Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will not be facing the same crushing fate as fellow ABC show Inhumans.
Ahead of ABC's presentation at the US TV Upfronts on Tuesday (May 15), the network has renewed Agents of SHIELD for a sixth season — but there's one major caveat.
ABC has ordered only 13 more episodes of Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, rather than the traditional 22 (via The Hollywood Reporter). While ABC isn't yet calling next year the final season of Agents of SHIELD, that prospect is looking increasingly likely.
The 11th hour renewal for SHIELD comes three days after ABC formally cancelled its latest companion series Inhumans, which flopped when it aired last fall on the network.
Earlier this month, SHIELD producers Jed Whedon, Jeffrey Bell and Maurissa Tancharoen told Digital Spy that they planned for the season five finale to act as a swansong for the show if ABC were to cancel it.
However, Tancharoen noted: "We approach the end of every season the same way, which is... we never really know if we're going to get another one until we're towards the end of our shooting anyway, so our goal is to either be able to satisfy either way."
What to Read Next
The most recent episodes of SHIELD have begun directly referencing the events in current Marvel blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War, with an even more direct crossover still to come.
Marvel's Agents of SHIELD will air its season five finale on May 18 on ABC in the US. E4 airs the series in the UK.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
