ABC's Agent Carter could be one of the most anticipated new television series of the winter season and one of the first breakout hits of 2015.
Based on the character Peggy Carter from the film Captain America: The First Avenger, Agent Carter picks up a year after that film's end, after Captain America supposedly died in the icy waters of the Arctic.
The series is sure to stand out, especially with its female lead, Hayley Atwell, who is bringing back the character from the film to the small screen.
ABC recently released this preview video, which features interviews with Agent Carter showrunners and executive producers Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters. Yes, that's right, ABC is not only giving us a series with a strong female lead, but there are also women at the helm calling all the shots.
The video explains that it's 1946 and that Carter is working undercover at a telephone company, although in reality, her job is with the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Unfortunately, the 1940s still weren't kind to women in the workplace and we see that Carter is treated as such, although we know she's capable of much more.
"She's not being utilized," says Butters says. "She is kind of looked at as a secretary more than an actual agent."
Eventually, however, Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) comes to Carter and asks her to help him clear his name after some of his secret weapons make it to the black market. Wanting to feel useful, Carter agrees to help him.
"She has an intelligence about her and a capability and a skill-set that's very impressive," says Atwell.
Butters has previously called Agent Carter an "Alias in the 1940s" with a "female protagonist who is both beautiful and intelligent and kicks ass." However, what makes Agent Carter stand out from that older J.J. Abrams series is that Carter has to do all that while dealing with a postwar male workforce who doesn't want her there.
Agent Carter premieres tonight with two hour-long episodes on ABC. Also, be sure to pay attention, because the debut of Marvel's Ant-Man trailer is also scheduled to run during that time.
[Photo Credit: ABC]
