It's going to be a Marvel-ous night on ABC.
First, at 7 p.m. today, Marvel's Captain America: 75 Heroic Years is an hour special detailing the history of Captain America and how the comic book hero has reflected the times from March 1941 to today.
Interviews with members of the Marvel family include comic book legend Stan Lee, writers Joe Quesada and Jeph Loeb, and stars of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen and Chloe Bennet.
Captain America was created by cartoonists Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, "two first generation Jewish-Americans who believed in their country, believed that the atrocities taking place in Europe needed to be answered, and most importantly, they believed in freedom. And it was an image of freedom that they would create in Captain America."
Marvel adds, "Captain America has been the moral compass that has inspired generations to do better and believe in more than themselves. 'Cap' has been a beacon of light in the Marvel Universe and a central figure in the vast and dynamic world that Marvel fans know and celebrate today."
The special is followed at 8 by the premiere of Season 2 of Marvel's Agent Carter, starring Hayley Atwell reprising her role of Peggy Carter from the Captain America films.
It's the 1940s and Carter is a secret agent for the Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) dealing with an increasingly dangerous atomic world and wrestling with the challenges of being a strong, competent, single woman in a male-dominated world.
The series will fill the void while Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continues its midseason break. Agent Carter opens with back-to-back episodes, "The Lady in the Lake" and "A View in the Dark."
In the first episode, Carter moves to Los Angeles to help Chief Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) at the West Coast SSR investigate a bizarre homicide involving an alleged killer and Isodyne Energy.
Upon her arrival, Peggy reunites with Howard Stark's (Dominic Cooper) butler and her loyal partner in crime busting, Edwin Jarvis (James D'Arcy), who welcomes her to Hollywood and sets her up at Stark's mansion.
There, Peggy meets Ana (Lotte Verbeek), Jarvis' devoted wife, to whom she takes an immediate liking.
In the second episode, Carter discovers her murder investigation has far-reaching ramifications that can destroy her career, as well as everyone near and dear to her.
The investigation also leads Carter to charming scientist Jason Wilkes (Reggie Austin). Romantic sparks fly.
As clues are uncovered, Carter is introduced to the sinister designs of Whitney Frost (Madame Masque), played by Wynn Everett. Frost is a movie starlet, a brilliant scientist and the power behind her husband, ruthless senatorial candidate Calvin Chadwick (Currie Graham).
As is typically the case in dramas like this, Carter soon discovers that corruption runs deep, blurring the lines between good and bad.
Also in the new season, Russian spy Dottie Underwood (Bridget Regan) returns in an unexpected way. Finally, Chad Michael Murray is back as Jack Thompson, SSR golden boy and Carter's office nemesis.
Wait, there's more!
At the Television Critics Association winter press tour last week, ABC President Paul Lee announced that the network has given a pilot order to Marvel's Most Wanted.
The spinoff of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will star Adrianne Palicki and Nick Blood. Those two play S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Bobbi Morse (aka Mockingbird) and her ex-husband, mercenary Lance Hunter, in the Marvelverse of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Lee said the network would make the pilot "in the next few months," and that he was pleased with the script. Although giving the green light to a pilot doesn't guarantee a series will follow, ABC seems committed to producing its fair share of the current comic book trend of network shows.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns for the second half of its third season at 8 p.m. March 8.
• Antiques Roadshow. I'm getting emails asking when the Little Rock-based episodes of the PBS hit series Antiques Roadshow will air on AETN. I'll remind you again on Sunday, but the three episodes will air at 7 p.m. Monday, and the same time Feb. 1 and 8. It's part of the series' new 20th anniversary season.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 01/19/2016