Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. Script is Great, Says ABC Executive

Earlier today at the Television Critics Association, ABC entertainment president Paul Lee said Joss Whedon's script for the Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. pilot is "great" and "very Joss." TV Line was on the scene, and here's what they had to say about S.H.I.E.L.D., in a story that addressed a handful of ABC's 2013 shows, including the prospects of Happy Endings returning and the failure of Last Resort and 666 Park Avenue:

Lee revealed that the pilot for Joss Whedon's Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. has been fast-tracked and thus will be ready for review "a lot earlier than others." He hailed the script as "great" with "a lot of funny male/female relationships" as well as "a lot of action," and feels it could be a highly co-viewed show (that is, watched by parents with their kids) in the vein of Once Upon a Time. Elaborating on his go-to quote that the comic books-inspired pilot is "very Joss," he said: "You know how Joss is so high/low? How he's able to be intense and epic and suddenly funny/silly? He's got that ability to be super-entertaining." Lee said that if ordered to series ("Joss is very engaged and already working on scripts"), S.H.I.E.L.D. could air almost anywhere, in any time slot. "Marvel has the ability to bring the whole family."

Both of those suffered from a lack of female viewers, which hopefully shouldn't be a problem for Marvel's S.H.I.E.L.D. Audience feedback on both Marvel's The Avengers and Joss Whedon's shows have tended to be pretty well received across gender lines. Over at Hitfix, they have some more details, quoting Lee as saying that the series is moving along faster than anything else at ABC right now. "We fast-tracked it, we're going to see it a lot earlier than other (pilots)," Lee said. "We're very hopeful that it's going to go to series." He also made it sound as though the pilot has already been filmed, saying "We shot it in Los Angeles, to make sure (Whedon) is free to work across his feature life and television life," said Lee. "But I love to see Joss, who's made many great television series in his day, enjoying television as much as movies. That's flattering for us. We love that." They shot it? Past tense? Interesting. Asked whether the series might be slotted into Desperate Housewives' old Sunday night slot now that they need an anchor for that night, Lee said, "We're a long way from where we would schedule it, but there's no question S.H.I.E.L.D. could go anywhere. It could go at 8, it could absolutely go on Sunday, it could also go at 9 or 10."