'Constantine' News: Premiere Episode Recap, Lucy Griffiths Exits Show After Pilot
"Constantine" premiered its first episode last Friday, and the pilot reportedly held its own despite fierce competition from Fox's coverage of the 2014 World Series. According to Variety, the new NBC show garnered 4.3 million viewers on Friday, with 1.4 million made up of the 18-49 key demographic. This marks almost 90 percent viewer retention of the same demographic from its lead in, the hit series "Grimm."
The first episode of "Constantine" sees John Constantine (Matt Ryan) preparing to go under electroshock therapy at a mental treatment facility in England. John entered the facility three months after witnessing the death of a 9-year old girl named Astra, which was caused by a demon. Her soul was damned to spend an eternity in hell.
Later, cockroaches lead him to the hospital's art room, where he sees a possessed patient painting the word "LIV DIE" on the wall. John banishes the evil spirit by chanting some incantations in Latin.
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John goes to Atlanta as he tries to help a young woman named Liv (Lucy Griffiths) to get rid of a demon that has been following her. Also, an angel named Manny (Harrold Perrineau) appears and tells Constantine that he was sent to help him. Manny also tells him that when Astra's soul was damned, Constantine's soul was damned too, and that something powerful and evil is after him.
John is able to help Liv, but she is seriously spooked and heads to California. This marks Griffith's exit from the show.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show creators decided to move in a new direction, and instead of recasting Liv, the show will introduce new characters, starting with Zed, another female character from the original "Constantine" comics. Zed, which will be played by Telemundo star Angelica Celaya, is described as a psychic with a dark past. She will be appearing on the second episode of the series on Oct. 31.
"Constantine" airs on Fridays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
