Shortly after the Marvel TV panel at Comic-Con on Friday, I was able to participate in a roundtable interview with cast members Clark Gregg, Brett Dalton, Chloe Bennet, Iain de Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge, and executive producers Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen, Jeph Loeb, and Jeffrey Bell. If you watch Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you know there was a huge revelation about Brett Dalton’s character, Grant Ward. Many had wondered if Dalton would be returning for season two, but with his appearance at Comic-Con and having participated in interviews for the show, it’s safe to assume that he will be back. Also, with the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, S.H.I.E.L.D. has all but been completely obliterated.

During the roundtable interviews, the actors and producers talked about how The Winter Soldier will affect the show going forward, when the rest of the Avengers will discover that Agent Coulson is still alive, the show’s relationship to the new ABC series Marvel’s Agent Carter, and so much more.  Hit the jump to read the full interviews.

Marvel announced exciting details about its new show Agent Carter and confirmed a variety of guest stars for the second season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in front of a packed Ballroom 20 crowd at Comic-Con. Jeph Loeb, head of Marvel TV, revealed that they’re bringing back in-house favorites to direct the first four episodes of Agent Carter’s eight-episode run, which debuts in 2015. Louis D’Esposito, who directed the Agent Carter one-shot, will direct the first episode, while Captain America: The Winter Soldier directors Joe and Anthony Russo are tapped to helm episodes two and three. Joe Johnston, the director of Captain America: The First Avenger, “wants to do episode four if his schedule allows,” Loeb said.

Hit the jump for more on the Marvel TV panel from Comic-Con.

And so ends the initial chapter of Marvel Studios’ first foray into the world of network television.  Whether you liked the so-called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or they weren’t your cup of tea, you have to admire Marvel for attempting to create a running television show that reflected the events of the movie universe that they currently have running.  Since I’ve been with you true believers since the beginning of this season, who better to diagnose the best, and worst, parts of the first season?  Go ahead and grab your level 7 clearance, rock your finest suit, and hop on the “Bus” as we walk you through what aspects the show can focus on for season two and which can be avoided. 

TV ratings are in for Tuesday, May 13th, including a number of season finales.  Briefly:

• Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. closed out its uneven freshman season with a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and scored 5.23 million viewers, which matches last week’s performance.  ABC has already renewed the show for a second season, so Agent Coulson and Co. will return this fall.  Read Evan’s recap of the episode here.
• On the flipside, Fox’s Glee closed out its fifth season with a series low 0.6 rating and a mere 1.92 million viewers, dropping 25% from last week’s numbers.  Though Fox has already ordered a sixth and final season, don’t be surprised if the episode count for next year is lower than normal.

Hit the jump for the full ratings report for Tuesday, including Person of Interest, Supernatural, About a Boy, and more.

And so we close the first chapter on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Hot on the heels of it’s season two renewal announcement, tonight’s installment promises an explosive conclusion joined by none other than the man himself, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.  Through the highs and lows, we’ve followed the agents as they fought the forces of Centipede, possessed sticks, Asgardian temptresses, and viewership approval.  Though treacherous roads to be sure, Coulson and the gang have found their footing and are moving full force at the remnants of Hydra and cyborg Bill Paxton (you know it’s a great gig when you get to type that sentence out).  In our final installment, will everyone make it out alive?  What will become of the agents now that S.H.I.E.L.D no longer exists?  Will more be revealed with regards to Skye’s “monstrous” lineage?  All this and more will be revealed in tonight’s installment, “Beginning of the End.”  Hit the jump for our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. recap.

ABC just announced a few renewals and orders for new series, but in addition to those shows, the network will also have two Marvel dramas on the air during the 2014-15 TV season.  ABC has renewed Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for a second season and has given a series order for the Captain America spinoff Agent Carter.  Though Marvel’s first foray into television was highly anticipated, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was met with a rather tepid critical response and the ratings have dwindled since its premiere.  Regardless, the numbers never dropped to critical levels and the show is lucrative as a brand property, so it was highly likely that ABC was going to order a second season.

Hit the jump for more, including details regarding the setting and focus of the Agent Carter series.

Welcome back, true believers!  On our last episode, the Agents of N.O.T.H.I.N.G. continue to try to fight the dastardly deeds of Hydra while also struggling with the loss of funds, backup, and a place to rest their hats outside of a dingy motel swimming pool.  Coulson, in a giant twist, discovered that he is in fact responsible for the T.A.H.I.T.I. project, which left him speechless.  This week, we’ll delve into the past of Agent Ward, the once milquetoast agent, now much more interesting agent of Hydra.  Twists!  Turns!  Explosions!  Bill Paxton!  All this and more can be found in this week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, “Ragtag”…

TV ratings for Tuesday, April 29th are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• Last night’s installment of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC was even with last week’s 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demo and scored 5.45 million viewers.  Read Evan’s recap here.
• The latest episode of the CW’s Supernatural, which served as a backdoor pliot for the potential spinoff Bloodlines, ticked up 11% to a 1.0 rating and garnered 2.13 million viewers.

Hit the jump for the rest of the ratings report, including New Girl, Person of Interest, About a Boy, Glee, Chicago Fire, and more.

Welcome back, true believers!  When last we left our heroes, Agent Koenig (Patton Oswalt) had left this mortal coil at the hands of the treacherous Agent Ward, who has taken Skye from their new HQ, Providence!  Agent May, meanwhile, has decided to leave the gang in order to find Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) who has left for greener pastures at Stark Enterprises after the dissolving of S.H.I.E.L.D.  On tonight’s episode, Coulson and the agents must fight off Hulk villain, Glenn Talbot, and an enclave of army soldiers looking to acquire their resources and put an end to what they see as potentially dangerous shenanigans.  Sabotage! Danger! Explosions! A giant size comic book reference!  Hit the jump for all this and more on tonight’s recap of “Nothing Personal.”

With an extremely important role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and their own television show, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the fictional Marvel organization has been making the rounds as of late.  Though they are the “top cops” in the world of Avengers, X-Men, and Spider-Man, they do have some company that you may not have heard of yet.  Though, with the events of Cap 2 still rippling through our collective consciousness, now may be the perfect time for new organizations to begin springing up throughout the Marvel movieverse.  We’ve heard of S.H.I.E.L.D., we’ve heard of Hydra, now hear about the rest that you may be seeing on the silver screen.  Hit the Jump to read on.

One of my favorite movies is James Cameron’s Aliens.  While the term masterpiece gets used to describe many things that are unworthy of the moniker, when you’re talking about Aliens, you’re talking about perfection.  Loaded with incredible visuals, a great script, and effects that still hold up, Aliens is a great example of what’s possible in cinema.  Knowing how I feel about the movie, you can imagine how excited I was when I found out I’d get a chance to speak with Bill Paxton at WonderCon.  Thankfully, while you usually only get a few minutes on a red carpet, Paxton spoke with me for a long time before Warner Bros.’ Edge of Tomorrow panel.

During our conversation, he talked about Aliens, people quoting lines to him, what it was like working with director Doug Liman and Tom Cruise on Edge of Tomorrow, the premise of the film, being part of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., future projects, and a lot more.  If you’re a fan of Paxton, I promise you’ll enjoy this interview.

Welcome back, True Believers!  Last week’s episode gave us an in-depth look at Agent Garrett’s, aka Bill Paxton’s, Hydra.  Fun was had by all as the charismatic team took over a S.H.I.E.L.D. installation and rallied behind the idea that the once nearly omnipresent agency was unraveling at the seams.  Meanwhile, the Agents tried to pick up the pieces and were met by Agent Koenig, aka Patton Oswalt, in a secret base set up by Nick Fury.  On tonight’s episode, the often mentioned “Cellist” (love interest of Coulson originally brought up in the Avengers movie) makes an appearance, played by Amy Acker.  Also, another villain from the funny books makes his Marvel “movie-verse” premiere. Hit the jump for our recap of “The Only Light in the Darkness.”

Tuesday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. saw a ratings uptick of 5% from last week’s 1.9, scoring a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demo and bringing in 5.07 million viewers.  Read Evan’s recap here.
• Over on Fox, New Girl returned from a brief hiatus to a series low 1.1 rating and notched 2.2 million viewers.  The show has lost quite a bit of steam since its debut, but Fox has already ordered a fourth season.
• On the flipside, NBC’s new series About a Boy saw a rise of 12% from last week’s series low 1.7 rating to a 1.9 rating in the demo and 7.23 million viewers.

Hit the jump to read the rest of the ratings report for Tuesday, April 15th, including Glee, Person of Interest, The Mindy Project, Supernatural, and more.

War has changed and so too have the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Following last week’s episode and the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the agents are left without the resources of which they’ve become accustomed.  The series has begun to turn itself around with traitors, espionage, and revelations coming fast and heavy, throwing some unexpected curveballs our way.  Did I also mention that this episode sees the arrival of Agent Eric Koenig, played by comedian extraordinaire Patton Oswalt?  Can the agents defeat Hydra that have taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. bases across the world?  Will the show continue its hot streak moving forward?  Has Ward turned heel for real?  Hit the jump for our recap.

Tuesday evening’s TV ratings are in.  Here’s a brief look at the highlights:

• Despite game-changing events that tied into Captain America: The Winter Soldier, last night’s episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. fell three tenths to a new series low 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demo and scored 4.91 million viewers.  Read Evan’s recap here.
• Elsewhere on ABC, The Goldbergs dipped a tenth to a series low 1.4 rating and 4.3 million viewers, while new comedy Trophy Wife dropped two tenths to a 0.8 rating and scored 2.55 million viewers.

Hit the jump for the rest of the TV ratings report for Tuesday, April 8th, including The Mindy Project, About a Boy, and more.