The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for constantly expanding, thanks to new projects arriving in theaters and streaming for those with a Disney+ subscription. One such TV series as Agatha All Along, which was wildly popular, recently earning a handful of Golden Globe nominations. Agatha was also made on a modest budget for MCU standards, with a Marvel Exec recently getting real about cutting down costs. And his comments are both intriguing and concerning for me.
Agatha All Along was a huge hit when it arrives on Disney+, and fans have been wondering how upcoming Marvel movies and TV shows might be influenced by its events and success. When speaking with Vulture about the show, Disney Entertainment co-chair Alan Bergman was asked if the smaller budget of Agatha might inspire the studio to break its rule of only releasing two Marvel TV shows per year. He said:
Well, Agatha was certainly a big win for us, and widened out the audience that watches the Marvel titles. The movies have primarily been more male than female, and Agatha gave us an opportunity to try to hit the female audience more as well. As it relates to the number of titles, I don’t think we’re going to go beyond — at least I don’t have any plans to go beyond — the two a year at this point. But, you know, you never know. It just depends on what creative comes up as we look at each of our development titles.
That seems pretty cut and dry. Fans who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order remember just how much live-action MCU projects were arriving during Disney+'s first few years. But after some clunkers, the studio is trying to focus really specifically on two shows every year.
With beloved IPs like Star Wars and the MCU, Disney is tasked with making sure the original TV content looks expensive enough to be compared to the films. This makes every Marvel project a huge financial risk, and bombs like The Marvels are all the more devastating. In the same interview, Bergman spoke about this dynamic, offering:
In terms of costs, we’ve been looking at our costs very hard trying to make these titles as economical as possible. And some of them will have less visual effects than others, which can have a substantial impact on the cost. So clearly those with big visual effects cost significantly more. We have certain titles we’re looking at now that we’re testing that will have less visual effects and they’re more moderately priced.
Despite Agatha All Along having a smaller budget than other Marvel TV shows, it still looked gorgeous. Practical sets helped make the show immersive, and it was emotionally impactful without having too many giant superhero battles. And it sounds like more original Disney+ content might be following suit.
Of course, there is a potential risk here too. Namely if action sequences end up looking cheap in future TV projets. That, or hardcore Marvel fans might be dissatisfied with the amount of big battle sequences. Alan Bergman spoke about this dynamic, offering:
But the whole goal, in whatever we do, is quality. It’s the most important thing, and we won’t do anything that we don’t think is quality. So I think what you’re going to see is a mix of those series that have more visual effects and will certainly be more expensive. And then you’re going to see some titles that are less expensive because they have less visual effects. But what they’ll both have are great stories.
Given how popular Kathryn Hahn's show was, and considering the Agatha All Along finale, fans are wondering if Season 2 will be on the way. It certainly seems like she and Billy are going to be sticking together... even if she's a ghost.
Agatha All Along is streaming now on Disney+ along with WandaVision. Check out the 2025 TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.
