“Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D.”

These were the words quipped by Agent Phil Coulson at the end of the very first Iron Man film. Back in 2008, however, the common moviegoer was just getting their feet wet in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and was too busy fanboying over Tony Stark to even give a thought to the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.

Fast forward five years to a post-Avengers world and the S.H.I.E.L.D. agency is all too familiar. Sporting actors like Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Cobie Smulders, and even Samuel L. Jackson himself, S.H.I.E.L.D. has dealt with everything on Earth, and then some. Super soldiers, alien warriors, and even hulking rage monsters have gone toe-to-toe with the government in the sky, but this fall the agents are heading into a field untouched by Marvel Studios thus far: live-action television.

I was skeptical of the concept at first– obscure agents played by obscure actors doing obscure missions that weren’t worthy of receiving a full film? When I read that television-legend Joss Whedon would be co-creating the series, I was filled with hesitant excitement. But after having seen the first three episodes of the series, I can honestly say that I’m nothing but excited to see the next 19 scheduled for Season 1.

The basic elements that made The Avengers so great are all there; the surprises, the beautiful action, the witty banter… But what really made Avengers stand out from the millions of other super heroes films being released today, was the incredibly evident self-awareness, and Joss Whedon hasn’t forgotten to bring it back for S.H.I.E.L.D.

The show, which takes place after the events of The Avengers, stars Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson who did, in fact, (spoilers!!) die in The Avengers. The mystery surrounding the main character combined with the grin-inducing cameos sprinkled throughout simply give me too many reasons to come back for more. And here’s the best part: I no longer have to wait half a year to satisfy my Marvel addiction.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has brought me a giddy joy I haven’t felt since I discovered The A-Team. Regardless of Marvel’s incentive for creating the show to begin with, I have been completely convinced that S.H.I.E.L.D. is a story worth telling. Let’s just say I know what I’ll be doing for the next few Tuesday nights.