The most anticipated show of the fall is ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which is the first television show to bring Marvel and Disney’s cinematic universe to the small screen. During the network’s Television Critics Association Press Tour panel on Sunday, executive producer Joss Whedon got to talk with reporters about his role and how he views the show within the universe he’s had a hand in developing.

Some may have questioned Whedon’s commitment to the show, considering his other Marvel duties, like making Avengers 2. He did write and direct the SHIELD pilot and assured reporters that he has been reading the scripts for subsequent episodes. He has been staying in contact with showrunners Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen and the rest of the crew.

“I’m reading every script, every story, and giving notes and re-writes,” Whedon said, reports Entertainment Weekly. “I just can’t be in the room every day. The group I have shares this hard-to-convey idea of how I want the show to feel.”

He did say that he won’t be able to direct another episode for a long time. “I don’t think it will happen again for the next couple years, because I’m getting behind another camera in another country,” he said, presumably referring to his Avengers 2 work.

Whedon also stressed that it is important to allow SHIELD to be its own thing for audiences. According to E! News, when asked if there would be any tie-ins with the movies, he said that “There will be as much as we can allow.”

He continued, “We're still working that out. It's a fluid process. The important thing is it's a fun opportunity, but it's not...It's not an easter egg hunt. We don't want to be an Easter egg farm. We want people to come back for these people. This show needs to work for people who haven't seen the movies.”

The show features Clark Gregg as Agent Coulson, who actually died in The Avengers. But if you know anything about comic books, you know that no one stays dead long. “We will be dealing with the issue, obviously...It will be drawn out over several episodes,” Whedon said.

There is one thing that will definitely never happen with SHIELD though - a musical episode. “I'm ruling out a musical,” Whedon said, notes the LA Times. “I'm ruling it out.”

SHIELD will air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. this fall on ABC.

image: ABC