In a television world with series dominated by male protagonists, Agent Peggy Carter steps forward to show that a series with a female lead can be just as extraordinary and exciting as all the other series on the air.

Marvel’s Agent Carter follows the work of the eponymous character Peggy Carter, played by Hayley Atwell, and is set after the events of the first Captain America movie. IMDB summarizes, saying Agent Carter has been reverted to a secretarial position at the Strategic Science Reserve. When allegations of treason rise up against Howard Stark, played by Dominic Cooper, Peggy Carter is recruited by Mr. Stark himself to help him clear his name.

I was a little worried as I settled in on January 6 to watch the two-hour premiere. How was the series going to pan out? Was it just going to go the usual overdone, slightly demeaning path of centering the entire series around a love story? Well, there’s only one way I was going to find out.

I watched with high hopes, telling myself with some bias that “Hey, this is Marvel, it’s going to be great.”

I couldn’t take my eyes away from the screen as I watched Agent Carter tackle various dangers, while also battling the grief of losing many close to her. Not only this, but Agent Carter defies gender norms set by the men around her. She does not let sexist comments slide and shows that her gender does not affect her work.

Deceit and mystery play a big role in the series and keeps it interesting. Not everyone is who they say they are, and not everyone is truthful about their intentions. To top it all off, the ominous threat of Leviathan looms before Agent Carter, and the use of his mute minions was, in my opinion, a really cool and creepy way of introducing the main villainous organization.

Above all, Agent Carter is starting off as a wonderful series. It is set to have seven episodes, airing on Tuesdays on ABC at 9/8 central. Agent Carter exceeded my expectations as a show, and as a character. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially someone seeking a series with a strong, well written female protagonist.