3. Marvel: Agents of SHIELD

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3T-evQZiQo&w=584&h=390]

For anyone who has even a passing interest in Joss Whedon, Marvel: Agents of SHIELD is a big, fat mitzvah. The creator-writer-producer-director behind Buffy and the recent Much Ado About Nothing has a knack for creating cult shows that never get the following they deserve or shows that get cancelled before their time. However, after the mega-success of The Avengers, Whedon can now print his own money. Agents of SHIELD shows him well on the way. If this show doesn’t end up a huge success, then I know nothing about television.

The show is perfectly calibrated to Whedon’s many strengths, a blend of action, humor and ensemble drama that will delight fans of his previous work, especially Firefly, to which the show feels like a spiritual successor. Clark Gregg reprises his role as Agent Coulson, leading a cast (including ER’s Ming-Na Wen) that perfectly nails the Whedon tone and his face-paced dialogue. It might need some time to find its footing as an entity separate from the one that Whedon created for The Avengers, but for now, I’m happy to enjoy the ride.