‘Agents of SHIELD’ season 6: Clark Gregg directing, Jeff Ward now a regular and ABC looking for a ratings bump
It was announced in May that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 was pushed back to the summer of 2019, and now Channing Dungey, the president of ABC Entertainment, has given an explanation for the change.
Speaking with THR, Channing Dungey explained the move to the new summer air date. “It’s my hope that by moving it to summer, where our live-same-day ratings are less important, it might be able to continue for longer.”
Dungey is referencing weak live ratings, because Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been able to maintain an incredibly loyal and dedicated fan base. The show also does exceptionally well in delayed viewing, with most of its viewership coming from DVR recordings, Hulu, and Netflix.
The remark was part of a bigger picture explanation of the show’s future, particularly beyond season six: “We’ll see [if it’s the end]. I feel like last season was our strongest creative season ever and the fan base remains very loyal — and we do very well in delayed viewing…”
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 already started production last month.
Jeff Ward as Deke
The season premiere, titled “Missing Pieces,” is set to be directed by series star Clark Gregg, who also enjoyed a role in the upcoming film, Captain Marvel.
Gregg’s Coulson appeared to have died (again) in the season 5 finale, but fans expect a spin on that to keep Coulson around.
As We Got This Covered noted: “Seeing as he’s such a major part of the show, and the MCU as a whole though, it’s tough to think of S.H.I.E.L.D. without Coulson. Especially if, like Dungey says, the series might not even be ending soon. That said, the ensemble cast has grown enough over the years to stand on their own two feet without S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most famous agent.”
Either way, you can catch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. when it arrives on ABC in the summer of 2019.
Season 6 will still consist of Ming-Na Wen (Melinda May), Chloe Bennet (Daisy Johnson), Iain De Caestecker (Leo Fitz), Elizabeth Henstridge (Jemma Simmons), Henry Simmons (Al MacKenzie), Natalia Cordova-Buckley (Yo-Yo Rodriguez).
Jeff Ward has been added as a main cast member as Deke Shaw. He is the scavenging grandson of Jemma and Fitz, as seen in season 5. His addition as a regular cast member was revealed at SDCC 2018 via a cast interview with Entertainment Weekly.
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[…] SHIELD stars Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake, Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie, Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez and Jeff Ward as Deke Shaw. […]
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[…] SHIELD stars Ming-Na Wen as Melinda May, Chloe Bennet as Daisy Johnson/Quake, Iain De Caestecker as Leo Fitz, Elizabeth Henstridge as Jemma Simmons, Henry Simmons as Alphonso “Mack” MacKenzie, Natalia Cordova-Buckley as Elena “Yo-Yo” Rodriguez and Jeff Ward as Deke Shaw. […]