Following the success of The Avengers, Marvel and ABC looked to bring a corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe onto the small screen. They decided to move forward with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., bringing Clark Gregg back as Phil Coulson to be the lead. Since then, Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet) has moved into the lead role after the rise of the Inhumans on the series. The show is gearing up for its season 4 premiere, which will debut at a brand-new time slot.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will now be airing at 10 pm EST come this fall - something that could seem like a bad move on the surface for a show that has long pulled in sturdy ratings, but not exactly big on their own. However, the people working behind the scenes on the series say the decision allows the show to go to new places, in the future.

Head of Marvel Television Jeph Loeb recently talked to CBR about the upcoming season, and the new time slot was a topic that was discussed. This will not be the first time Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. moves later into the night, with the previous move having allowed for the series to become slightly more mature with its content. Now for season 4, the time change will give the show even more "edge," which Loeb thinks viewers will enjoy:

"By going to 10 o'clock, we're going to be taking on just a little bit more edge, a little bit more grit. The show is pretty violent for something at 9 o'clock, but when we get to 10 o'clock, we're going to be just a little hair of something that I think people are going to really enjoy."

Robbie Reyes Ghost Rider origin

One of the beneficiaries to a an edgier tone should be the newest addition to the cast, Robbie Reyes aka Ghost Rider, played by Gabriel Luna. Possession is not something to be taken lightly, and in order to accurately portray the character, the time change was likely necessary. The creators have already teased changing up Robbie's origin to work with the story and be a surprise to fans.

Robbie is not the only new character coming to the show this season, with other additions being Jason O'Mara as the new director, Parminder Nagra as an outspoken politician, and Mallory Jansen as the first Life Model Decoy known as Aida. It will be interesting to see how the show is able to work all of these varying storylines together throughout the season; fortunately, we will start to get answers in just a few weeks.

NEXT: Gabriel Luna on Preparing to Play Ghost Rider

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 4 premieres Tuesday, September 20 @10pm on ABC.

Source: CBR