20 best superhero TV shows of 2018, ranked

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. – “The Force of Gravity” – Daisy’s future as the destroyer of worlds could take a critical change, on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” FRIDAY, MAY 11 (9:01-10:01 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network. (ABC/Mitch Haaseth)

CLARK GREGG, MING-NA WEN

12. Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. really is the definition of the little show that could. Despite facing cancellation every single year since its inception, the show has managed to overcome the odds (and its declining viewing figures) to consistently make an epic comeback – and this year, it was no different.

The show, that follows Agent Phil Coulson and his merry band of S.H.I.E.L.D. operatives, started off 2018 with the sixth episode of its fifth season, following its return to TV screens during December of last year.

There was a lot to love about Season 5, particularly the format, which changed things up dramatically. The first half saw the agents transported through time to the future where they discover that the Earth has been destroyed. After spending 10 episodes of hell there, some of them manage to return to the present, allowing the second half of the season to focus on the members of S.H.I.E.L.D. as they do their best to try and prevent that future from ever coming to pass.

When a show is on the air for so long, it often struggles to keep producing situations that involve real stakes, but that wasn’t a problem here, as this season’s reinvention breathed new life into the show. Furthermore, there was little to no filler as the S.H.I.E.L.D. team spent a good long time in this barbaric future, allowing that to be the show’s sole focus. It wasn’t perfect but, for the most part, it was gripping, refreshing and completely engaging.

After producing another strong outing, it’s really no surprise that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.LD. has once again overcome the odds, receiving a seventh season renewal ahead of its return in summer 2019 for its sixth season. Keep doing the impossible, S.H.I.E.L.D.