The CW managed to cancel many a DC project before Warner Bros. relaunched its leg of DC Comics’ adaptations as DC Studios last year. Among them, Batgirl made several headlines after the studio shelved the movie, which was undergoing production with Leslie Grace in the titular role. However, there were also television productions like Batwoman, Stargirl, and The Wonder Twins, which only lasted for a short while.
However, one of the most surprising cancelations among these titles was Swamp Thing in 2019. The show was picked up as a standalone series at the now-defunct streaming platform DC Universe. Starring Crystal Reed and Derek Mears, Swamp Thing served as an origin story for the plant-based mystical entity, forever an underrated character from the comics. The show received critical acclaim and was rated substantially high on critics’ charts, making its cancelation more of a shock.
Almost half a decade later, Swamp Thing is witnessing a sudden reappraisal from fans on Reddit. A Reddit user @Substantial-Star-779 shared an image from the series, asking whether it’s worth watching Swamp Thing.
The question led to a wave of praise and appreciation for the show from fans who highly recommends viewing the series.
What was more shocking was that DC canceled Swamp Thing after two episodes without letting it conclude and gain more traction. Though the series was broadcast in full, it was an odd move not to allow the audience a complete experience of the series.
And this move also affected the viewership.
Despite excellent work on visual effects and the appealing grittier tone and narrative, the series didn’t get past one season.
The show was eventually reworked to feel like a series finale in an attempt to offer fans a satisfying end to the material.
However, the show still ended on a cliffhanger, so proceed with caution.
After the cancellation, the show was retconned into the Arrowverse and labeled Earth-19 of the DC Multiverse.
Swamp Thing is now getting a complete rework and revival in the new DC Universe under James Gunn. The new DC co-head has confirmed that Swamp Thing will be a part of his cinematic universe’s first chapter, Gods & Monsters. Fast-tracking the project, DC has already brought in James Mangold (Logan, Ford V. Ferrari) as director. There is no development on casting yet, and it is likely still in early pre-production. Swamp Thing is said to tread upon horror tropes, thus, shifting gears for DC Universe in a distinct direction.
Unfortunately, the Swamp Thing television serie isn’t on HBO Max. The fans have to get access to The CW app to watch the now-canceled series. Though the series had no future, it laid the groundwork for a solid one. And for that, and for some impressive performances, Swamp Thing is worth the watch, especially if you want to get hold of character’ser’s origin story.