Swamp Thing is an American superherohorrorweb television series created by Gary Dauberman and Mark Verheiden for DC Universe and based on the DC Comicscharacter of the same name. Derek Mears portrays the eponymous Swamp Thing, a plant-elemental creature who fights malevolent forces around a Louisiana swamp with the help of medical doctorAbby Arcane. The series premiered on May 31, 2019, and consisted of 10 episodes. Shortly after its premiere, DC Universe announced that Swamp Thing had been canceled. The remaining episodes were released on DC Universe until the series' conclusion on August 2, 2019. The rights to Swamp Thing were subsequently picked up by The CW, which will air reruns of the series in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Premise
returns home to Marais, Louisiana, to investigate a deadly swamp-borne virus, where she develops a bond with disgraced scientist Alec Holland. After Holland tragically dies, Abby discovers the mysteries of the swamp and that Holland may not be dead after all when a mysterious creature claims to be him.
The wife of Avery Sunderland, whose grief over the loss of her daughter, Shawna, resurfaces when Abby returns home, and draws Maria into the supernatural mysteries of the swamp.
A disgraced biologist working for Avery. Murdered when he starts to uncover an illegal operation in the swamp, his memories survive inside of Swamp Thing.
Derek Mears as Swamp Thing:
A plant-based entity created from the memories of Alec Holland. Possessing elemental control of vegetation and regenerative abilities, he attempts to defend the swamp, the town, and the natural world at large.
Henderson Wade as Matt Cable:
A police officer along with his mother, Lucilia, who finds himself in dire straits when supernatural events begin to threaten the town. He is also a childhood friend of Abby.
A prominent businessman in Marais, who, while publicly giving back to the community, is determined to harness the power of the swamp for profit as a pharmaceuticalcornucopia. He was also the adoptive parent to Abby Arcane after her mother died.
A biogeneticist, brought in to study the properties of the swamp, leading him to become fixated on unlocking its potential, which has tragic and monstrous consequences for him.
Recurring
Ian Ziering as Daniel Cassidy / Blue Devil: A former stuntman who, after becoming semi-famous after playing the demonic Blue Devil in a film, looks to regain his former fame
Elle Graham as Susie Coyle: A young girl who is diagnosed with "Green Flu", appears to have a mysterious connection to Swamp Thing, and befriends Abby
Leonardo Nam as Harlan Edwards: A gay CDC specialist who is Abby's second-in-command
Selena Anduze as Caroline Woodrue: A scientist and Jason Woodrue's wife who has Alzheimer's disease
Given Sharp as Shawna Sunderland: Abby's childhood friend and Maria and Avery's deceased daughter, who appears in both flashbacks and as a ghost to her mother Maria
On May 2, 2018, it was announced that DC Universe had given the production a script-to-series order. Mark Verheiden and Gary Dauberman were expected to write the first episode of the series and executive produce alongside James Wan, Michael Clear. Rob Hackett was set to serve as a co-producer. Production companies involved with the series were slated to include Atomic Monster Productions and Warner Bros. Television. On September 4, 2018, it was reported that Len Wiseman would direct the series' first episode in addition to serving as an executive producer. Despite being released on DC Universe, the series does not exist in the same fictional universe as the service's other live-action series, including Titans and Doom Patrol. On June 6, 2019, the series was canceled one week after its premiere aired. Before the series' cancellation, there were plans to introduce Justice League Dark and create a spin-off based on that team.
Casting
In September 2018, it was announced that Crystal Reed and Maria Sten had been cast in the main roles of Abby Arcane and Liz Tremayne, respectively. Jennifer Beals was also announced in the recurring role of Sheriff Lucilia Cable, although she would later be revealed to be part of the main cast. In late October and early November 2018, more series regulars were revealed, with Jeryl Prescott cast as Madame Xanadu, Virginia Madsen cast as Maria Sunderland, Will Patton cast as Avery Sunderland. Andy Bean cast as Alec Holland with Derek Mears as the Swamp Thing, Henderson Wade cast as Matt Cable, and Kevin Durand cast as Jason Woodrue. Also in December 2018, Ian Ziering joined the cast in the recurring role of Daniel Cassidy / Blue Devil, and a month later, Leonardo Nam was cast as Harlan Edwards in a recurring role.
Filming
Principal photography for the series commenced in early November 2018 in Wilmington, North Carolina and wrapped on May 6, 2019.
Release
Swamp Thing premiered May 31, 2019, on DC Universe. Despite being canceled not long after its premiere, DC Universe continued to release the remaining episodes of the series, with the finale being released on August 2, 2019. Swamp Thing: The Complete Series was released digitally December 2, 2019, and on DVD and Blu-ray February 11, 2020. In May 2020, The CW acquired the broadcast rights to the series.
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 94% approval rating based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 7.32/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "By leaning into the horror of it all, Swamp Thing swims deep into the trenches of this strange world and returns with a scary good TV show." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the series a score of 67 out of 100 based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Accolades
Cancellation
On April 17, 2019, it was announced that production for the series had been unexpectedly cut short due to creative differences with DC Universe's parent company WarnerMedia, thus reducing the original episode order from 13 to 10 episodes. Further reports stated the series had been canceled due to budget shortfalls after the expected level of tax rebates offered by the state of North Carolina were substantially reduced. A representative from DC Universe stated that the streaming service was being re-evaluated and that there were no plans for a second season. When asked why specifically the show was canceled, the spokesman responded, "Unfortunately, we are not in a position to answer at this time." Mears described the cancellation as a "heartbreaker" and felt the decision to cancel the show showed a "lack of respect" on DC's part. He added that members of the production had been told up until the cancellation "how amazing everything was... So it's a weird nebulous space that we're all in now because we don't know officially why that would happen, or why they canceled it." In mid-2019, a movement with the hashtag #SaveSwampThing began spreading on social media shortly after the series was cancelled in an attempt to save the series. Mears also showed his support of the movement.
Swamp Thing, as depicted in the series, makes a cameo appearance in the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths" through archival footage of Mears as the character. The event establishes Swamp Thing as being set on the world of Earth-19.
