Debashine Thangevelo
THE TV realm is being invaded by series adaptations of popular characters found in the DC Comics.
The most prominent presently on the small screen are Arrow, which has been renewed for a fourth season, Gotham, which has the green light for a second season and The Flash and iZombie. There are also myriad shows that have been commissioned and others that are in development.
And this trend continues to spread like wildfire among networks, with NBC commissioning Constantine– based on the Hellblazer comic book. Of course, for those who aren’t comic book buffs, the movie version with Keanu Reeves is a better reference point. He brought such intensity to his cynical demon hunter character, John Constantine, while immersed in a dark world where half-angels and half-demons reside.
In the TV series, Matt Ryan fills those shoes.
For those not au fait with the name, it’s because the Welsh actor is more of an unknown in the industry. He has a few movies to his credit – but none of them stand out. Of his TV work, his most notable projects were in Criminal Minds and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour.
In an interview with HitFix, Ryan said: “I am very, very hopeful. Obviously, he’s such an amazing character and I feel like we have so far to go with it. I think there’s so much potential with the series, with the source material, with the character and it’s something that I would really love to continue exploring.”
As is the case with most protagonists, they need to have a personality layered with a fair share of flaws intermingled with endearing qualities. In the TV series version of John Constantine, he is a former conman turned supernatural detective due to circumstances. He is enigmatic and flippant. A get-straight-to- the-point guy. He is joined by Zed Martin, a psychic who is intrigued by him; Francis “Chas” Chandler, his long-time friend and buddy on the demonic battlefield; and, last but not least, Manny, his guardian angel.
While going through the credits, it was interesting to see that David S Goyer and Daniel Cerone ( Dexter) are the creators. Now Goyer is known for his go-big-or-go-home kind of approach. We have seen it manifested in Da Vinci’s Demons for Fox.
And when it comes to all things demonic and sinister, he has a firm handle on storytelling, having written the screenplay to the Blade franchise, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and The Unborn(he directed the horror, too).
Now it does seem like Constantine has everything going for it to enjoy a similar measure of success as its predecessors in the genre.
Sadly, the reality is much different. The network has pulled the plug on the show after its 13-episode first season run. While some critics revelled in all the dark humour, action and nifty spine-chilling storylines, others were indifferent to the show. In fact, only a handful slated it.
South Africans can decide for themselves, though.
In tonight’s episode, Constantine, still struggling to process his failed exorcism that has landed him in the loony bin, guilt-trips his druggie metaphysics professor to help in trapping Furcifer and send him back to hell.
Hey, if the show doesn’t appeal to you but Ryan does – don’t despair. The eye-candy actor will be making a guest appearance in the next season of Arrow.
l Constantine airs on Vuzu Amp (DStv channel 114) tonight at 9.30pm.