There’s a lot of high-profile comic book-based TV shows on broadcast and Netflix right now. From The Flash and Arrow to Daredevil and Supergirl, there’s no shortage of vigilantes and powered people to root for. However, there’s another really excellent show on TV right now – Marvel’s Agent Carter.
Regardless of how you feel about the greater Marvel Cinematic Universe or even Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter stands on its own and is well-written, well-acted, and really enjoyable to watch. It could also use some more viewers. If you haven’t already checked out the series, here’s three reasons you should tune in to the adventures of Agent Peggy Carter.
Getting it Done for the Ladies
If you miss Leslie Knope, let Peggy Carter fill the feminist void on your TV screen. Over the last season and a half Agent Carter has been busy saving the world and breaking glass ceilings as she demonstrates over-and-over again that women are just as capable as men.
Beyond the titular character, the show regularly features a handful of other strong and independent women. Let’s just say, Agent Carter easily passes the Bechdel Test. In addition, there are a number of women working behind the scenes as showrunners, producers, and writers.
Great Fashion & Style
TV is a visual medium, and Agent Carter routinely makes good use of color, lighting, costumes, and it’s coast-to-coast New York City / Hollywood settings. Unlike many of the other Marvel TV shows, Agent Carter doesn’t shy away from scenes set during the daytime or even from outfits with color.
You won’t find any capes, hoods, spandex suits, tights, or Under Armor apparel here. In fact everyone is pretty much dressed to the nines. Activewear on Agent Carter generally consists of a recreation tie for Mr. Jarvis and a pants suit with flats for Peggy. Undercover missions with disguises offer even more opportunities to play with the style and glamor of the 1940s.
Balances Drama & Comedy
Agent Carter excels at striking just the right balance between humor and seriousness. For a show that ably handles sexism in the workplace and early Cold War paranoia, Agent Carter is a surprisingly fun series.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of action to go around, from hand-to-hand combat and explosions to heists and undercover ops, it fits right into the comic book genre with its high stakes, but the show has a sense of humor too. Where else are you going to see a slow-mo hero walking shot undercut with someone tripping?
The comedy is even more dialed in for the second season as relationships between characters are well established by this point. Agent Carter’s ragtag team not only has each other’s backs but also no qualms about teasing one another. It’s a rather pleasant departure from the doom-and-gloom worlds and go-at-it-alone mindsets of so many of the current comic book properties on TV and Netflix.
New episodes of Agent Carter airs Tuesday nights at 9pm on ABC.
