Producer Daniel Cerone: "Constantine Will Survive"

Since last night's news that Constantine did not get a back nine order, there's been a flurry of [...]

By Russ Burlingame

Since last night's news that Constantine did not get a back nine order, there's been a flurry of speculation about just what that means for the NBC drama.

The series, based on Vertigo's Hellblazer comics, has hit its stride in the last couple of weeks, earning rave reviews and higher ratings than any episodes since the pilot.

All of that came together with reports that NBC is still mulling a second season for Constantine, even though the first season will only have 13 episodes.

This isn't unheard of; NBC has quite a few midseason dramas they want to try out, and Constantine's ratings have been roughly in line with Dracula's, which the network also did not pick up (although that was attributed largely to offscreen trouble with the series' lead). Networks also occasionally renew series they think have promise in spite of ratings performance -- possibly the most notable recent example being NBC's The Office, which went on to become a primetime staple for a decade after its first, six-episode season turned back cancellation-level numbers.

Whether it will actually happen or not? Well, that's up for debate. TV By the Numbers, who have a feature on the site called "The Cancellation Bear," have declared the series dead and a number of other press outlets have referred to the show as "cancelled."

And it isn't, technically. While most series don't come back from this kind of thing, the more reliable industry trade publications and websites maintain that Constantine really does still have a chance.

Joining the #SaveConstantine hashtag on Twitter, alongside series stars and writers, and celebrity fans like William Shatner, is showrunner Daniel Cerone, whose confidence only seems to be bolstered by predictions that the show will be gone this time next year.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of