There are few things worse in the entertainment sphere then when a show, designed for multiple seasons and containing many story arcs, gets cancelled just as it hits its stride. It’s even worse with DC’s streaming service adaptation of Swamp Thing as the show was cancelled just after its first episode aired. The remaining nine episodes, cut down from a total of thirteen for season 1, were still aired, but the final shows pacing and “climax” suffered for it. It’s also the perfect example of behind-the-scenes drama destroying a good thing.

Swamp Thing brings DC’s local plant guy to the small screen in an adaptation that really wasn’t sure what it wanted to be. Co-produced by James Wan and Len Wiseman, Alec Hollands journey from scientist to protector of the Green couldn’t decide whether it was a pure horror show, or a procedural one, despite the heavyweight horror talents behind the camera.



A mysterious and deadly outbreak in Louisiana brings CDC scientist Abby Arcane back home. Unfortunately it’s an unwelcome homecoming as the town of Marais, and its surrounding swamp, harbours many dark and deadly secrets. Her ill-fated connection with Alec Holland is cut short as murder and dirty business give birth to the Swamp Thing and Hollands life is pushed towards a far greater destiny and dangers larger than the ire of men. Something dark has infected the swamp, and it’s growing.

Swamp Thing was meant to be a full on horror show, in which the titular character was not meant to be seen as much. The first two episodes of the show were excellent, especially where the body horror and gore were concerned. It promised something dark, befitting Swamp Thing's origins and taking a page from Alan Moore’s seminal and iconic comic book run - a Swamp Thing run which has never been bettered.

The first two episodes of the show were excellent, especially where the body horror and gore were concerned.

From there, the show shifted gear into a mostly procedural show with psychological and supernatural horror taking up some of the runtime before ploughing back into bloody horror and action for the final two episodes. While that may seem completely uneven, it still works as the shows quality, whether procedural or horror, remained throughout. How viewers may feel about the shift in tone and content is another thing though.



Swamp Thing was also too concerned with throwing far too many plotlines at the screen in one go. Like Titans, it felt as though the show was also an excuse to setup a Justice League Dark sort of world. The Conclave, The Phantom Stranger and the Blue Devil are just some of the plotlines vying for screentime in a show already packed to the brim. Swamp Thing's own narrative, beyond the almost love affair between him and Abbie, is practically crushed beneath what’s happening all around him.

If the idea was that Swamp Thing would not be glimpsed too much, and was therefore an inert force most of the time, then Swamp Thing certainly succeeds in this regard. The truth, though, is that if you’re watching a comic book show, then you want to see the title characters in action, and if not overly busy, then definitely onscreen. For far too much of its runtime, Swamp Thing is a passive observer to the swamp and its problems. DC’s approach to this works and yet doesn’t at the same time.

For far too much of its runtime, Swamp Thing is a passive observer to the swamp and its problems.

The show combines practical effects and CG, with the practical effects on the Swamp Thing costume particularly outstanding along with the body horror and violence until the last episode. The digital effects fare less well, especially in the last episode where time constraint was clearly an issue.



With all the storylines going on in the show, it was always a crap-shoot that the last episode would manage to satisfyingly tie everything up. Titled “Loose Ends”, the episode concerns itself mostly with clearing the board of extraneous plotlines and characters. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how much of this episode was reshot, if at all, to make up for the cancellation. Judging from the episode itself, it seems that DC probably didn’t reshoot at all as, while some people are swept under the rug, more plotlines are actually introduced in their place, while others are simply carried on.

The show ends with two types of cliffhangers, one of which works as both a show ending and a possible continuation. The post credits scene, however, prompted one helluva “Stuff you DC!” moment from me as Jason Woodrue’s storyline finally bears fruit. Special mention has to be given to Kevin Durand for outdoing Tom Hardy’s Bane as having a speech inflection that meant, no matter how high you turned up the sound, you struggled to understand what he was saying. Suffice to say that final scene involving an incredible looking, prosthetic suit for the introduction of The Floronic Man had me tossing my cookies knowing that it was going nowhere.



As many problems as Swamp Thing does have, it’s a beautifully shot show that had an amazing amount of potential that was cut short due to whatever the true story behind its troubled production was. When Swamp Thing finally does cut loose, he’s a terrifying force onscreen, and it’s a shame that we won’t be getting anymore of it.