Surely one of the most highly anticipated TV shows on the horizon is WandaVision, which kind of accidentally fell into the role of being the first Marvel Studios-produced Disney+ show to be released. The six-episode limited series was furthest along in production when the pandemic hit, and although the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier was originally supposed to be Marvel Studios’ first Disney+ show, that honor is now falling to WandaVision. Not that anyone’s complaining – the series’ first trailer drew intense buzz as fans were transfixed by the notion of transporting Elizabeth Olsen’s Wanda and Paul Bettany’s Vision into the world of classic sitcoms.

And while most plot details for WandaVision are under wraps, some news has emerged thanks to an intriguing cover story over at EW. First and foremost, it’s important to note that while Marvel has made TV shows before, Marvel Studios has not. Daredevil, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., etc. were all produced by Marvel Television, which was a separate entity from Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios which made all the Marvel movies. With WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and other upcoming Marvel Studios Disney+ shows, the MCU will be expanding to the small screen in a way that intimately ties the storylines to the films – specifically, WandaVision is said to tie directly to the big screen sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in which Olsen will co-star.

So what is WandaVision about? The official logline merely states that it takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame and follows Wanda and Vision as they move into the idyllic town of Westview. How can this be since Vision died in Endgame? That much is unclear, but the entire conceit of WandaVision is meant to be an homage to classic sitcoms, with the first couple episodes (at least) presented in black-and-white with a full-on studio audience like it’s Bewitched or something.

Speaking to EW, head writer Jac Schaeffer (who also co-wrote the Black Widow movie) describes WandaVision as a love letter to classic TV:

“The show is a love letter to the golden age of television. We’re paying tribute and honoring all of these incredible shows and people who came before us, [but] we’re also trying to blaze new territory.”

The entire idea for WandaVision was Kevin Feige’s, according to EW, inspired by his love for Nick at Nite growing up and his propensity for watching old sitcoms over the last few years as he was getting ready for work. And the show wasn’t a terribly hard sell for Olsen and Bettany, with Olsen noting how great it’s been to get a season of TV to really dig into her character:

“It’s been the biggest gift that Marvel’s given me, getting to do this show. You get to just focus on her and not how she felt through everyone else’s story lines.”

The series is only six episodes long, and while it is indeed technically a TV show, co-executive producer Mary Livanos likens it to a multi-issue comics run:

It’s really incredible to be able to tell a long-form story the way the comics did,” Livanos says. “In a sense, [a TV show] is a multi-issue comic-book run, which is something that, from the Marvel development side, we totally do understand.”

Put another way, actress Teyonah Parris – who plays the adult version of Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel in WandaVision – essentially said the series is six new Marvel movies:

“I was like, ‘Oh, I thought we were doing a little show,’ but no, it’s six Marvel movies packed into what they’re presenting as a sitcom.”

A firm release date for WandaVision is still not confirmed as the crew was rushing to complete production in October, but Disney+ recently said it’ll be arriving this year so perhaps it’ll be a nice Christmas surprise?

Regardless, this highly anticipated series is only the beginning. For a full list of confirmed upcoming Marvel Studios TV shows, click here.