Is Agent Carter in trouble? While we still wait to hear of a possible season 3 pick-up amid the Marvel series’ struggling ratings, news has arrived that its lead, Hayley Atwell, will star in a new ABC pilot for a potential new legal drama, Conviction.

As first reported by TV Line and confirmed by EW, Atwell will take the role of a “brilliant-but-rebellious daughter of a Clinton-like political family” who is forced to head up L.A. newly established Conviction Integrity Unit. She and her team of investigators, lawyers, and forensic experts have two weeks to examine cases in which there’s potential that the wrong person was convicted.

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Image via ABC

The series was co-created by Liz Friedman (Jessica Jones), who wrote the pilot, and Liz Friedlander (The Following), who will direct. They are joined in Conviction’s group of executive producers by Mark Gordon (Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders) and Nick Pepper.


Does this automatically mean Agent Carter is dunzo? No. There’ve been actors who committed to two shows at the same time. Assuming Lincoln doesn’t bite the dust on The 100, Ricky Whittle would be the most recent having signed on for the lead in Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods. TV Line and EW sources also note that, should ABC pick up Conviction to series, the network would have Atwell star in both.

Still, the future for Agent Carter remains cloudy. The series was part of a major push from Marvel to expand the small-screen offerings beyond Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While Daredevil and Jessica Jones both received quick renewals following their debuts as Marvel sets more TV plans into motion, the cancellation of Agent Carter would mark the superhero conglomerate’s first major loss. The ratings were still low when the series premiered the first episode of its second season, so fans will have to keep their fingers crossed for the time being.

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Image via ABC