Fans are wondering if the current season of
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will also be its last, as the producers have revealed they are bracing for the end. While they are hopeful for a renewal, they also want to be prepared for a satisfying ending.
But a new analysis from
Deadline indicates that the show is on the bubble to be renewed for a sixth season. And while early signs are promising, there's no indication yet as to if the show will be canceled or not.
The report states that while the ratings for
Agents of SHIELD are low, the series gets a strong boost from the Live+ numbers that come from DVR recordings. The show has also seen a resurgence in quality over the last two seasons, with many fans responding positively to the Framework arc of Season 4 and the time-traveling, space-faring episodes of Season 5.
Agents of SHIELD is also the only
Marvel Television series left on ABC. The network did have
Agent Carter, which was canceled after two season, and
The Inhumans was not the boon executives were planning it to be. The IMAX experiment bombed in theaters and on TVs and is basically considered dead, according to the report.
There are no other rumblings of a new Marvel series premiering on ABC anytime soon, so if they want to stay involved with the superhero action, a new season of
Agents of SHIELD is their best bet.
Despite the positive signs, that isn't stopping the creative heads behind the scenes to plan for a potential end. Producer Jeff Bell said the upcoming fifth season finale could potentially serve as a series finale as well.
"Right now, we’re writing a series end," Bell said to Entertainment Weekly. "Because as far as we know, this could be it."
Showrunner Maurissa Tancharoen responded that this finale could also serve to tee off more episodes in the future.
"We’ll never end something without the potential for more story," Tancharoen said. "That’s how we’ve ended every season, because whenever we’ve come to the end of all the seasons past, we go into that mostly not knowing until the very last minute, so we’re basically doing the same thing to close out Season 5. It can fit well as a possible series finale, and it can fit well as just another season’s end."
Co-showrunner Jed Whedon added, "You always want to leave the idea that there’s more stories, it’s a question of whether or not we will tell them. We have our end, and we’ll stick to it regardless, and we think it’ll work either way."
We'll find out if
Agents of SHIELD go to work for more adventures later in the year.
