Constantine News and Notes: New Network Imminent? Plus: Season Finale!
Morning, “Constantine” fans!
The season finale of NBC’s show based on the DC Comics series, “Hellblazer,” is almost upon us – Friday the 13th, 8 p.m.! How fitting.
The good news is that the episode, entitled “Waiting for the Man,” is going to wrap up the rising darkness storyline, rather than leave viewers hanging until season two (more on why I feel confident that there will be a second season in a bit!).
More good news: the episode will feature not only the return of Jim Corrigan, but one pissed-off Papa Midnite, as well! Since the episode that featured both Corrigan and Midnite – episode four, “Danse Vadou” – was one of the season’s highlights, the idea of closing a season with a story involving both of them has me very excited.
Of course, the fact that NBC decided to order only 13 episodes for season one surely limited the depth of the rising darkness story arc.
We didn’t even discover that La Brujeria were responsible for the rising darkness until episode eight, and we have not run into any of that ancient cult’s members since then. I fear that trying to completely resolve the storyline in only 13 episodes will leave fans dissatisfied, and even a best-case scenario will still leave me thinking, “But what if they could have taken more time to develop this arc?”
Whatever – we’ll find out in two nights how successfully the show’s creators were able to finish the story. Check out the preview for the season finale:
Now: about season two of “Constantine.” When NBC released a list of the shows that it had picked up for next season, this show was noticeably absent, leaving many to speculate that NBC had decided to give John Constantine the boot after just one season.
That may not entirely be the case, even if the show does not return to NBC. Rumor has it that NBC Universal is looking to move the show to another channel that it owns, with SyFy being the one that makes the most sense. It is possible that such a move will also result in the show being renamed “Hellblazer,” which probably will cause thousands of JC fans to scream like little girls.
Don’t get your hopes up – nothing has been finalized yet – but a move to another channel would be a wise move for many reasons. First of all, there is already an existing fanbase for John Constantine. Whereas most shows start with no fanbase and build it over time, TV shows that are based on comic books have a distinct advantage. “Hellblazer” may not be as popular as the more mainstream DC Comics titles, but it still has enough of a following to keep it alive long enough to attract more viewers.
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Moving the show to a channel like SyFy would also allow the show’s creators to embrace the darker nature of their stories. I give credit to NBC for developing the series in the first place, but let’s face it: the plots of “Constantine” could use more darkness and supernatural elements and less of the crime-procedural feel that many episodes have featured. Personally, I feel that “Constantine” would be a great fit for HBO, Showtime, or even Netflix or Amazon, but even SyFy is a better home for the subject matter than the peacock.
I’m a fan of the show, so I’ll be keeping my ears open for more rumors or developments! Meanwhile, you should make sure you’re caught up so you can watch the season finale this Friday.