Fans were certainly disappointed when NBC cancelled the freshman supernatural series ‘Contantine’ this past spring. The ratings for the show, based on the DC/Vertigo comic ‘Hellblazer’ weren’t awful, but the expensive FX-heavy venture wasn’t worth the network renewing it for additional adventures.
Series star Matt Ryan will reprise his role as mystical investigator John Constantine in an upcoming episode of ‘Arrow’ but after that…? This may be ‘Constanine’ viewers’ last hurrah.
Discussing the show recently, creator David S. Goyer admits that maybe the peacock network, which also aired both the original ‘Heroes’ and its revival ‘Heroes Reborn‘, wasn’t the right fit for the niche program.
Goyer stated:
“I loved ‘Constantine’. In retrospect, I don’t think it should have been on NBC. I think it was the wrong channel and I’m sure they probably agree with that as well.”
What many at home may not realize is that ratings are relative. A big hit on The CW (home of ‘Arrow’ and ‘The Flash’) would not be considered one on NBC, CBS or ABC, which have larger audiences and are more reliant on advertiser revenue. With the numbers ‘Constantine’ was pulling in, it would most likely still be on the air on The CW or a smaller cable network like FX or Starz or even on Netflix, which doesn’t include traditional advertising at all (yet).
In fact, in perhaps a sign of the times, Goyer states that “time-shifted” viewing helped grow ‘Constantine’s ratings considerably.
“We almost doubled our numbers in DVR numbers, but they weren’t quite there in network television in counting those metrics. If it had been on a basic cable channel, it could still be on.”
As stated, Ryan returns as Constantine on the November 4th episode of ‘Arrow’ in which he plays a role in reviving Sarah Lance (Caity Lotz) who will go on to a larger role in the upcoming team-up show ‘Legends of Tomorrow’.
MATT RYAN REPRISES HIS ROLE AS JOHN CONSTANTINE ON ARROW — When things take a turn for the worse with Sara (guest star Caity Lotz), Oliver (Stephen Amell) calls in a favour from an old friend who deals in the mystical, John Constantine (guest star Matt Ryan). John Badham directed the episode written by Brian Ford Sullivan & Oscar Balderrama.
Said Goyer of the cameo:
“I adore Matt and I think he is the definitive depiction of the character, and I think it is super cool that Greg (Berlanti) and Andrew (Kreisberg) brought him into that show.”
That’s not quite all. For fans or those that may have missed out on ‘Constantine’ the first time around, the show is one of those that will air on Robert Rodriguez’s cable channel El Rey, beginning in 2016. It joins other genre shows ‘Almost Human’, ‘V: The Series’, the ‘V’ miniseries, ‘Mortal Kombat: Conquest’, ‘Freddy’s Nightmares’, ‘The Twilight Zone’ (2002) and ‘Night Visions’.
And who knows? Some shows do get a second chance after cancellation. ‘The Family Guy’ was off the air for years before developing a cult following on DVD which prompted FOX to bring the show back and it’s been going strong ever since.
Were you a ‘Constantine’ fan? Are you glad it isn’t fading away completely?
