TV cancellations are nothing rare for this time of year, and it was just a few weeks ago when seemingly half of network TV's primetime offerings got excised to make room for new shows. Still, it was a monster of a shock to learn that Swamp Thing has already been cancelled at DC Universe's streaming service, less than a week after its stellar Season 1 premiere.
As hopeful as fans might be that this news is just a dirty rumor started at the bottom of a tainted swamp, Swamp Thing's cancellation was confirmed to CinemaBlend, so everyone's hopes are likely for naught. It's definitely a shock, though. Against any and all odds, Swamp Thing managed to rise above creature feature expectations and introduced a well-paced tale grounded in horror and human emotions, and critics were high on the series' chances of raising the bar for DC TV.
Considering Swamp Thing was such a major project for DC Universe, at least in terms of opening up the kind of comic book projects that the streaming service could deliver, it's highly unlikely that another platform will swoop in to save Swamp Thing for Season 2. Especially since there are still nine more Swamp Thing episodes that are left to be released. It's assumed that those nine episodes will still be released for public viewing.
With a stacked cast and a creative team that many new shows would die for, Swamp Thing was already shaping up to be standout horror TV with eye-catching visual effects. And the sky was the limit as far as source material went. While Season 1 was set to adapt certain elements of Alan Moore's iconic Swamp Thing run in the comics, while also paying respects to character creators Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson, the story was one that could have incorporated plenty of other comic arcs in later seasons. Though not anymore.
Swamp Thing stars Gotham vet Crystal Reed as Abby Arcane, a CDC scientist returning to her South Louisiana home to investigate strange goings-on surrounding the local swamps. She meets up with biologist Alec Holland (Andy Bean), who has also been tasked with uncovering some answers. Unfortunately for Alec, things take a wrong turn and he becomes a victim to the swamp's dark forces, and a creature who knows Alec's name soon rises from the muck.
Friday the 13th's Derek Mears was the act inside the Swamp Thing prosthetic suit, which looked amazing. When CinemaBlend talked to Mears recently about the show, he was so excited for fans to see it, and was hoping for the show to last many more seasons. The same goes for co-developer, writer and executive producer Gary Dauberman (IT Chapter Two, Annabelle Comes Home), who worked hard alongside co-showrunner Mark Verheiden to make sure Swamp Thing stayed true to its roots while also delivering something for those unfamiliar with the comic world.
Troubles were hinted at early on, when it was revealed that Season 1's production was getting shut down early. The show's cast and crew were given sudden alerts that the episode count was being cut down from 13 to 10, and that the writers were going to need to reformulate the ending in order to account for the excised episodes. After watching Swamp Thing's early episodes, it seemed possible that the pristine special effects may have drained the show's budget, but this sudden cancellation hints at other problems possibly lurking behind the scenes.
Rumor: Why Swamp Thing Suddenly Got Cancelled At DC Universe
This is the time for fans to rise up and get vocal as all hell about Swamp Thing to see if it can possibly get rescued elsewhere. Not the easiest thing to do after only watching a single episode, but surviving through strife is what Swamp Thing is all about. Here's hoping it helps when you have Aquaman director James Wan as an executive producer.
Regardless of its cancelled status, the entirety of Swamp Thing Season 1 will be be released on DC Universe on Fridays through the season finale, which will air on Friday, August 2.
