Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I am already extremely excited about one of this fall's new television shows, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., so I was very happy when this brief promo finally appeared this weekend.  There are a number of reasons for my anticipation, but among the most important are:

• More (and hopefully deeper) looks into the Marvel Cinematic Universe
• The return of Joss Whedon to television (and hopefully some big story arcs)
• Adventure television I can actually watch with both of my daughters
• An opportunity to build on the excellent work done in the Marvel One-Shot short films
• Something cool and highly anticipated coming on network television for once, and,
• The return of beloved supporting character Agent Phil Coulson, and his elevation to lead

Yeah, there are going to be some challenges, and some commenters are already clamoring for more cameos, more established heroes, and so on, but even if all we get is something like The X-Files set against the backdrop of the Marvel Universe, I am still going to be content.  I don't know how much of a hand Whedon will have in the day-to-day operation of the show, but he also has a proven knack for establishing tone and direction, and finding gifted writers and directors capable of filling in everything else.

If you have never watched the Marvel One-Shots before, take a few minutes to check them out, they are quite good, and show just how much can be established with good dialogue, a cohesive universe, and a bit of stock footage.

The Consultant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgUjlH4vywM

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAMgkpQYOSQ

Clip from Item 47 (special feature on The Avengers disc)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfTUnunSJts