ABC & Marvel planning 'Netflix-like' relaunch

[Bosco685]

ABC Rethinking Its Marvel Approach

 

After such strong beginnings, ABC has to be a little disappointed with its current Marvel TV lineup. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has declined in ratings every season and has been moved to a 10 PM time-slot. Agent Carter has been canceled and the network declined to move forward on Marvel’s Most Wanted. Speaking at the TCA Summer Press Tour, new ABC president Channing Dungey admitted that its time to rethink how ABC is approaching its Marvel adaptations and hinted that they might be looking to carve out a Netflix-esque series of interlocking programs.

 

"We all came to an agreement that the next show that we want to do together is something that is as creatively strong as it can be," said Dungey. A follow up question was posed as to whether ABC would look to replicate the Netflix model to which she replied, "That’s an interesting question, and we have talked a little bit about that, yes."

 

As for what Marvel currently has in development at ABC, John Ridley is rumored to be working on a TV show starring Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel and then there's Damage Control and a second, unnamed Marvel comedy also in development.

 

Still, with so many characters still left to be pulled out of the Marvel Comics and brought to live-action, it’s unclear what Marvel and ABC could have up their sleeves. Purposefully mum on the characters fans can expect to see, Dungey did say:

 

“We’re looking at a number of different things. Some of them are projects that we were working on before and some of them are totally new ideas and IP.”

 

Previous projects does not include a second look at Marvel’s Most Wanted, on which the ABC president clarified that, “at the end of the day, [it] did not feel as strong as some of the other pilots that we shot.” With so much potential in the pipeline, is there room for direct connectivity between the network shows and Netflix series? “That’s an interesting question and we have talked about that, yes,” Dungey clarifies.

 

Could they do a cross-network universe between the shows?

[Eric Seffinga]

The fact that they are connected isn't what makes the Netflix shows "good". I think ABC are missing the point entirely. They just keep making mediocre television.

 

I think Agents of Shield had a ton of potential, but it was squandered.

Same with Agent Carter.

 

IMO it's not about the IP they are using, or the connections between them, or the actors, or even the special effects and budgets. If anything, it's the writing, the direction and the venue.

 

They can connect the out of the shows, but if those other things don't change, it won't fix anything. But that's just my take...

[kimik]

AoS was bad at the start and is dying as a result. Even if it did improve after the first bit, too many people left and did not come back after the first few weak episodes. Whatever they do, they need to make sure it is clicking by episode six.

[Turtle]

AoS was bad at the start and is dying as a result. Even if it did improve after the first bit, too many people left and did not come back after the first few weak episodes. Whatever they do, they need to make sure it is clicking by episode six.

 

Which is too bad, because AoS got stronger as Season 1 progressed, Season 2 was better than Season 1, and Season 3 was better still. I think you're right...the rough start may have been too much to overcome.

[CBT]

The ABC shows are good shows, but a few things that hold them back from being Netflix quality:

 

1.) that they have to appeal to family audience, less visceral, etc

2.) they arent allowed to use strong high quality source material. They have essentially been given permission to play in the world of good source material, with no major characters. (Inhumans--but not the real ones, shield -- but no avengers, etc, etc).

3.) their show runners are more focused on the low-information, Politically Correct, pop-culture-audience, which means even the source material they do get, they are more interested in pushing narratives and agendas than staying true to what made the original good and successful to begin with.

 

 

It's no coincidence you see them throwing out Kamala Khan as a target show idea (young muslim woman, persecuted by 'islamophobes', 'mysoginistic men', and Christians, assuredly would be their take on it ), or that they pick a terrible version of Ghost Rider to add to Shield (as opposed to doing one of the versions that made the character famous to begin with). The people running this wing of Marvel are political agenda/narrative focused, not quality and true to source oriented.

 

That is why their shows will always be good, but not great. They need leadership/showrunner changes, and a completely different focus and mindset, before they can get to Netflix territory.

 

[CBT]

If they can use the Pander-GhostRider in Shield, they could do an older Ghost Rider as well.

 

I'll vote right now that they do a series of period pieces, based around Midnight Sons, set in the late 70s, early 80s, solo shows followed by a team-up.

 

Boom, you got vampires for the tweens, dark characters and topics to give it a netflix feel, and a bunch of shows culminating together in a crossover

[seanfingh]

AoS was bad at the start and is dying as a result. Even if it did improve after the first bit, too many people left and did not come back after the first few weak episodes. Whatever they do, they need to make sure it is clicking by episode six.

 

Which is too bad, because AoS got stronger as Season 1 progressed, Season 2 was better than Season 1, and Season 3 was better still. I think you're right...the rough start may have been too much to overcome.

 

I watched the first three or maybe four episodes and never went back.

[CBT]

 

I watched the first three or maybe four episodes and never went back.

 

The show was intended to be X-Files style, monster of the week, with Marvel universe cameos. That's how those early shows were shot, and how the show was intended to go.

 

The lack of enthusiasm for that format (plus the holding pattern waiting for Cap 2, hydra event) caused them to rethink and re-work the format.

 

Skye's father, Edward James Olmos, and everything to do with the portal/wasteland planet are the high points of AoS for me.

[Scrooge]

I watched the first three or maybe four episodes and never went back.

 

I don't blame you. They looked A-Team quality bad. I still cringe thinking back on the "jungle" fight scene in an early episode. Terrible. My wife was still interested so we stuck with it but, honestly, it's never been a top of the pile show. Still haven't finished watching the recent season ...

[chezmtghut]

Marvel should follow DC in making the AoS separate from the MCU. AoS would be great if they had different actors playing Nick Fury, Black Widow, Hawkeye & the Avengers were popping up from time to time & had their own shows as well. They could have a Captain America, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Hulk, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Mrs. Marvel, etc... having a show each with regular character cross over, then an Avengers series similar to Defenders where they all come together. Then they could actually give DC a run for their money on TV also. As it is, DC crushes Marvel. The only great show they have is Daredevil. Everything else has been pretty weak up till now. I'm hoping Luke Cage & Iron Fist will remedy that.

[revat]

I like AOS fine, but its not a must-watch by any stretch, and I won't miss it if its gone.

 

I think it'd be fine if they went with more short series a la Netflix, but on ABC. More family friendly stuff for the masses, but EVENT viewing nonetheless.

 

Kamala Khan Ms Marvel might work out, but I think Sam Alexander NOVA might be a better play (though I'm not sure how popular the book is) at least for the first series.

[fmaz]

I'll actually miss Agent Carter, if only because the cast was so excellent as was the production values. When they occasionally stumbled into good writing it was quite something.

 

AOS was strong as it can be last year, as long as they're only going to use their ties to the MCU as a handicap and not an advantage.

 

The fact that the CW series are seperate entities allows them great freedom to succeed. And that's even freedom from a, to this point, failed cinematic universe. So any connection would honestly be more an advantage for the FILM side than the TV side.

 

But with Marvel, the shared connection is this cool thing...but it's turned into big tease that's so faint as to bring no real advantage anymore. Early on you had Nick Fury, you had Maria Hill, you had Sif... But there needs to be more.

I don't see why, when filming each Marvel movie they couldn't fit in a scene or two for shield episodes with the primary leads...to be spaced out throughout the season. Think of what a big deal that would make. They wouldn't have to be major players in full episodes but just small walk on cameos peppered within the season would really leverage the whole shared universe concept.

And for sure it would help ratings.

[Antpark]

But with Marvel, the shared connection is this cool thing...but it's turned into big tease that's so faint as to bring no real advantage anymore. Early on you had Nick Fury, you had Maria Hill, you had Sif... But there needs to be more.

I don't see why, when filming each Marvel movie they couldn't fit in a scene or two for shield episodes with the primary leads...to be spaced out throughout the season. Think of what a big deal that would make. They wouldn't have to be major players in full episodes but just small walk on cameos peppered within the season would really leverage the whole shared universe concept.

And for sure it would help ratings.

I like that idea.

Some of the characters, ala Iron Man, could just have RDJ do a voice over and CGI the rest. (if they haven't done this already -- I stopped watching midway through Season 2).

 

 

[CBT]

Everything else has been pretty weak up till now.

 

 

Nope

[ChrisInBaltimore]

AoS was bad at the start and is dying as a result. Even if it did improve after the first bit, too many people left and did not come back after the first few weak episodes. Whatever they do, they need to make sure it is clicking by episode six.

 

Which is too bad, because AoS got stronger as Season 1 progressed, Season 2 was better than Season 1, and Season 3 was better still. I think you're right...the rough start may have been too much to overcome.

 

This is what killed it for me. I tried to jump in during the 2nd season cause everyone said how good it had gotten. I felt like I'd missed too much of the story though. I tried to go back when it hit Netflix, but it just didn't do it for me.

 

My wife watches it on nights I'm out. She likes it.

[bronze_rules]

The fact that they are connected isn't what makes the Netflix shows "good". I think ABC are missing the point entirely. They just keep making mediocre television.

 

I think Agents of Shield had a ton of potential, but it was squandered.

Same with Agent Carter.

 

IMO it's not about the IP they are using, or the connections between them, or the actors, or even the special effects and budgets. If anything, it's the writing, the direction and the venue.

 

They can connect the out of the shows, but if those other things don't change, it won't fix anything. But that's just my take...

 

+1

They had so much momentum and free hype starting out of the gate, it's a bit mind boggling how badly they squandered it. About the only episodes I even thought were slightly interesting were on the dark side of the planet the girl got stuck on -- was wishful thinking about the Watcher or inhumans showing up.. At this point, they'd be better off just handing over the rights to the Netflix team and maybe even doing a reboot from there.