Starring: Matt Ryan (“Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior”), Lucy Griffiths (“True Blood”), Angélica Celaya, Charles Halford (“True Detective”) and Harold Perrineau (“Wedding Band”)
Genre: One-hour drama
Premiere Date: Friday, October 24, 10:00 p.m., NBC (Global in Canada)
Direct Competition: “Blue Bloods” (CBS), “20/20? (ABC)
Premise (in 140 characters or less): An expert in occultism teams with a young woman capable of second sight to stop demons. Yeah, whatever.
Initial Reaction: Fox’s “Gotham” takes itself too seriously, all the while seeming unsure of what it wants to be moving forward. On the other hand, you have The CW’s “The Flash,” a pilot that comes out of the gate knowing precisely what it wants to be. NBC’s “Constantine” falls somewhere in the middle, but it’s still the worst of the bunch.
Conclusion: The “Constantine” pilot is terrible. There’s no mistaking that. There are many pilots this season that I’ve disliked – in fact, far more than usual – but few feel as slimy as this one. It’s interesting, too, for as much as the show seems confident in what it’s doing, episode two will already see a change in leads, swapping out Griffiths’ character for a new one played by Celaya. It’s rather curious that a new pilot wasn’t shot as a matter of fact. Griffiths is an unmistakable co-lead, and they’ll need one hell of an explanation for her sudden exit.
Television has enough antiheroes. In this day and age, something different has to be done to hold my attention. Unfortunately, neither the writing or Ryan’s performance do anything out of the ordinary, thus assuring I won’t bother with subsequent installments. The series is paired with “Grimm,” a program I’m amazed has caught on the way it has, and together, I’m sure they’ll do just fine.
Watch Live, DVR or Skip?: DVR it, skip it, doesn’t matter. It’s Friday night. Go see a movie instead.
