Why You Should Watch Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

If you're not watching Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., then you're missing out on what appears to be the strongest season of the show to date.

When the Marvel Cinematic Universe officially launched, there were seemingly no plans for television shows tied into the new universe's continuity. That, of course, changed when Joss Whedon teamed with his brother Jed Whedon and sister-in-law Maurissa Tancharoen to develop Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. At launch, the series was meant to serve as a tie-in to the films while bringing back fan favorite Phil Coulson, who famously died at the hands of Loki in 2012's The Avengers. Being the first Marvel series, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. proved to be a ratings smash in 2013 when it premiered on ABC, only to suffer from backlash from fans and critics alike over the course of its first season.

Marvel fans had hoped for the series to be more than a simple tie-in to the films, hoping to see the series expand upon the MCU rather than simply react to things that happened off-screen. This, naturally, led to a decline in viewership, with the show having fallen below 3 million live viewers in recent seasons. However, despite the low ratings, the show has continued to push forward and ultimately prove it's a worthy companion to the film universe. With the big events we've already seen in Season 5, it's time for lapsed viewers and newcomers alike to give the series another chance.

Throughout the show's first season, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. admittedly suffered from the same issue many shows fall victim to: Struggling to decide what it wanted to be. In the beginning, the series relied heavily on the films, trying desperately to tie into whatever was going on with the Avengers on the big screen, and this proved to be a turn-off for most in search of something new and exciting. Thankfully, S.H.I.E.L.D. managed to course correct halfway through the season when the writers found a way to use the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier to their advantage in "Turn, Turn, Turn." Still, despite the show's willingness to take risks, viewers continued to ditch the series and the it failed to recapture the ratings performance of the pilot episode. And yet, even with the decline in viewers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has managed to do something most television shows wish they could do: Successfully reinvent itself with each new season.

Over the years, Marvel Television has continued to grow, with six shows on Netflix -- Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher -- one on Hulu (The Runaways), and various entries on ABC (including Agent Carter and Inhumans), but, their greatest success continues to be Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Sure, it isn't as popular as the others. And yes, ABC may not be the most ideal home for the series as they reportedly wanted to cancel the series after its fourth season. But its difficult to deny that over the course of its five seasons, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has proven to be one of -- if not the best -- comic book series on network television.

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Not only is the cast incredibly diverse -- unlike the Marvel films, which have been called out for their lack of diversity -- but the series is also willing to push the limits and become something different with each passing season. The first season focused on the team reacting to the films and teasing the truth behind Coulson's return, while the second season finally answered that question before delving into Inhumans, finally moving ahead of the films. At that time, Marvel's plans for the royal family were unknown, with many believing Feige and company had no real plans to bring the Inhumans to life on the big screen. When he surprised everyone by announcing Inhumans as part of Phase Three, it left fans wondering if the film would tie into Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., given the show's introduction of Inhumans. Then Marvel surprised fans once more by bringing Black Bolt and the rest of the royal family to ABC. That series -- which saw Marvel/Disney team with IMAX in an unprecedented deal to debut the first two episodes as a single feature film -- aired its first eight episode season earlier this year. Unfortunately, it did so to dismal ratings with many -- including S.H.I.E.L.D. actress Ming-Na Wen -- certain it'll be cancelled come upfronts in May.

The series was the product of showrunner Scott Buck, who was coming off a poorly received first season of Netflix's Iron Fist. Ultimately, both shows proved to be massive setbacks for Marvel Television. While the future is cloudy for Inhumans, Iron Fist was lucky enough to land a second season order from Netflix, albeit with a new showrunner this time around.

So, how does a show such as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. succeed while shows like Iron Fist and Inhumans fail? Because the series isn't afraid of taking risks. After bringing us Ghost Rider in the wildly entertaining Season 4, Whedon and Tancharoen have sent the agents to space, with a surprising twist: time-travel. The change in both setting and time has allowed the show to go places that were seemingly impossible beforehand, pushing the characters further and allowing them to blossom into something more. And unlike both Inhumans and Iron Fist, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't shy away from the source material. With Iron Fist, the series shifted away from bringing Shou-Lao to life on the small screen -- a crazy decision, now that the sentient dinosaur Old Lace exists courtesy of The Runaways -- while Inhumans brought the royal family to Earth rather than fully exploring Attilan. This has never been an issue with S.H.I.E.L.D. Rather than shying away from the comics, the show often delves deep into Marvel lore to tell its stories. From Vrellnexians, the inclusion of Daisy "Quake" Johnson and Yoyo "Slingshot" Rodriguez, and the return of the Kree, Season 5 is poised to easily become the strongest season of S.H.I.E.L.D. yet.

The writing is tight, the acting is solid, and the effects have never been better. With the first four seasons currently available to stream on Netflix, there's no reason not to get caught up with one of the strongest comic book shows currently airing. And if this season ends up being the last, at least the series is set to go out with a bang.

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, Elizabeth Henstridge, Nick Blood, Jeff Ward, Eve Harlow, Pruitt Taylor Vince and Coy Stewart.