Despite low ratings and a high price tag, a mass of critical acclaim and, most likely, desire by Marvel to not see a show “fail” has led ABC to officially announce a renewal for the Hayley Atwell starring Captain America spin-off, Agent Carter. Set to serve as another event-series filler for the break of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. next winter, the best thing ABC could do for the series at this point is make sure it’s easily accessible this summer to new viewers in order to hopefully increase the show’s awareness later in the 2015/2016 television season.

Of all the Marvel shows on the alphabet network’s slate, Carter was always the one that had the least chance of seeing a life beyond its initial season. In addition to the low ratings and high price tag listed above, ABC stuck true to the idea of the season being an “event” that featured a self-contained story, and that meant there was no narrative reason to continue Peggy’s journey. Everything we needed to know, we knew, and the cliff-hanger at the end can just as easily be answer by a second season of the show as much it can by watching the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

The biggest thing Carter’s renewal does is give fans a reason to remain loyal to the Marvel brand on the network, which it turn could also equal an increase in ratings. If audience members know the show they’re enjoying isn’t going to be ripped out from under them because viewership is down, it might incline more of them to actually tune in for a live-airing instead of binging on Netflix months down the road – after their viewership no longer matters to the series’ well-being. But, the renewal could also be a sign of a larger issue concerning Marvel’s desire to save face.

Last year, there was no financial reason to extend the life of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The only reasonable explanation to its survival is the fact that Marvel didn’t want its first TV series to be viewed as a failure just when it was about to go into production on its first Netflix series. Because of that, it’s likely that some behind-closed-doors discussions took place that allowed S.H.I.E.L.D. to live-on. And it’s these same talks that probably led to the continuation of Agent Carter. If anything, its renewal may make things easier for Marvel down the road as it tries to recruit more talent such as John Ridley for new shows. If they aren’t going to cancel a show that has every reason to be cancelled, some may view it as a reason to sign on for the long haul with the home of Iron Man. [Source]