So the news is all over the Internet that The Avengers director Joss Whedon is going to helm a TV show based around SHIELD, the super spy organization under the command of Samuel L. Jackson. I think this is awesome news. We all know Whedon as a geek god, and I’ve fairly consistently loved everything he’s ever done; from his Astonishing X-Men comic book series to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog to pretty much all of his TV shows.

Just because Fox completely botched Firefly and audience didn’t pick up on Dollhouse does not lessen their awesomeness. I haven’t had any faith in American TV audiences since Dancing with the Stars became a hit. But that’s being generous – I lost my faith in American TV audiences long before that.

Fortunately, my faith in worldwide movie audiences returned tenfold this summer!

To the the tune of $1.5 billion

Alright, so I don’t have any new details of the show, but in case you get your nerd news from me, here’s a run down: Joss and his frequent collaborator/brother Jed Whedon are going to do the writing, alongside friend Maurissa Tanchareon. Joss may even direct the pilot, though I think he’s going to be more of an overseer than an actual in-charge guy. There’s also the usual smattering of producers and executive producers. But typically I only care about the creative types, and this SHIELD show has some of the best creative types in the business!

And there are so many different ways they could make a SHIELD show.

Including a crossover with ‘How I Met Your Mother’

First off, just make one in the vein of the other Whedon shows – action comedy with some really great drama and ongoing storylines. Or maybe they’ll go total drama…or total comedy. I don’t know, because those fools have yet to call me to consult. I would recommend following their action comedy/great drama route. It’s worked perfectly in the past, and Whedon’s work simply has that voice. Heck, The Avengers itself is a perfect example of his style. Perhaps that’s why I liked the movie so much.

But personally, I think we’ve already seen more than a taste of what a SHIELD TV show will be like. And there’s even more coming on The Avengers DVD when it comes out at the end of September. You all may have missed this over the course of the various Marvel heroes movies…but they’ve kind of been making a ton of mini-SHIELD episodes for fun.

For example, here is A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer starring Agent Phil Coulson:

That was particularly awesome.

Or what about The Consultant, set near the end of The Incredible Hulk. Coulson and Agent Jasper Sitwell having a chat in a diner.

Now we all know that Coulson probably won’t be available for a SHIELD TV show. But that Jasper Sitwell guy is popping up more and more. He’s also a main character in the new SHIELD mini-sode set to debut on The Avengers DVD. It’s called ‘Item 47’ and is about a young couple who recover one of the alien ray-guns from the end of the film. Sitwell is sent in to deal with them. The full clip isn’t online yet – it was, but they took it down – but here’s a quick clip.

I’ve seen Item 47 in its fullest, and let me tell you, it is awesome! It’s funny, it’s action-packed and Sitwell is amazing. And there’s more than just him on SHIELD. We get a little look at the inner workings of the agency.

So my theory is that Marvel has been preparing their SHIELD television show all along.  And now they’re ready to make it a full-time thing.