 The first season of the American television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. , which is based on the Marvel Comics organization S.H.I.E.L.D. ( Strategic Homeland Intervention , Enforcement and Logistics Division ) , revolves around the character of Phil Coulson and his team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents , who are assigned to several dangerous cases . The cases are centered on Project Centipede and its leader , The Clairvoyant , while Coulson also searches for answers concerning his mysterious resurrection after dying in The Avengers . It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe ( MCU ) , sharing continuity with the films of the franchise . The season , which aired on ABC from September 24 , 2013 , through May 13 , 2014 , over 22 episodes , was produced by ABC Studios , Marvel Television , and Mutant Enemy Productions , with Jed Whedon , Maurissa Tancharoen , and Jeffrey Bell serving as showrunners . 
