NBC’s ‘Constantine’ premiere review: Lucy Griffiths’ sole appearance, Doctor Fate, a solid debut

We’re clearly a big fan of DC Comics on television, given that we are very much deep into the world of “Arrow” and “The Flash.”

As for “Constantine,” this is clearly a series that is bringing a little something different to the table. It is incredibly intense, dramatic, violent, and not something that could get by airing on The CW. We’re also feeling somewhat convinced already that it is going to be better than that “Constantine” movie that starred Keanu Reeves.

The weird thing about watching the pilot, though, is knowing just how much of the story would change knowing that Lucy Griffiths was being written out, despite original intentions that she would be the Clara to his Doctor. Therefore, we almost had to watch this more as an action-packed introduction to the main character, and not sweat all of the details.

For a devoted fan of the comics, we see quite a bit to love in here. Plus, some of the references (Doctor Fate!) were painted in such a way that did not make them so obnoxiously obvious like “Gotham” and “The Flash” have so far this season. The only problem? We wonder whether or not the show is a little too hard for newbies to access. We could see some being confused with the way that the show throws you almost directly into the action.

Then again, this is NBC on a Friday night. This is when the network takes risks, and really appeals more to genre audiences than any other time on TV. “Constantine” is, at least at the moment, a very promising genre show that paints a picture of a very haunted man. Matt Ryan is solid in the lead role, but also major props to the show for also getting the very-awesome Harold Perrineau to play Manny.

Basically, this show has everything it needs to be a hit. The production values in here were strong, and the same thing can be said for the writing. Now, we just have to see if this holds up next week. Grade: B+.

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