Don’t ask Stephen Amell about comparing his show to Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., otherwise he just might put an arrow in you. Even though ABC is experiencing good ratings it’s hard to argue that they are producing a following that rivals The CW’s Arrow, a show that has grown into superstardom from Season 1 to 2.
Though in regards about any potential rivalry between the two shows Mr. Amell said the following on his Facebook page:
“Yes… I do have a comment.Â
We are not in competition with other television shows. I realize Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is an easy comparison, but it’s also kind of lazy. We aren’t trying to be the best comic book show, we’re trying to be THE best hour of entertainment. Period.Â
There still seems to be a distinction that assumes television is somehow inferior to cinema… I think that’s ridiculous. We embrace the rigors of an episodic schedule, use them to our advantage and churn out a kick ass product with a high degree of difficulty and virtually no margin for error. 966 minutes of programming every year.Â
I couldn’t be prouder of what we do and that sense of accomplishment is based solely on the quality of our product, not the performance of anyone else’s.”
To me Mr. Amell is spot on, the notion that television is lesser than cinema is something I have argued against for years. Television in my opinion is the way DC gets back in the game as far as cinema is involved.
The difference between the two shows is Agents of Shield is trying to piggyback off the success of their movies whereas Arrow is trying to build a following for the future when DC movies come out as frequently as Marvel  movies do (Hopefully, that is). To compare the shows is lazy, both are trying to accomplish different things and even though they are “comic book” shows doesn’t mean they should be lumped together.
Source: Flickeringmyth
