Agent Carter (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The complete first season was released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 18, 2015, as an Amazon exclusive.
• Both seasons of Agent Carter were made available on Disney+ at launch on November 12, 2019.
• The series aired on CTV in Canada and TV2 in New Zealand.

Cast and characters

Hayley Atwell portrays Peggy Carter, an SSR agent initially assigned administrative work. And she often uses that to her advantage. Atwell explained that the apparent death of Steve Rogers gives Carter "a tremendous amount of determination to carry on despite the obstacles that she comes across. Gabriella Graves plays a young Carter. James D'Arcy appears as Edwin Jarvis, Howard Stark's butler and Carter's ally, who later tutors Tony Stark and inspires the J.A.R.V.I.S. artificial intelligence. Atwell described Carter's relationship with Jarvis as the series' "comic relief," with "witty banter back and forth. Fazekas said some of Jarvis's persona came from the comics and some was developed by the writers and D'Arcy. D'Arcy was initially nervous about the comedic side, given his history of playing psychopaths, and did not study Paul Bettany's performance as J.A.R.V.I.S. Chad Michael Murray plays Jack Thompson, a war veteran and SSR agent described as chauvinistic and "chest-puffing. Murray compared Thompson to Indiana Jones and noted that, unlike his One Tree Hill character, Thompson is not a "moral compass. For the second season, Thompson becomes chief of the East Coast SSR office. Enver Gjokaj also stars, with Shea Whigham joining for the first season.

Production

A potential Agent Carter series was first discussed in July 2013 by Louis D'Esposito after a screening of the Agent Carter One-Shot at San Diego Comic-Con. By September, Marvel Television was developing a series inspired by the short film. In January 2014, ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee confirmed development and named Tara Butters and Michele Fazekas as showrunners, with Chris Dingess also serving as showrunner. Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely envisioned the series as a limited series of about 13 episodes. On May 8, 2014, ABC ordered the series for eight episodes, with executive producers including Butters, Fazekas, Markus, McFeely, Dingess, Kevin Feige, Louis D'Esposito, Alan Fine, Joe Quesada, Stan Lee, and Jeph Loeb. The series was renewed for a second season of 10 episodes on May 7, 2015.

Cancellation

Following low viewership, Maureen Ryan of Variety argued that canceling the series would be a mistake for ABC and the Disney-ABC conglomerate, noting that entertainment properties should be evaluated for their overall value beyond ratings. She suggested that if ABC did not renew the series, it could explore other opportunities such as debuting on the Watch ABC app or being sold to Netflix, where its period-piece status could attract viewers. Ryan also proposed that Marvel could create a subscription service similar to CBS's Star Trek model. In March 2016, Fazekas said the producers felt "bad" about the chances for a third season due to low viewership, adding that she would like to see the series continue in some other form, though she doubted a Netflix play. She also stated that ABC wanted some conclusion, so the writers would find a way to wrap up lingering plot threads if the series was not renewed. On May 12, 2016, ABC canceled the series.

Future

In March 2015, Butters revealed discussions with Thrilling Adventure Hour co-creator Ben Blacker about turning the fictional Captain America Adventure Program radio show from the first season into a real podcast, with potential episodes of "little fifteen-minute storylines." Before cancellation, Atwell said the second season finale does not suggest a happily-ever-after ending and that the writers wrapped it up in a clever way while leaving room for more. Fazekas explained that an early idea from Markus and McFeely was to set the third season in London, but the show could be set anywhere because it is about spies. She added that seeds for a third season were planted throughout the second season, with the shooter of Thompson and the M. Carter file tied to a third season arc. Atwell said the third season would have explored Carter's past and possibly her family, including her brother Michael. Writer Jose Molina stated in July 2018 that the season would have focused on the investigation of the assassination attempt on Thompson and the revelation that Michael was still alive and involved in "very nefarious, super-villainous shenanigans."