Spearheaded by The Avengers writer and director Joss Whedon comes S.H.I.E.L.D., an ABC television show. By “show” I mean “pilot” but it’s almost a given that it’ll be green-lit as a series. After all, Whedon has proven successful, and this time it isn’t on Fox.

There’s no announcement on casting, but a list of characters with brief descriptions were released by TV Line:

SKYE | This late-20s woman sounds like a dream: fun, smart, caring and confident – with an ability to get the upper hand by using her wit and charm.

AGENT GRANT WARD | Quite the physical specimen and “cool under fire,” he sometimes botches interpersonal relations. He’s a quiet one with a bit of a temper, but he’s the kind of guy that grows on you

AGENT ALTHEA RICE | Also known as “The Calvary,” this hard-core soldier has crazy skills when it comes to weapons and being a pilot. But her experiences have left her very quiet and a little damaged.

AGENT LEO FITZ and AGENT JEMMA SIMMONS | These two came through training together and still choose to spend most of their time in each other’s company. Their sibling-like relationship is reinforced by their shared nerd tendencies – she deals with biology and chemistry, he’s a whiz at the technical side of weaponry.

The characters sound like something out of Firefly — which is clearly a good thing. That show developed a cult following; it was thanks to the cast of characters and their interactions together. Now S.H.I.E.L.D. just needs a strong cast and the show will be marvelous. (Forgive me; I couldn’t help myself.)