Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premiered this fall on ABC to the cheers of comic book and superhero movie fans everywhere.

This new show is in the action, drama, science fiction genre, and based on the success of the Marvel movies, and was highly anticipated. The show is about Agent Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg, who you might remember from other Marvel films, like Iron Man, Thor, and Avengers, who assembles and leads an elite team of agents to travel around the world, to find and intercept various individuals who gain or discover powers that make them a possible threat to others.

S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic, Hazard, Intervention, Espionage, Logistics, Directorate), which means that someone really wanted this agency to spell shield, is part of the Marvel universe, which means that it will tie in directly and indirectly with the very popular and profitable movie franchise.

The team is made up of agents who do not possess any special powers, hence the tag line, “not all heroes are super.” Grant Ward (Brett Dalton) is a trained problem eliminator, assassin and spy. He has little time to waste on getting along with the other members of the team.

Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen is “the Cavalry” who is driving the team “bus” (a modified for vertical takeoff and landings C-130 transport plane with all the comforts of home and technology to make Toni Stark jealous). Why she is called “the Cavalry” has not yet been revealed, but I’m sure it will be in future episodes in traditional Marvel style. Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons (Iain De Caestecker and Elizabeth Henstridge) are the technology experts. It is their job to figure things out, and they always do. The final member of the team is a new recruit named Skye (Chloe Bennet), a hacker who is being turned from nuisance to S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

My biggest complaint about this show might also be its greatest asset. The show is corny, in a sort of fun way. The cast is stereotyped and clichéd and many of the plots are predictable, but for some reason it just works. Like the comic series or the film franchises, this show is, well, fun.

Unlike so many other shows on television today, this show has a plot, and characters (shallow as they may be) and is fun to watch. So, I don’t mind the snarky and corny remarks from the characters Skye or Grant Ward. I don’t realize how clichéd how nerdy the dialogue is from characters, Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons .

The overall feel of the show is much like the old X-files show. Every week the team goes to some unexplained mysterious event and tries to explain it. This show however is in the Marvel universe and deals with superheroes and the government’s attempt to control the proliferation of individuals with super powers.

The show does have a corny feel but I find myself looking forward to seeing it every week. I will continue to watch this show every Tuesday at 8:00, on ABC. You should check it out too.

— Sharief Masri