WandaVision Showrunner Says Series Inspired by Friends

The first Marvel Studios series lined up for Disney+ is less than a month away as WandaVision is set to premiere on the streaming service, giving fans the first adventure of the Scarlet Witch and Vision since the events of Avengers: Endgame. But this will be unlike any other film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, as trailers indicate that WandaVision will be heavily influenced by sitcoms from eras spanning the ’60s to the present day. We know that classic sitcoms like Friends and Parks & Recreation will be primary influences on the Marvel series, which should be a surprise for many Marvel fans.

Executive producer Jac Schaeffer recently spoke with Emmy Magazine about the upcoming series. During her discussion, she talked up the influence of Friends, Parks & Recreation, and other shows like I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke Show, My Three Sons, Father Knows Best, and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. We already know about the Bewitched influence that Schaeffer also referenced.

“I knew there was a sort of wonder and sincerity to the two of them. Then you combine that with the world of sitcom, which on its face is false and ridiculous. But when you peer into it, it’s calm and warm and enmeshed without shared sense of what home is, what family is, and what this country is. So, we preserved the sanctity of their relationship and gave it a spin. This goes far beyond the banter-y stuff.”

The inclusion of sitcom elements might worry some die-hard Marvel fans who are unsure of overt comedy having too much influence. Vision actor Paul Bethany assures fans that they need not worry, as the series is actually more like the movies than the trailers have let on thus far.

“I can tell you that there is no difference in production values. It feels very much like every Marvel movie that I’ve been involved in. It’s a seamless continuation.”

Bethany added, “The blurring of the line between television and cinema is going to happen whether we like it or not, so it’s really exciting to be providing a product that has absolutely cut no corners.”

Marvel Studios boss Kevin Feige made it clear that the shift to streaming is important for the shared universe’s future.

“Streaming is 100 percent the future and where consumers want to watch things,” Feige told the magazine. “And hopefully, they’ll want to watch our long-form narrative series. An experience like WandaVision is something you can’t get in a movie. You go to movies for things you can’t get on streaming, and you go to streaming for things you can’t get in a theater. And of course, everything in a theater goes to streaming eventually.”

WandaVision premieres on Disney+ on January 15, 2021.