The seventh season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is slated to star Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, Henry Simmons, Natalia Cordova-Buckley, and Jeff Ward, but no mention was made of Clark Gregg. Although many assumed that the sixth season would be the show's last, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey previously stated that they weren't looking at it as a finale. "I feel the season we just had was creatively the strongest yet," Dungey said. "We don’t plan it as a final season. The show has a loyal passionate base. It does incredibly well in delayed viewing." Deadline added that the early renewal likely has to to with the actors' options coming up, and that ordering the season ahead of time would allow them to reduce costs by filming season six and seven back-to-back. It's been some time since I tapped out of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. several seasons ago, but I hear that the series has greatly improved over the years.
The sixth season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will debut in July 2019, and Channing Dungey explained that the delay will only benefit the show's passionate fan-base. "By putting it in the summer, we’re going to be able to ‘super-serve’ the fan base that loves that show and hopefully give it an opportunity to continue on longer than we would if it was [scheduled] in-season."