5 reasons to resurrect 'Constantine' — on Netflix

Fans of the comic "Hellblazer" mourned this week when news came that NBC canceled "Constantine."

Good.

Well, not good that people are mourning. Good that it got canceled. Even faithful fans of the show have to admit that network television is not the place for a show based on a bisexual, chain smoking, occult detective.

In this day and age, the word "cancellation" shouldn't be used. "Hiatus" would be a better term, and hopefully "Constantine" will go on hiatus until it finds a home in a place better suited to a show of its nature. And that home should be Netflix.

Here are five really good reasons for "Constantine" to move to Netflix.

5. Constantine is a smoker. Whether you like it or not, part of John Constantine's character is the cigarette – it might as well be an extra finger. He'll always have a cigarette in his mouth or in his hand, so why put him on network TV where smoking isn't allowed?

The good thing about Netflix is these types of devices used to tell the story can remain in the show, and websites like IMDB.com will give us a fair warning of what's to come. For instance, if you look up the hit Netflix show "Orange is the New Black" on IMDB, the website cautions that (among many other things) characters smoke cigarettes.

Instead of censoring smoking altogether, Constantine should be allowed to puff away — as he does in the source material — and let the adult viewers (not the FCC) decide whether or not to watch it.

4. It should be scary. The "Hellblazer" comics are full of adult themes, and that means blood and gore and scary stuff. Creating things to give you nightmares is an effective tool to be used in the storyteller's kit. You can only go so far on network TV with that kind of stuff.

Watching a demon decapitate a body just isn't what it should be when it's on NBC. And the overall creepiness of the "Hellblazer" world was sadly muted. Take Netflix's original show "Hemlock Grove," for instance. If you're a horror geek, then you'll want to check out this show. It utilizes blood and gore and horror to tell a pretty entertaining story — one that'd be impossible to imagine on NBC.

3. It's a better alternative to costly cable and satellite. I know I speak for a nice chunk of TV consumers when I say that paying extra for channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz is not something many of us can afford. And adding those channels for just one show is so annoying. There are also great shows on the basic satellite channels, but that too can be quite costly.

So while really great shows exist on both basic and premium channels ("Veep," "Penny Dreadful," "American Horror Story," "Nurse Jackie," "Spartacus," "Boardwalk Empire," "The Americans," etc.), they're not within reach for a lot of people who don't want to pay the often ridiculous amounts of money for basic, let alone premium, cable or satellite.

However, $7.99 per month? That's so doable. Plus, you don't even have to have a television to view Netflix original programming. You're set if you've got a computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

2. We would love to binge watch it. With our constantly depleting attention spans, it gets easier and easier to lose interest in a show when we hit those mid-season breaks. And if you aren't paying the extra cash for a DVR, then you absolutely have to watch the show when the network tells you to watch it.

I speak from personal experience. I completely stopped watching a variety of shows when they went off the air over Christmas. In fact, of the various new shows I'd invested in last fall, I still only watch two of them. And yes, I'll admit that "Constantine" fell off my list of priorities.

By providing every episode at once, you almost eliminate the loss of interest factor — especially if you've got great content.

1. Storytellers will get more creative control. From "Daredevil" to "House of Cards" to "Orange is the New Black" to "Arrested Development" to "The Unbreakbable Kimmy Schmidt," you'll find the show's creators get a lot of control. Or at least, they get far more control than they do on network TV.

You see, network TV is a funny thing. If a show doesn't land in the first season, it usually gets nixed. And there are a bunch of people in suits whose concern is one thing: money. So, instead of focusing on telling us a good story, they're focusing on creating a product that will appeal to advertisers.

Suddenly, what starts off as a good show soon becomes just a vessel for ads. Content is changed around to appease the people who buy the commercial space, and shows don't get a chance to find their footing if they don't immediately start drawing in revenue.

Eliminate the network TV suits, and give more creative control to the people who want to tell a story. That's the biggest reason "Constantine" should find its new home on Netflix.

Follow Matthew on Twitter and Instagram, @MatthewJGeek; on Facebook at Facebook.com/MatthewJacobsonGeek; and email him at MJacobson@TheSpectrum.com.

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