Ratings: ‘The Flash’ ties ‘Agent Carter’ on otherwise quiet night

What is going on with Marvel’s “Agent Carter“? It seems as though we have our biggest commercial letdown of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date, and it is interestingly starring a character who has already appeared in other properties.

Last night’s installment posted just a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic, a number that was actually tied by “The Flash” over on The CW. Anytime that The CW is tying you and you are a major broadcast network, this is not something that you can really be that willing to celebrate. “Agent Carter” started with only so-so ratings, and it has slowly seen its numbers decline ever since.

So why all of the struggle here? We really don’t think it is because it is a female-fronted series, which we know some have suspected. We anticipate “Supergirl” doing very well at least at first, and other characters could as well. We attribute it more to this being a spy show than a superhero show, and also it being set in a different time period. These sort of pieces always have a difficult time of getting a commercial audience.

Now that we’ve said all of this, we still would not rule out the possibility of Hayley Atwell returning to ABC this time next year. Depending on the budget, we could see a season 2 air that continues to bridge the gap between one part of “Agents of SHIELD” and the next. So long as the ratings do not decline a whole lot more, it is at least a toss-up for renewal. “Agents of SHIELD” was only really doing slightly better when it aired, and it is hardly an inexpensive show.

You can preview the next new episode of “Agent Carter” right now over at the link here. Also, be sure to sign up right away to get some further TV scoop on all we cover, courtesy of our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)