The Avengers director Joss Whedon is reportedly working on a S.H.I.E.L.D show for ABC. Here’s our wish list.
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Hey, Joss.
We don’t really like using this website as a bully pulpit (geeks hate bullies, after all), but we read last night that you’re going to be working on a live-action S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show for ABC, and we wanted to talk to you about it.
First of all, this news is really great. Can’t wait to see what you’ll create. But, in the meantime, one suggestion: Please write Neil Patrick Harris into the show.
Hear us out. This doesn’t have to be a big deal. He could just show up as a secret agent sometimes. (The man looks good in a suit — ask any fan of Barney Stinson.) But he also brings something we all know the two of you love: musical numbers.
Remember Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog? That was fabulous. And NPH, who is so heroic in his abilities you once called him “the Jason Bourne of entertainers,” was there.
You’ve already promised there is another Dr. Horrible in the works, and when you told us about it you said, “Songwriting is … you have to be in a particular mode for that. Unless you’re my brother Jed and just a genuine musician and composer and he’s always in that mode.”
Well, word is that Jed is helping you with this S.H.I.E.L.D. deal. Presumably a show based on Marvel Comics’ S.H.I.E.L.D. superspies will need Cobie Smulders to reprise her role from The Avengers, and she’s already working with Harris on How I Met Your Mother. (They look really awesome smoking cigars together on that show, so there’s that.)
See? It all makes sense. And obviously, even though it’s been a while since that seminal musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, you’re still into musical TV. That episode of Glee you directed was dope. And, wait, wasn’t NPH also in that? Yes. He was. He sang Aerosmith and “Piano Man,” and everywhere nerd hearts fluttered.
It should be obvious by now that this is all a little facetious. This new show of yours (probably) won’t really need Harris or musical numbers to be amazeballs. It’s got you. But what we’re saying is, The Avengers made a bajillion dollars (rough estimate) and Marvel seems to have a lot of faith in the Whedonverse so, please, shoot for the moon with this thing. Our TVs have missed your work recently, and The Avengers was super and, yeah, there just needs to be more of that.
This won’t be like the last time(s) when the show was good, but just didn’t quite catch on in the ratings. Your built-in audience of Whedon fans will be augmented by a swarm of superhero freaks, all ready to watch your take on S.H.I.E.L.D.
Actors seem to really like working on comic-book properties these days, so there’s all sorts of room for cool guest-spots — Thor/Chris Hemsworth walk-on, please? Maybe even — SPOILER ALERT — bring back best S.H.I.E.L.D.-er ever Agent Coulson in some sort of flashback?
So please, go balls-out. Do crossovers with anything and everything Marvel. Throw in references to Heathers and make sure there are plenty of kick-ass girls in there. The possibilities are endless, and nerdgasm-worthy. Go for it full-force. Bring it.
Now more than ever, Joss, you have our attention — we trust you’ll use it wisely.
