Agent Carter

Starring: Hayley Atwell (18 episodes), James D'Arcy (18 episodes), Enver Gjokaj (18 episodes), Chad Michael Murray (14 episodes), Wynn Everett (10 episodes), Reggie Austin (10 episodes), Bridget Regan (10 episodes), Lesley Boone (9 episodes), Shea Whigham (7 episodes), Lyndsy Fonseca (7 episodes), Currie Graham (7 episodes), Lotte Verbeek (7 episodes), Kurtwood Smith (7 episodes), Dominic Cooper (5 episodes), Matt Braunger (5 episodes), Ken Marino (5 episodes), Rey Valentin (5 episodes), Alexander Carroll (5 episodes), Ralph Brown (4 episodes), Ray Wise (4 episodes), Meagan Fay (4 episodes), Kyle Bornheimer (3 episodes), Chris Browning (3 episodes), Sarah Bolger (3 episodes), Tom Choi (2 episodes), James Frain (2 episodes), Max Brown (2 episodes), Neal McDonough (1 episode), Toby Jones (1 episode), Stan Lee (1 episode), Kevin Heffernan (1 episode)
Directed by: Jennifer Getzinger (2 episodes), Metin Huseyin (2 episodes), David Platt (2 episodes), Lawrence Trilling (2 episodes), Craig Zisk (2 episodes), Stephen Cragg (1 episode), Louis D'Esposito (1 episode), Joe Russo (1 episode)
Rating: TV-PG
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2015-2016

Seasons Seen:
Tim: 1 - 2

Summary: In the 1940s, Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) works to overcome sexism in the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) while fighting to save the world from extreme threats.

Review:
Tim: I love that "Agent Carter" exists as a television series. The second series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe had a female lead and addressed gender issues in its 1940s time period. The fact that this series exists at all is an accomplishment. It built off the momentum by the incredible "Agent Carter" short film. Now, I do wish the series had been a little better and I was bummed it was cancelled after two seasons, but still- I'm very thankful we got these 18 episodes. It fills in some of the timeline for the MCU and expands the scope of that massive series.

What really makes this series work is Hayley Atwell. She was so perfectly cast as Peggy Carter and I love that she was able to shine and stand on her own here. She's a good actress and was just perfect for this role. It was great fun to see her continued adventures. Atwell is undoubtedly the chief reason to see this series. The supporting cast was strong, though. James D'Arcy was perfect as Howard Stark's very proper butler, Edwin Jarvis (which connects well with Iron Man, decades later. Atwell and D'Arcy worked very well together and their interactions were always fun. Enver Gjokaj was a great addition his Sousa emerging as one of the more memorable and likeable characters. Chad Michael Murray gave a good performance, you never knew if you liked him or hated him or somewhere in between. It was impressive that he was able to balance all that. Shea Whigham is another strong actor I always like- it was so good seeing him here. The rest of the cast was fairly strong as well. Not a ton of big names, but the cast was a definite strength.

At this point, Marvel hasn't quite cracked the code for television series on basic cable. "Agents of SHIELD" has so many strengths, but it feels like a second tier effort. The same could be said for "Agent Carter". The show was fun in a comic-book-way and I appreciated the gender commentary, but I don't think anyone would claim this was as good a show as it could have been. The stakes felt very low. We know Carter lives to a very old age, so all the danger she's in felt somewhat blunted. That's part of the issue with prequels or anytime you go back in the past. Still, this was more about filling in the blanks and it was great fun seeing the different adventures Peggy got into. I would have liked to see the show go longer and focus more on the formation of SHIELD, but two seasons is probably all we could have asked for a show like this. Still, it makes me smile that we got this series. Yes, it was corny and predictable, but it was fun, too.

Marvel would obviously go on to figure out television (but at this point, only through their incredible Netflix series). The question of whether they can deliver a truly great basic cable show remains to be seen. While this film never delivered the quality we wanted, it was fun while it lasted. I love that it expanded the ambitious, landmark Marvel Cinematic Universe and promoted a strong female lead. Despite its flaws, you can chalk "Agent Carter" up as a win.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



If You Enjoyed This Series, We Recommend: Agents of SHIELD