Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 has built a real following on among viewers who want their sci-fi to think as hard as it looks. The show says what it needs to say in a single season, no filler. An 8/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch it for Clark Gregg — the performance elevates material that could easily tip into self-seriousness. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 is worth clearing space for. What makes Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 work is that the ideas never crowd out the people having them. Season one begins where the “Marvel's The Avengers” left off. It's just after the battle of New York, and now that the existence of superheroes and aliens has become public knowledge, the world is trying to come to grips with this new reality. Agent Phil Coulson is back in action and now has his eye on a mysterious group called The Rising Tide. Clark Gregg and Chloe Bennet lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was aired in 2013. What separates Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 from lesser genre entertainment is a willingness to let the concept cost the characters something. The consistency throughout is what elevates it — not every moment is the best, but none of them are a reason to stop watching.

Viewers burned by ambitious sci-fi that could not sustain its premise should give Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 1 a chance. It does not lean on comparisons to make its case. The complete run is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Clark Gregg anchors it with a performance that makes the more abstract moments feel personal. If you have been burned by ambitious sci-fi before, this is the exception.