WARNING: The following article contains minor spoilers for recent episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was just renewed for another season, and there's plenty of reason for fans to celebrate. As the series heads into its sixth season, the Marvel drama continues to cement itself as one of the best superhero shows on television -- but it certainly didn't start out that way. While it started off a bit rocky, over its five season run the series developed a long-form narrative structure that has put it leagues above its competition. By breaking its season down into "pods," or smaller story arcs, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has changed the name of the game.

When S.H.I.E.L.D. initially debuted on ABC, the series followed a familiar formula. Though it wasn't quite a procedural, it did borrow heavily from this tried-and-true television narrative style in Season 1. As they fought off Hydra and other baddies like Ian Quinn and the Clairvoyant, Phil Coulson and his team searched the globe for 0-8-4s, or  "object[s] of unknown origin," every few weeks. This continued through to the first few episodes of Season 2, but that's when the show began to change.

In Season 2, S.H.I.E.L.D. took a far more linear approach to its storytelling. One of the 0-8-4s turned out to be an Inhuman artifact, which led to the discovery of Terrigen, which led the team to meet Daisy's mother Jiaying and her Inhuman commune, which led to a worldwide Terrigen contamination. As with most serialized shows, S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 2 used its 22 episodes to build a straightforward story (with a subplot or two) that reached its climax and conclusion in the finale.


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The show continued to evolve in Season 3. In this season, the show gave its story arc a subtitle: "Secret Warriors." In observance of this, S.H.I.E.L.D. dealt with the fallout of Season 2's finale and followed Daisy as she recruited NuHumans to her team. However, the season was much more than its Secret Warriors; it also sent Simmons to another planet, unearthed Hydra's true origin and unleashed an ancient Inhuman with plans to enslave his people. Each narrative wove together, becoming more tightly wound as the season reached its conclusion.

Season 4, however, took a radically different course of action. This year, the season was broken down into pods, each of which had its own subtitle: "Ghost Rider," "LMD" and "Agents of Hydra." Each pod contained a story that had its own beginning, middle and end, like mini-seasons within the larger narrative. By the end, though, it became clear how connected those smaller stories actually were. The finale used aspects introduced into each pod to bring the season home, proving just how vital each smaller story was to the season-long narrative.

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In many ways, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Season 4 formula has set it apart from its esteemed competition, including Supergirl, The Flash and Arrow. By introducing pods, S.H.I.E.L.D. almost frees itself from the constraints of the season-long story arc. As such, S.H.I.E.L.D. has less time for "filler" episodes; the storytelling is tighter and faster-paced, by virtue of the fact that each pod must fit into ten episodes or less. Where other shows must meander and bide their time for the season finale, S.H.I.E.L.D. can tell more stories, draw in more aspects from the comics and fit in multiple climaxes and character arcs. Fans simply get more bang for their buck when the season is broken down this way.

Even as S.H.I.E.L.D. starts and finishes several mini-stories within the season, the show still manages to bring everything together for the big season finale. If anything, this makes the climax of the story all the more satisfying. For one, the finale feels fresher, since less time is spent building up to a singular moment or event. Also, because the show has several "conclusions" before reaching the finale, the stakes seem raised in proportion to what came before. A finale built this way also feels like a payoff of all the smaller stories that brought the season to its conclusion, like a reward for sticking with the protagonists through several major struggles.


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S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 has, of course, continued in this tradition. Although it hasn't named its pods, the season can be broken down into three separate storylines: The Future, Thunderbolts and the Rise of Graviton. Each pod has had higher stakes than the one that came before it. For instance, "The Future" storyline focused on the team's fight for their own survival, while "Thunderbolts" saw them try to stop the creation of the Destroyer of Worlds, a world-ending threat. Now, in "The Rise of Graviton," the Destroyer of Worlds has arrived and the team has the literal fate of the planet in their hands. Because of this adherence to the formula, Season 5 is just as strong -- if not stronger -- than its predecessor.

Lately, the superhero television landscape has become pretty crowded. Even so, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stands out, thanks in large part to its clever storytelling formula. After hitting its stride in Season 2, the show has continued to grow and evolve in all the right ways. Its latest development -- the introduction of pods -- has tightened the pacing overall and created a more rewarding climax. Every year, the show comes closer to being the best long-form superhero television show on the air, and that's thanks to its innovative narrative structure. Though simple in concept, this formula has put Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. leagues above the rest.


Airing Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 5 stars Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Henry Simmons, Ian De Caestecker, Natalia Cordova-Buckley and Elizabeth Henstridge.