Agent Carter fans are taking a cue from their beloved Peggy and not going down without a fight. After ABC officially announced the cancellation of the Marvel series they got to work with campaigns to find it a new home. Would Netflix answer the call?
The writing was on the wall for a while. Agent Carter's Season 2 ratings weren't high, and a new ABC president was likely to shake things up. When the network announced Agents of SHIELD was getting a renewal halfway through the season but remained mum on the more unique Agent Carter, there was also concern. Then lead actor Hayley Atwell was being connected to a new pilot on the network, the now picked up Conviction, that seemed to be the nail in the coffin. (Agent Carter showrunners Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters also had a pilot in the works, The Death Of Eva Sofia Valdez starring Gina Torres, which did not get picked up.) While it would certainly be possible for Atwell to work on two series (Agent Carter's seasons always had shorter runs), it felt like the network was telling her “We're sorry, but here, take this.”
Regardless, fans weren't taking the decision sitting down. One has started a petition (around 7,000 signatures strong at the moment) to get Netflix to pick up Agent Carter. Netflix is already home to Marvel's Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders, and The Punisher so if any non-traditional outlet was willing to welcome Agent Carter with open arms, fans hope it's them.
On the petition page you can find an outpouring of emotion of the series. “Peggy Carter teaches girls that they are worth something. No other Marvel hero does that,” wrote one fan. “It has a grown-up woman who is friends with many other women, women boosting each other up (instead of tearing each other down), and a perfect *platonic* friendship between a woman and a man (with a wife who encourages their friendship rather than being jealous) — all surprisingly rare in our media. We can't afford to lose this series!” wrote another.
Jennifer Carey, a longtime and vocal supporter of the show is helping to spread the word on social media.
Support #AgentCarter! 1. Sign: https://t.co/hIqS0NwQGe 2. Follow: @RenewAgntCarter 3. Tweet: #RenewAgentCarter #AgentCarterNetflix
– Jennifer R. Carey (@jenniferrcarey) May 13, 2016
On Tumblr, users have noted there's a Netflix customer service line:
In addition to tweeting, hashtagging, and offering sacrifices to the almighty Stan Lee (that last one”s a joke, but don”t let me stop you from having a good time), Call 1 (800) 585-7265 and let them know you want Netflix to pickup Agent Carter! It”s as simple as leaving a message!!
“Just got off the phone and off a chat with Netflix people!! The two people I spoke to would love to pick up #agentcarter for one of their Netflix Originals,” another user wrote. “In fact, the online person her name is Betty said she was heartbroken over the cancellation of Agent Carter because she was watching it too :). They both said they would pass the message along.”
And the fans aren't the only ones pushing for more Agent Carter. Brandon Easton, who came on as a writer for Season 2, is letting people know if they are upset about the cancellation they should come out to a special Agent Carter screening tonight at California State University, Los Angeles for Eagle-Con 2016. Easton, actor Reggie Austin (Dr. Wilks), and VFX supervisor Sheena Duggal will be speaking afterward.
It's naive in our current pop culture landscape to think there's no hope for Agent Carter's return. We live in a world where fans funded a Veronica Mars movie, Arrested Development, and Wet Hot American Summer were revived, and Full House got a sequel series (most of those on Netflix). You never know what could happen.
Personally, I'm pulling for a continuation whether it be Season 3 or perhaps a fantastic film-length feature on Netflix to give the series a bit more closure. But I would also be surprised if Marvel didn't give us more of Peggy's story through their films in the next few years. Between the series ending on a cliffhanger and the enormous amount of story potential left (we still haven't seen Peggy and Howard Stark forming SHIELD) let's hope Marvel sees Agent Carter's value.