Bad news for fans of NBC’s Constantine: the network has called an immediate production halt on the show, meaning that its current run will be capped at 13 episodes. While NBC claims that the production halt does not mean that Constantine is canceled, it most certainly does not bode well for the show.
Constantine features Matt Ryan as “supernatural detective” John Constantine – an anti-hero who spends his time exorcising demons and practicing the dark arts. It has received praise as being more loyal to the original DC comic books than the Keanu Reeves film of the same title, but also some criticism after the series’ producers decided to more or less expunge Constantine’s canonical bisexuality.
Characterization problems, however, seem to be playing a very small role in NBC’s decision to halt production on the show. Constantine has not fared well in its Friday at 10 p.m. time slot. Despite following the hit series Grimm, Constantine has been steadily underperforming, averaging about 4.5 million viewers compared with Grimm‘s 6.3 million. The Friday night slot is a tough one to fill, though: NBC has tried both Hannibal and Dracula there, but with no immediate ratings boom. With Constantine only in its first season, it seems rather unfair to stick it on a time when its major demographic probably won’t be watching.
It remains to be seen if the network’s halt on production will ultimately result in the cancellation of Constantine. Even good or well-received TV shows have been shown to flounder after just a few poorly rated episodes. Constantine appears to have had its share of problems, but it cannot have been helped by its time slot. If it does lose its home on NBC, perhaps it can have another life as a Netflix or Hulu series. We shall just have to wait and see if Constantine returns from television purgatory.
