Last week, just days after the first episode dropped on DC Universe, the streaming service’s latest live-action series Swamp Thing was suddenly cancelled. It was news that surprised many as the series had gotten positive reviews from critics and the ordinary viewer alike. While there are numerous rumors as to what ultimately spelled the end for Swamp Thing, even with the positive reviews, a cancellation after one episode is hard to wrap the mind around but according to Fatman Beyond co-host Marc Bernardin, Swamp Thing deserves praise, declaring the show to be really good.
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On the most recent episode of the Fatman Beyond podcast, Bernardin told co-host Kevin Smith that he was impressed by the Swamp Thing series, even after just seeing the pilot episode and even as being a fan of the comics who already knew a little about the story going into it.
“You know what I was impressed by? Swamp Thing,” Bernardin said. “It’s pretty good. I mean, there’s a certain amount of suspense that you lose if you’re a nerd and you know that the minute Alec Holland shows up, you’re like ‘oh! You in danger, girl! Oh bad sh*t’s going to happen to you, man, you just wait.’”
He went on to explain a big of the general plot details of the episode to Smith, who had not yet seen the episode, and talked about the quality of the series and how it had exceeded his expectations.
“It’s super deep in body horror, like it’s all about, like, f***ing vines and twigs and all that sh*t like working into bodies and exploding sh*t from the inside out,” he said. “It is way better than I expected it to be … it’s really well-done.”
It’s that quality angle of things among others that has fans of the series a bit confused about its cancellation and that includes series executive producer and Aquaman director James Wan. Wan posted to Instagram on Saturday that he doesn’t fully know or understand what happened with the Swamp Thing cancellation, but that everyone should go watch and enjoy the 10 episodes of the first and possibly only season of the series. As he put it not only did the cast, crew, and those involved with the series work very hard on it, but “Swampy deserves it”.
Whatever the real reason the series was cancelled — rumors include issues with tax breaks, WarnerMedia and AT&T executives not liking some elements of the series, and a rumored reexamination of the DC Universe service itself — fans have already sprang into action to do their part to attempt to save the series. Soon after the news of Swamp Thing‘s cancellation broke, the “#SaveSwampThing” hashtag on Twitter began trending in the hopes of saving the series, either by changing the direction of the show’s fate on DC Universe or by encouraging another network to welcome Swampy into their lineups — Warner-adjacent networks like The CW or HBO.
What do you think about the cancellation of Swamp Thing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter @lifeinpolaroid to chat Swamp Thing and more!
