Does New Hayley Atwell Gig Mean Doom For Agent Carter?

Hayley Atwell, who’s seen weekly kicking butt as Peggy Carter, has a new starring role. Does that mean she’s anticipating that Agent Carter won’t be around for a third season?

We’ve only met Ms. Atwell once in person, so we can’t speak to that. The consensus so far is that there’s no need to worry about the fate of Agent Carter despite TVLine reporting that Atwell will play the lead in Conviction, a drama that has been given a pilot order at ABC.

The relatively brief nature of Agent Carter seasons would help her balance both jobs, and TVLine also cites sources saying that the series would work around Atwell’s schedule, a fact made easier by both shows airing on ABC.

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A bigger problem could be whether or not enough people are watching Agent Carter for ABC to want it back. Despite critical acclaim and a supportive fan following online, Season 2 is drawing what can only be called disappointing ratings. To date, the show is averaging less than a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic and has fallen to less than 3 million live viewers per outing, though it typically does well in delayed viewing as people catch up on DVR or online.

For some perspective, consider that Agents of SHIELD, which has gone on an extended hiatus for two straight winters to give Peggy her Tuesday night time slot, is considered by many to be a disappointment in its own right, yet it has an average audience about 32 percent larger than Agent Carter on any given week.

Next: Agent Carter Recap: The Atomic Job

The silver lining is that even if Peggy Carter’s adventures come to an end, we should still get to see Atwell in prime time without even needing to change the channel. She’s also shown off a dynamite American accent during her undercover work, so hopefully Conviction makes good use of it.

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