Even though I hear the show has picked up in its second season, I'm still not eager to return to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  Instead, I've turned my excitement to ABC and Marvel's new series, Agent Carter.  I like everything I know about it so far: strong protagonist played by Hayley Atwell; only eight episodes; it was created by Captain America: The First Avenger writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely; and it’s a spy series set in the 1940s, which is a time period we don't see on television.

ABC has now announced that the one-hour premiere has been extended to two hours, which basically makes the Agent Carter series premiere into a movie, and I'm absolutely fine with that.  The trade-off is that the series is now seven episodes, although technically it's still eight because the first and second episodes have been combined to make the extended premiere.  The series premieres on January 6, 2015 on ABC.  Hit the jump for the plot synopsis.

Here's the plot synopsis for Agent Carter:

It’s 1946 and peace has dealt Agent Peggy Carter a serious blow as she finds herself marginalized when the men return home from fighting abroad. Working for the covert SSR (Strategic Scientific Reserve), Peggy finds herself stuck doing administrative work when she would rather be back out in the field, putting her vast skills into play and taking down the bad guys. But she is also trying to navigate life as a single woman in America, in the wake of losing the love of her life, Steve Rogers – a.k.a. Captain America. When old acquaintance Howard Stark finds himself being framed for unleashing his deadliest weapons to anyone willing to pony up the cash, he contacts Peggy — the only person he can trust — to track down those responsible, dispose of the weapons and clear his name. He empowers his butler, Edwin Jarvis, to be at her beck and call when needed to help assist her as she investigates and tracks down those responsible for selling these weapons of mass destruction. If caught going on these secret missions for Stark, Peggy could be targeted as a traitor and spend the rest of her days in prison – or worse.

Starring Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter, Chad Michael Murray as SSR Agent Jack Thompson, Enver Gjokaj as SSR Agent Daniel Sousa, James D’Arcy as Edwin Jarvis, and Shea Whigham as SSR Chief Roger Dooley, “Marvel’s Agent Carter” was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Executive producers are Tara Butters, Michele Fazekas, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Chris Dingess, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Alan Fine, Joe Quesada, Stan Lee and Jeph Loeb.