[TV] Constantine

I kind of liked the show tonight. I feel like the character IS John Constantine from the comics, but I feel like it needs to be so much darker than it can get on network TV.

Early prediction, 2-3 seasons, tops.
 
Strong second episode. If it was on FX or SyFy or AMC I think it would be free to be a little better, a little darker, but it's off to a strong start. If the writing and acting stay as strong as they've been, this show could have a successful run.
 
Are they actually not allowed to? Good lord.
Yup, they basically have to work around it. A lot of scenes where someone else is coming in and he's just snubbing out a cigarette, or about to light one, but gets interrupted, shots behind the back where he's just finishing one.
 
Because it's on broadcast television and not cable. People smoking haven't been allowed on Broadcast television for quite a while now. Pretty big change from the days of cigarette sponsored cartoons.
It can't even have been that long. I mean, the Cigarette Smoking Man from the X-Files was only... 12 years ago...
 
I don't know if the smoking ban is a legal thing, or if it's a network mandate. I'd lean towards the latter. I don't think the same would apply to Fox. I think that characters on Family Guy and American Dad have smoked recently, though American Dad isn't on Fox anymore, and rules for animated smoking may be different.
 
I give credit to the shows creators that they're at least doing what they can to incorporate it, especially because if they at least keep it in the show that he DOES smoke, it leaves it open to his whole deal with the devil power play when he develops cancer.
 
I actually think they are doing a great job with the smoking thing. It sucks the network won't let them just show it but they are making it clear he is a smoker.
 
It's not over yet. The show isn't cancelled; NBC is just hedging their bets to see if the first season gets decent ratings. One of the links on that article begins with saying that the ratings are rising.
 

Dave

Staff member
It's not over yet. The show isn't cancelled; NBC is just hedging their bets to see if the first season gets decent ratings. One of the links on that article begins with saying that the ratings are rising.
But they also aren't making any new shows. They've totally stopped production.
 
But they also aren't making any new shows. They've totally stopped production.
It's not uncommon for shows to get a short first season, especially if it's a new genre for the network. Considering how late Constantine started and the amount of effort they've put behind getting it aimed at the right audience (it's getting a marathon on SyFy this weekend and they have been pushing it hard on Hulu, as well as doing stuff with it during the Thanksgiving Day Parade), it's a fair chance they just want to get some kind of data at this point.

It's not a sure thing, but it's far from dead.
 
Now that I'm on winter break I got a chance to catch up. I liked their interpretation of the first issue of Hellblazer. It's good to see that they are trying to stick with the source material. It also seems like they just said screw it with the smoking and moved it to being limited instead of fully hidden. I know him smoking seems like a stupid thing to worry about, but his main storyline he's remembered for involves his cancer and chain smoking.
 
That episode... with the kids who are possessed.

Kids cannot act. ARGH[DOUBLEPOST=1419976185,1419976147][/DOUBLEPOST]Also this is compounded by the fact that adults cannot write for kids.
 
That episode... with the kids who are possessed.

Kids cannot act. ARGH[DOUBLEPOST=1419976185,1419976147][/DOUBLEPOST]Also this is compounded by the fact that adults cannot write for kids.
Not universally true, but it probably takes actually remembering being a kid and what that was like.
 
Not universally true, but it probably takes actually remembering being a kid and what that was like.
Well, I don't remember being a kid, but I have been around enough kids that I know that 99% of the lines and behaviours in TV shows and movies are just... not what kids do/are like.
 
Honestly, the girl in Little Miss Sunshine, as bizarre as that movie was and her lines seemed weird, seemed to be the most accurate portrayal of actual children. Precocious, but not too much. Hell Wednesday Addams in the movies was written better than most child characters.
 
Honestly, the girl in Little Miss Sunshine, as bizarre as that movie was and her lines seemed weird, seemed to be the most accurate portrayal of actual children. Precocious, but not too much. Hell Wednesday Addams in the movies was written better than most child characters.
The Addams, of course, were the most normal family on television: Gomez and Morticia slept in the same bed.
 
Gomez and Morticia were a married couple that were still passionately in love and sexually attracted to their partner.

Those freaks.
 
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