Arrow Star, Producers Dismiss Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Comparisons

Earlier this season, we ran an article crowning The CW's Arrow as 'the best comic book series on [...]

By Russ Burlingame

The Scientist

Earlier this season, we ran an article crowning The CW's Arrow as "the best comic book series on the air," drawing comparisons to both Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and AMC's The Walking Dead. While The Walking Dead has a totally different audience and doesn't often invite easy comparisons to the superhero drama, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which most agree has been a bit disappointing so far this year, has been haunted by comparisons to Arrow all season long. Arrow, fans and critics point out, is leaps and bounds better than it was last year and objectively better than anyone could have expected it to be this year, while expectations for S.H.I.E.L.D. ran so high it was almost impossible to imagine them meeting the bar. The result has been a parade of unfavorable comparisons to Arrow which, while a year older and more established, is also a show on The CW, so operating with significantly less of a budget and less PR support than S.H.I.E.L.D.

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Faced with a handful of fan comments on TVLine's message boards, Yahoo! TV mentioned the comparisons to Arrow and Flash executive producer Andrew Kreisberg, asking him his thoughts on a reader suggestion that S.H.I.E.L.D. showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen should "study"Arrow to see how a comics-to-TV adaptation should be done. Kreisberg deferred, telling the reporter from Yahoo!, "We don't really feel like we're in competition with anybody else. We're only trying to outdo ourselves as we move forward." That's similar to what his fellow executive producer--Marc Guggenheim--told ComicBook.com back in October. "Look, with regard to S.H.I.E.L.D.: I'm a huge Joss Whedon fan, I'm a huge Marvel Comics fan, I do work with Marvel Comics. I'm really just rooting for them," Guggenheim told us. "At the same time, it's always nice to be compared favorably to any other show. I'll definitely take those comparisons to S.H.I.E.L.D. My hope is that the people who have enjoyed S.H.I.E.L.D. will enjoy Arrow and the people who enjoy Arrow will check out S.H.I.E.L.D." When the show kicked off, of course, Guggenheim and Kreisberg were developing Arrow essentially as the only game in town–but if it lasts until next season (which is a virtual guarantee), it will have not only S.H.I.E.L.D. to share the airwaves with, but also Gotham and potentially Agent Carter, Constantine and more.

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"I think television, and network television in particular, is very much an exercise in, if something is successful one season, you see five different versions of it the next season," Guggenheim admitted. "I'm actually really glad that we are the tip of the spear and quite frankly I'm just enjoying the attention that the show is getting. The fact that there are similar shows either coming out this year or in development for further seasons, I think it only helps Arrow, quite frankly." Again, Kreisberg agrees. "I think all of us here — not just as writers but as viewers — are thrilled that we're in what feels like a golden age of comic book adaptations in both film and television," Kreisberg told Yahoo! "We're excited to be part of this real shift in the TV landscape that includes S.H.I.E.L.D. and hopefully for next season Gotham and Constantine, and even the Daredevil show, which I'm really excited about." "We really feel like a rising tide lifts all ships," Kreisberg concluded. "So the more comic book adaptations the better!"

Keep Your Enemies Closer

Perhaps unsurprisingly, a fan called the Yahoo! article to the attention of series star Stephen Amell, who spends a lot of time on Facebook interacting with fans, and asked if he had anything further to share. Amell did--and he's even more committed to the idea than are his bosses, calling comparisons to other comic book shows "lazy." "We are not in competition with other television shows," the star wrote. "I realize Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an easy comparison, but it's also kind of lazy. We aren't trying to be the best comic book show, we're trying to be THE best hour of entertainment. Period." He added, "There still seems to be a distinction that assumes television is somehow inferior to cinema... I think that's ridiculous. We embrace the rigors of an episodic schedule, use them to our advantage and churn out a kick ass product with a high degree of difficulty and virtually no margin for error. 966 minutes of programming every year. I couldn't be prouder of what we do and that sense of accomplishment is based solely on the quality of our product, not the performance of anyone else's."

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