It’s water under the bridge now but the American supernatural drama TV series “Constantine” starring Matt Ryan would have been in the second half of its supposed Season 2 by this time on NBC had the show not been cancelled in May last year, just weeks after its Season 1 finale.
Apart from the fact that the show was actually in the wrong channel, “Constantine” executive producer David Goyer explained that the TV series, although a DC Comics lore, has not been given the right promotions by the network.
Goyer cited the half-hearted acceptance of NBC to the TV series because the network is no longer as dominant as in the past years, which is why “Constantine” only received a token promotion from the network during its 13-episode Season 1 run.
Cinema Blend thinks that Goyer has a valid point because “Constantine” was unlike any other shows on NBC. Unlike its active strategy before, the network simply does not have the same dominance on the airwaves in the past years to guarantee the success of an experimental series in its lineup.
There was not much promotion for “Constantine” as a TV series and the few who did not already know something about John Constantine or its 2005 film starring Keanu Reeves, probably did not know what the show was actually about.
“Constantine” was about a demon hunter and occult master John Constantine, who travels across the country and around the world in battling the supernatural and attempting to save his own soul in the process.
With a psychic Zed as a companion, angel Manny as a constant presence, and an endless supply of demons and supernatural beings to combat, “Constantine” had the plot potential to run for many seasons.
Unfortunately, that did not happen as NBC decided not to renew the show because it no longer wants to risk experimenting for a second season.
Did not jump on the bandwagon
Although it is a show with a huge fanbase considering that it is based on DC Comics, the network simply believes that the show was not good enough for its own preference for a TV series.
Many view the move of NBC as counter-productive as the trend these days is to jump on the superhero genre based on comic books because those are guaranteed to bring in the numbers and the money.
In fact, The CW already has three TV series based in DC Comics including “Arrow,” “The Flash,” and “Legends of Tomorrow.” CBS also has one in “Supergirl” which only premiered last year.
It is expected that the stock of DC Comics characters will get a strong boost this year beginning with the showing to worldwide theaters of “Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice” on March 25. There is also the upcoming “Suicide Squad” due to hit cinemas in August, the plotline of which has already been established by “Arrow” and “The Flash” in its previous episodes.
Fox also has a TV series based on DC Comics “Gotham,” and that one has already moved to its second season beginning last year. So it is rather odd for NBC to just let go of a DC Comics franchise just like that when others would like to take in as much.
Thus, it is possible that if there would be an attempt to revive or rescue Season 2 of “Constantine” from cancellation this year, the most likely to do it are the networks that are home to TV series based on DC Comics including The CW, CBS, and Fox.
Cameo appearance stirs revival hopes
If there’s a positive chance for the revival of “Constantine,” the producers would most likely take pride in the fact that when John Constantine, played by Matt Ryan, made a cameo appearance on episode 5 of the current Season 4 of “Arrow” that aired on The CW late last year, the episode turned out to be the highest rated episode of the popular TV series since its season premiere.
It certainly renewed interest on John Constantine and also on Matt Ryan.