John Constantine doesn’t belong in the spotlight, but his fans sure as hell want him there. More than a year after NBC canceled Constantine, based on the DC/Vertigo horror comic Hellblazer, Warner Archives is releasing the show on Blu-ray after exhaustive fan support failed to get the series a second season. The home release of the cult occult show is just the latest in the resurrection of Constantine, but could it be enough to bring the show to the CW?
In the ad pages of several DC Comics this week, Warner Archive — a branch of Warner Bros. that releases Blu-ray and DVDs without mass retail — prominently features Constantine with iZombie, The 100, and Lucifer and their Blu-ray releases. There’s nothing on the store for Constantine at this moment except for this dope action figure, but the comic ads do say “Constantine now on Blu-ray and DVD.”
When fans campaigned for the show’s renewal in early 2015, rumors included Syfy picking up the show, which turned out false, while others presumed the CW to pick it up. The CW’s average ratings are less than what broadcast networks demand of its programming, which is what led Supergirl to fly from CBS to the CW this fall where it can perform as it did but not be considered a low-performer.
Matt Ryan, who starred in Constantine and was praised as a picture-perfect iteration of the fan favorite DC character, reprised his role a few months after Constantine ended in the Arrow Season 4 episode, “Haunted.” The cross-over retconned the series’ continuity into the one shared by Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow, setting it up for any possible return in the future. Ryan is again playing Constantine in the animated movie Justice League Dark, although that iteration won’t be the same as his TV version.
Earlier this summer, the CW’s digital platform CW Seed added all 13 episodes of Constantine available for free, which was a glaring sign the network was measuring continued interest in the show. With Constantine now established in the Arrowverse it more than makes sense for the series to feature in CW’s comic book programming. As a cherry on top, Friday nights, which was when Constantine aired on NBC, is open on the CW’s week for any kind of DC show.
That Warner is releasing the series on home media — Family Guy was infamously renewed based on its strong DVD sales, as were Friday Night Lights and the sci-fi series Firefly for the movie Serenity — points to life still left in DC’s occult corner.
