Secondhand TV Danger Update…
Constantine Smoked In Tonight’s Episode, Producer Teases “Dangerous Habits”
In tonight’s episode of Constantine, titled “Danse Vaudou,” the series’ title character finally did something that fans had been clamoring for, and told wouldn’t come:
He lit up.
Constantine, of course, was a chain smoker throughout 300 issues of Hellblazer, and his smoking was a key component of the story “Dangerous Habits,” in which he was dying of lung cancer but managed to con the forces of Heaven and Hell into curing him. Elements of that story — arguably the best-known Hellblazer tale ever told — were used in the 2005 Keanu Reeves movie Constantine.
But since before the series was on the air, producers have said depicting their hero smoking on the show would be a serious problem with NBC’s standards and practices, and would likely not happen.
We told you John smokes on our show. How can we do Dangerous Habits if he didn’t? Trust. Believe. #Constantine
— Daniel Cerone (@DanielVCerone) November 22, 2014
— Daniel Cerone (@DanielVCerone) November 22, 2014
Cerone wasn’t the only one to notice; fans lit up social media withConstantine mentions at the start of the episode, nearly all of them noting the fact that everyone’s favorite master of the dark arts had a lit cigarette in his mouth on NBC.
Boty Cerone and David S. Goyer, who also produces the series, have said that they hoped to be as true to John Constantine’s character as they could, while acknowledging the limits of network television. For those critical of the series, the fact that John didn’t smoke was a kind of totem of what they thought was wrong with it.
And now, not only has he smoked but Cerone is teasing “Dangerous Habits,” as well…!
Originally written By Russ Burlingame
