Marvel TV Interested In Pursuing Comedy Series

When it comes to new content, Marvel Television isn’t ready to write anything off. The studio’s Netflix series have taken off while its ABC projects buck back-and-forth in popularity. However, it seems like Marvel Television may have found a way to rectify its cable reputation.

Earlier today, The Hollywood Reporter wrote an in-depth piece about Marvel Television’s future with ABC. The site confirmed the company is looking to develop an ABC drama in the same vein as Jessica Jones, but that is not all it’s got planned. In fact, Marvel Television is also looking to add comedies to its line-up.

“Comedy is something we really want to go into,” Karim Zreik told press recently at the Edinburgh TV Festival. Marvel Television’s senior vice president of programming continued, saying, “It took us time to dip our foot in the comedy pool.

Of course, ABC has dabbled with the idea of a superhero comedy in the past; A pilot for Damage Control was ordered back in 2015, but the series never saw the light of day. The clean-up firm did get used in Spider-Man: Homecoming, but the film’s inclusion of the Vulture tempered Damage Control’s outlandish comedy.

Damage Control wasn’t the only comedy series ABC had in mind once upon a time. The network also looked a second comedy, but no follow-up came after the announcement was made. Marvel Television will see its first comedy venture debut next year on Freeform once New Warriors premieres. The show will feature lesser-known superheroes like Squirrel Girl and Speedball as they live their day-to-day lives; Still, ABC has yet to nab its own series.

If the cable network can secure a comedy, ABC will be faced with an inevitable NBC comparison. The latter network debuted its first DC Comics comedy earlier this year with Powerless. The office-based comedy followed an security firm based in Charm City which mediated between civilians and C-list superheroes. The show was cancelled in May 2017 after nine episodes, so ABC’s comedy just has to last a full season to outdo its former competition.