A few days ago, ABC announced that Joss Whedon will be penning and (potentially) directing the pilot for a brand new TV series from Marvel Studios about S.H.I.E.L.D, the secret government facility dealing with the strange and dangerous in the Marvel Universe. Since then, fans everywhere have been buzzing about what it could be about, who it could involve, and just what the show will be aiming towards as a TV series. Well we don’t have the answers for those questions, we do have suggestions! That’s EXACTLY what you guys want, right? Anyways, here’s five of the things that the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV Show needs to do to be considered a success.

Bring Back Our Favorite S.H.I.E.L.D Team Members

Over the past few years, we’ve grown to know and love a good amount of S.H.I.E.L.D agents, such as Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Agent Coulson. Well Fury probably can’t be in the series (due to, ya know, being big Hollywood movie star Samuel Mother Fucking Jackson), Cobie Smulder’s Maria Hill and Clark Gregg’s Phil Coulson are certainly a possibility. Both our veterans of TV, with Clark Gfee starring on Julie Louis Dreyfuss’ The New Adventures of Old Christine and Cobie Smulders currently part of the main cast of the long running How I Met Your Mother. Yes, I know; you’re probably yelling at your computer screen right now that “COULSON DIED IN AVENGERS, HOW COULD HE COME BACK IN THIS TV SHOW? DID YOU EVEN SEE THE AVENGERS?!??!!?!” (Sorry about all the caps lock, but you said it, not me). But first off, death is just a minor inconvenience in the Marvel Universe. Secondly, who said this would take place AFTER Avengers? Why couldn’t it be a prequel about S.H.I.E.L.D, and how it evolved throughout the years up UNTIL Avengers. In my opinion, that could be pretty interesting, especially if our current cast of characters returned for the ride. Hell, bring back Galaga guyto. Fuck it, make him the lead!

Don’t Rely Too Much on the Marvel Universe

At the same time, I think the show will have to strike a fine line between what it takes from the Marvel Universe. Yes, this is a Marvel TV show, and it should feel like it. And I’m fine with including a cameo or even centering an episode on an established Marvel character every once in a while. But what I DON’T want is for S.H.I.E.L.D to become a TV show advertisement for Marvel Studios movies. I don’t want an episode where the S.H.I.E.L.D team meets the Guardians of the Galaxy, or help Thor deal with some dark elf problems. This should be more about what’s happening on the fringes of the Marvel Universe. Keep it that way.

Don’t Be Afraid to Get Geeky With It

Yes, Marvel is one of the most popular brands in the history of entertainment. Its characters are known far and wide, and its mainstream appeal is vast. But first and foremost, this will be based off a freaking comic book; it’s geeky to its core. And I hope the TV show won’t be afraid to embrace that geekiness along with the mainstream appeal. Delve into science fiction/fantasy related storylines, take the story into the cosmic and weird. The show could only benefit from doing this. Then again, I’m not worried too much about this once, since the movies have been pretty good at combining the two (so far, at least).

A Serialized Plotline, Not a Procedural One

I might be a little biased with this one, since I always prefer a serialized show compared to a procedural one, but the reason I bring this up is because it would be so easy for S.H.I.E.L.D to be a procedural. It could easily just be Law and Order: Special Superhero Unit, and I would hate for it to go that way. Personally, I would prefer a more Fringe/X-Filesapproach, in that the episodes have a central “case” from week to week, but would all add to the overall mythos of the series. Having a serialized story just makes things more interesting, and gives initiative for viewers to pay attention and watch all the episodes. You can’t really go wrong with one.

Go Big, Or Go Home

As said before, Marvel is one of the biggest brands in the world. The Avengers is the second highest grossing film ever made. And the studio making this TV series is arguably the most popular name in the entire industry. There’s no excuse for S.H.I.E.L.D. to be anything but epic. Now I’m not saying that the show needs to have an action scene the scale of the New York Battle in Avengers, but it shouldn’t need to have bottle episodes. It shouldn’t be filmed primarily on a couple sets. The budget should be high, at least initially. And it’s not like the show will be losing money that way. Who won’t be watching this? They have the money, they have the technology…they should use it.

And those are the things that S.H.I.E.L.D needs to do if it wants to succeed. Did we miss any? Sound off in the comments! -Matthew