After being cancelled by the streaming service DC Universe before the debut season even had a chance to air in full, the James Wan-produced “Swamp Thing” has been given a second life over on The CW this Halloween season, with the network premiering the series this past Tuesday. And the good news here is that “Swamp Thing” was a ratings hit in week one.
The 90-minute premiere episode scared up 1.1 million viewers on Tuesday night, with TV Line reporting that the episode “gave the network’s 8 o’clock hour its largest audience since May 19 (DC’s Stargirl), and the 90-minute period its best audience since Feb. 4.”
TV Line notes, as always, “The Live+Same Day numbers reported in our ratings column do not reflect a show’s overall performance, given the increased use of delayed playback via DVR and streaming platforms, plus out-of-home viewing.”
Needless to say, these are pretty great numbers for a series that already aired over one year ago, and we can’t help but wonder if The CW would have any interest in potentially reviving “Swamp Thing” if it continues to be a hit. Mind you, we’ve heard nothing of the sort at this time, but at this point it seems pretty fair to at least ponder that potential future.
In the world of television, we’ve learned to never say never!
Crystal Reed, Jennifer Beals, Virginia Madsen, Ian Ziering, Will Patton, Andy Bean, Kevin Durand, Henderson Wade, Jeryl Prescott and Maria Sten star in the series.
Swamp Thing himself is played by Derek Mears (Predators, Friday the 13th).
“Swamp Thing” centers on CDC researcher Abby Arcane (Reed). When she returns to her childhood home of Houma, Louisiana, in order to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, she develops a surprising bond with scientist Alec Holland — only to have him tragically taken from her. But as powerful forces descend on Houma, intent on exploiting the swamp’s mysterious properties for their own purposes, Abby will discover that the swamp holds mystical secrets, both horrifying and wondrous — and the potential love of her life may not be dead after all.
The series, based on the DC characters created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, is written by “Ash vs. Evil Dead” writer Mark Verheiden and IT co-writer Gary Dauberman.
