I don’t wanna jinx it only two episodes in, but it’s like the TW writers finally caught up with the actors etc and now everything is on point. TW’s always had great players, casting, snappy dialogue, fleshed-out characters, cinematography. But even for a show about supernatural schoolyard high-jinks? Damn. Just. Goofy. Not fun goofy- though, yeah, it is a fun show. But, like, Go home, Show, you’re drunk type goofy.
But so far, so good, season 4. I am slow-clapping. You got my exquisitely judgey attention. Don’t nosedive.
Not sporting his trademark continuous cigarettes is the least of Constantine‘s worries as an NBC drama. X Files, Fringe, Lost and Hannibal prove that, yes, it is possible to pull off smart, risk-taking genre series despite the content restrictions of being an old school major network. But those shows pushed the limits of mainstream prime-time by presenting powerful artistry, strength of narrative and cinematic visual styles backed by real skill. Measured by such standards, watching the pilot reveals that Constantine is already in over its head.
From the jump, it’s obvious the series has a struggle ahead because it’s so determined to both dumb down the material and dilute the potential squick factor. This family-friendly approach will not only alienate the existing Hellblazer fanbase but also anybody under the age of 500 who might like to have the crap scared out of them by a TV show. Constantine should not be The Ghost Whisperer.
Setting aside that obvious struggle, before NBC trots the show out for realsies in the fall, one simple thing they could tweak is the presentation of their main character. Welsh actor Matt Ryan has to do something with that WTF accent. Everything out of his smoke-free pie-hole smacks of Liza Doolittle times duh equals cheerio, bollocks, blimey and tally-ho! Combined with a botched dye-job that looks like an embarrassed static duster, it’s an empathetic nightmare to experience the awkward. Jolly bad show, old chap.
Grier was born on June 30, 1956, in Detroit, Michigan. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama.
After graduating he was nominated for his role as Jackie Robinson for a Tony for Best Feature Actor in the 1981 musical “The First.” Grier has a long history on Broadway, having been nominated for Tony awards, and performing in productions such as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, David Mamet’s play “Race” with James Spader, Kerry Washington and Richard Thomas, and “Porgy and Bess” with Audra McDonald.
Grier, however, is probaby best known for being a cast member on Keenen and Damon Wayans’ sketch show “In Living Color,” which ran from 1990 to 1994. He’s also had roles in shows and movies like superhero parody “Blankman,” Amazon Women on the Moon,” “The Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World” with Lisa Bonet, “Boomerang,” Tales From the Hood,” “Pinky and the Brain” (voice), “McHale’s Navy” (1997), “Bewitched” (2005), and most recently “Peeples” with Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington.
Grier also co-starred with Bonnie Hunt in the film “Jumanji” before joining the cast of her show “Life with Bonnie,” which ran for two seasons.
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