ABC's potential spinoff from “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” was there and vanished before anything actually really happened with it.
In early April, the industry trades reported that Jeffrey Bell and Paul Zbyszewski were crafting a hypothetical spinoff based on the events in the “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” finale. In mid-April, it broke that Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood would be the focal points in the spinoff.
And last week, ABC decided it wasn't moving forward with the spinoff, which hadn't shot a pilot and hadn't revealed any characters beyond Palicki's Bobbi “Mockingbird” Morse and Blood's Lance Hunter.
Spinoff, we hardly knew ye.
In a Tuesday (May 12) conference call with reporters, ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee explained in very broad terms why no “S.H.I.E.L.D.” spinoff is on ABC's 2015-16 schedule.
“We absolutely love those characters on 'S.H.I.E.L.D.'” Lee explained. “We feel S.H.I.E.L.D.' hit its creative stride this year, and we love it… We felt the right time now was to leave them on S.H.I.E.L.D.,' because it's so strong at the moment.”
Unsurprisingly, Lee was hesitant to say much of anything about the shrouded-in-mystery Marvel project being developed by “American Crime” creator John Ridley, though he at least didn't deny the existence of the project.
“I can't talk about the John Ridley one, other than to say that he's working on it…” Lee said.
[On a side note, regarding the second season of “American Crime,” Lee said, “It”s a completely different scenario and a completely different crime” and teased that some of the actors from the first season would return, but in different roles.]
When it comes to Marvel properties that we can talk about, “Marvel's Agent Carter” will once again fill in the gap between half-seasons of “S.H.I.E.L.D.” The official Season 2 synopsis hints at a change of scenery, though.
“Dedicated to the fight against new atomic age threats in the wake of World War II, Peggy must now journey from New York City to Los Angeles for her most dangerous assignment yet. But even as she discovers new friends, a new home – and perhaps even a new love – she”s about to find out that the bright lights of the post-war Hollywood mask a more sinister threat to everyone she is sworn to protect.”
Fair enough!