Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been living on the edge for years now, as it’s only thanks to the heft of Marvel and its loyal fanbase that it’s survived despite poor ratings. Because of that, fans were grateful that the series was renewed for a sixth season and most assumed it would act as a farewell to what’s still the MCU’s longest-running show.
But we shouldn’t start preparing for the end just yet, as the network seems hopeful that the reception to season 6 will be enough to warrant another renewal. ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey told The Hollywood Reporter that the show’s new summer timeslot could come with a lot of benefits which will help S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s chances, explaining:
“We’ll see [if it’s the end]. I feel like last season was our strongest creative season ever and the fan base remains very loyal — and we do very well in delayed viewing. It’s my hope that by moving it to summer, where our live-same-day ratings are less important and it might be able to continue for longer.”
Though we won’t see it for many moons yet, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 already started production last month. The season premiere, titled “Missing Pieces,” is set to be directed by series star Clark Gregg and while he’s definitely returning behind the scenes, we’re still not sure that he’ll be back as Phil Coulson next year after the character apparently died in the season 5 finale.
Seeing as he’s such a major part of the show, and the MCU as a whole though, it’s tough to think of S.H.I.E.L.D. without Coulson. Especially if, like Dungey says, the series might not even be ending soon. That said, the ensemble cast has grown enough over the years to stand on their own two feet without S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most famous agent. Plus, we’ve always got more Coulson to come in Captain Marvel.
Either way, you can catch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when it arrives on ABC in the summer of 2019.