The curious case of Agent Carter

I wanted to see "Agent Carter" last year on ABC. I really did. But much like Peggy Carter's adventures take  place in the past, watching live television is a thing of the past. For reasons more complex than Marvel Universe continuity, I don't have a DVR, so I rely on Hulu and On Demand services to watch new shows.

Season 1 of "Carter" was available on both...for a while. It was subject to the dreaded "We have the last 5 episodes" rule on both Hulu and on CONcast On Demand, and when I didn't get to it for a few weeks, I had already missed out on the first episode by the time I was ready. What's the point of only offering the last 5 episodes when there are only 8 total?

Well, I figured, it'll show up on Netflix. Only it didn't. Then season 2 approached, and I figured it would show up before the season 1 premiere. Only it didn't/

It DID return to Hulu about a week before season 2 debuted. Hey, wonderful, I thought, I can finally check this out from the beginning. So the night that season 2 premiered, I arrived at Cultureshark Tower after it had already started, but I had no worried. Confident Me said, "I'll just start watching season 1 tonight, and I'll catch up in a few weeks so I can start season 2 before they start pulling THOSE first episodes."

Only...the show was GONE from Hulu. The return of season 1, unbeknownst to me, was a temporary engagement. Puzzled, I checked Netflix the next day, assuming the series was finally on there, hence the removal of the first season from Hulu. But it wasn't on Netflix, either.

So, you know what? Hell with ABC/Marvel/whoever decided to hold back the show from streaming video services.  I don't need to see it so badly that I'm gonna pay 2 bones an episode for it. 

And guess what happened to "Agent Carter" that night season 2 premiered? It tanked. So there's virtually no chance of a season 3. I doubt that it would have been a big hit had the first season been on Netflix, but from my research (looking for info on Twitter), I know a lot of people wanted to get into the series but were stymied by its absence. Who knows, maybe the series could have grown an audience in between seasons.

I'll still watch it if it comes to Netflix. In fact, it might be easier since I'll know there are only a few dozen episodes and I don't need to "catch up!"