Call it the little engine that could but Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has just been given a very early renewal for a seventh season at ABC. Season six isn’t set to premiere until summer of next year.
The timing is a bit of a surprise, to say the least. The show, which had reduced licensing fee to secure its fifth-season pickup at the Disney-owned net, is hardly a top performer for ABC. But, as the first Marvel TV foray, it’s also proving to be the most enduring. The series’ renewal, one that will keep it on the air through at least 2020, comes as Netflix’s Marvel slate is being condensed and Big Disney plots more aggressive Marvel serials for its upcoming streaming platform — Disney+.
With live-plus-seven day Nielsen lifts, the series averaged just a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 and shy of 4 million viewers last season. Still, it remains an international draw and the fact that it’s produced by corporate siblings ABC Studios and Marvel Television has always worked in its favor. It’s also a solid DVR performer & is one of ABC’s biggest shows in the male demographic.
