Posted in: Disney+, Marvel, Opinion, streaming, TV, TV | Tagged: disney plus, loki, Marvel Studios, mcu, opinion, WandaVision

Marvel Studios Finally Seems Ready to Take TV Seriously (Thanks, WGA)

It seems like Marvel Studios is finally ready to let their television series actually be television series. But did it have to take so long?

Just to be clear? The extent to which Marvel Studios is putting its Charlie Cox (Matt Murdock/Daredevil), Vincent D'Onofrio (Wilson Fisk/Kingpin) & Jon Bernthal (Frank Castle/Punisher)-starring Daredevil: Born Again through a major creative reboot was a bit surprising. If you checked out The Hollywood Reporter report from earlier today, then you know that head writers Chris Ord & Matt Corman and the series' directors were released for the remainder of the season – with a little less than half of the season's 18 episodes filmed (though some episode/scenes may end up being used). But if you've been following how things have been going with the streaming series side of the MCU, then you also know that the overall move has been a long time coming. There have been production rumblings for some now on a number of series – including the Oscar Isaac-starring Moon Knight and the Tatiana Maslany-starring She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. But if you're looking for a recent "perfect storm" of problems plaguing Marvel Studios' approach to television, look no further than the Samuel L. Jackson-starring Secret Invasion. As THR recounts, red flags included Kyle Bradstreet (Mr. Robot) being fired after a year of writing scripts over a change in the series's direction, reports of pre-production drama during Summer 2022, major changes when it came to line producers, unit production managers & assistant directors, and more – all resulting in a series that was not well-received by either critics or viewers.

But now, coming up on three years since the Elizabeth Olsen & Paul Bettany-starring WandaVision debuted to rave reviews from critics and fans, it would seem that Marvel Studios has seen the light…

They're actually going to let their television shows be television shows.

No more treating them like nothing more than extensions of the film side – especially considering how disappointing that's proven to be as it heads into a shakey Phase Five. "We're trying to marry the Marvel culture with the traditional television culture," shared Brad Winderbaum, Marvel's head of streaming, television & animation. "It comes down to, 'How can we tell stories in television that honor what's so great about the source material?'" While you might end up arching an eyebrow once or twice over what you would think would be common sense, here's a look at what Marvel Studios is looking to do moving forward (with serious props to the WGA Negotiating Committee for a new deal that required some of these changes to happen).

Showrunners! Showrunners! Showrunners! With She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series creator & writer Jessica Gao returning to oversee post-production on the series, Marvel Studios has "not only grown comfortable with but also learned to embrace" (Winderbaum) hiring showrunners moving forward to follow the production throughout its production process. Again, a no-brainer that Marvel Studios was helped to "find religion on" by the WGA's new deal.

TV Executives Will Run TV Series – Not Film Executives: Shocking, right? Having people who know television – actually running television! "We need executives that are dedicated to this medium, that are going to focus on streaming, focus on television," said Winderbaum, "because they are two different forms." Ummm… it's 2023. Did it really take them that long to know that there are a whole number of differences between the two mediums? Unfortunately, this smells like a steaming pile of old-school snobbery when it comes to how television is still looked down upon by many in the film industry.

Sounds Like Marvel Studios Is About to Have a Pilot Season: Okay, this is just f***ing nuts. How much money did "The Mouse" think it had to throw around to basically take a "screw pilots" approach by dropping checks for full season/series orders? Can you just imagine how a showrunner with a pilot & series bible could've saved Secret Invasion a ton of time & aggravation?

Goodbye Limited Series: Marvel Studios Embracing Multi-Season Runs: Gone are the days when you have to wonder if a show is a one-and-done or a multi-season adventure, with Marvel Studios looking to lean hard on shows with longer runs. As Winderbaum sees it, it's an opportunity for the viewers to have the time to get to know & care about the characters – "beyond the fact that it ties into [other projects] or if they are going to be in a movie or if it is setting up an Avengers film." If they're looking for a "cautionary tale" regarding what can go wrong when you become too obsessed with making everything connect while you jump from one big event to the next, look no further than the comics side. And that's a fate no one wants…

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