Marvel made big news earlier this month with the announcement of an upcoming Inhumans project that would be taking place on television rather than as a feature film. Viewers will still get to see some Inhuman action on the big screen, however, as the first two episodes of the series will debut on IMAX before the broadcast premiere on ABC. Henry Schafer, of the brand specialist company Q Scores, explained why The Inhumans will be both in theaters and on TV in Fall 2017, saying this:
It looks like an interesting new way of breaking through clutter, various media options and platforms that people have. This is an innovative way of doing that.
Considering how many hundreds of series there will be for viewers to choose from in the near future, it makes sense that ABC would want to find an innovative edge over all other new projects at the beginning of a TV season. Shows can get lost in the shuffle very easily if something isn't done to make them stick out. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. stood out back when it debuted in 2013 as only the second major comic book show on network television, and it was the sole Marvel project. Now that networks are churning out new superhero series every season, The Inhumans might not create as much of a buzz on its own as it would have a few years ago. Henry Schafer's explanation to THR means that we could be in for something pretty exciting next fall, free from the rest of the media clutter.
The first two episodes of The Inhumans will be available in more than 1,000 IMAX theaters in 74 countries for two weeks, starting on Labor Day in 2017. After the release in IMAX, the two episodes will air on ABC going into the rest of the first season. IMAX actually signed on to pay for those first two episodes, both of which are being shot with IMAX cameras. ABC will add new scenes to the episodes for broadcast, which means that even those who shelled out the money to see The Inhumans episodes in theaters should have incentive to watch again on TV. The buzz created by the novelty of the IMAX release, combined with the likely chatter from viewers who caught the episodes early, may give the sense that the debut of The Inhumans is a special event rather than just another series premiere.
The Inhumans could definitely have a positive effect on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., if all goes well at ABC. Network execs reportedly hope that fans will check out The Inhumans in theaters the same way that they would for a regular Marvel film, then follow the premise to the small screen. If legions of Marvel fans tune in to The Inhumans on TV, they could easily check out Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its Inhuman plots as well. Of course, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 isn't doing nearly well enough in the ratings for any of us to start counting on a renewal, but the network's faith in The Inhumans could bode well for a Season 5.
The Inhumans series will make its theatrical debut in September of 2017. In the meantime, you can check out Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC on Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET to see what Marvel currently has to offer on the small screen, and don't forget to take a look at our midseason TV premiere schedule to see what else you can watch to pass the time until The Inhumans.
