Constantine (New Show)
Lead-in: Grimm
Lead-out: Local Programming
Episode Order: 22-24 episodes
Competition: Blue Bloods and 20/20
The Pros
• Constantine is probably the Friday show with the most hype since… well I am not even sure.
• Grimm is a very compatible and very competent for Friday lead-in.
• There really shouldn’t be much overlap between a heavily genre show like this and something like Blue Bloods or 20/20.
The Cons
• It feels like we were all making the same compatibility argument with Dracula a year ago and we all know how that turned out.
• Airing at Friday 10pm means dependence on lead-in is huge. If Grimm continues its roller coaster, there won’t be much Constantine can do.
• The show is going through some considerable post pilot changes. That’s not a very good sign of what’s to come creatively.
The Verdict: It’s tough to grasp what NBC’s expectations for this one are. I feel like it will be able to perform better than Dracula because that show seemed to be so poorly received last year that it would be tough to make it as wrong twice in a row but I am not sure if “better” will be enough to warrant a renewal. I think it gets a nice retention out of Grimm and hangs in there for a full season and is a bubble one at the upfronts. This being said, this is the type of situation in which a sudden explosion to big Friday hit wouldn’t surprise me.
The Guess: 1.11
Potential for Major Deviation: High