We Know Why Netflix Didn’t Rescue Agent Carter

When ABC dropped the magnificent Agent Carter last May, there were loud pleas from the fans for the series to be rescued by some other network, cable station or streaming service. Any one would do, but the shouting was primarily directed at Netflix, who has been offering their own (excellent) Marvel shows on a regular basis. Surely Peggy would feel right at home there, right?

We don’t always get answers as to why no-brainer decisions get ignored, but this time we did. EW got Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos to explain why he didn’t go after Agent Carter.

And he said: “We’re looking for truly original brands to own, and in that Marvel space we already have [original comic book shows] – so that was mostly why.” In other words, they weren’t interested in Agent Carter because it was sloppy seconds.

He gives a better reasoning for the decision in the next paragraph when he points out Netflix owns the rights to its shows worldwide, and Agent Carter is locked under different contracts across the globe, which would have made the rights tricky to negotiate. “When you pick it up, being able to pick it up globally is difficult even after it’s canceled. Some of those output partners still had it on the air, so they would argue its covered by their output [deals].”

Ted threw in that he would have loved to rescue Agent Carter if he could. “Unfortunately, it was a business decision more than a creative one.”