DC Entertainment’s Constantine, iZombie and The Flash TV Shows All Get Series Pickups

To paraphrase the immortal Xzibit, "Yo dawg, we heard you like DC Comics, so we put DC Comics in your TV so you can watch comics while you read comics."

Two different networks announced today that they're picking up three different shows based on DC and Vertigo properties: Constantine on NBC, iZombie and The Flash on The CW. With Arrow headed into its third season at The CW and Gotham already in production at Fox, this fall will be filled with hour-long dramas based on DC Comics.  Industry scuttlebutt is that DC Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns is the primary force behind getting these shows this far, making today a pretty good day for the longtime superhero writer.

First up, let's talk The Flash. Here's The CW's official synopsis of the series:

Barry Allen is a Central City assistant police forensics investigator who arrives in Starling to look into a series of unexplained robberies that may have a connection to a tragedy in his past. A comic book fanboy, Barry is obsessed with the Arrow unaware that working with Oliver and Felicity to solve the crime has brought him right into the dangerous world of the vigilante.
CAST: Grant Gustin, Jesse L. Martin, Rick Cosnett, Danielle Panabaker, Candice Patton, Carlos Valdes, Tom Cavanaugh, John Wesley Shipp, Michelle Harrison, Patrick Sabongui
TEAM: Greg Berlanti (w, ep), Andrew Kreisberg (w, ep), Geoff Johns (w), David Nutter (d, ep), Sarah Schechter (ep)

It's no surprise that the show is headed to series, considering the boost it's been getting on Arrow all season with appearances by Gustin and even some secondary characters. The Flash's origin was even a major moment in an episode, and characters have been talking in recent episodes about Barry Allen being in a coma.

Interestingly, this synopsis sounds a lot like what has already happened in Arrow episodes. One has to wonder whether the pilot of The Flash will tread ground from Arrow, just from a different perspective. That could very well be the case, considering that the executive producers of Arrow, Greg Berlanti and Andrew Kreisberg, are also heading up this show. Geoff Johns, who also has written several Arrow episodes, is clearly deeply involved here, too.

Next up, Constantine.

Based on the wildly popular comic book series Hellblazer from DC Comics, seasoned demon hunter and master of the occult John Constantine (Matt Ryan, Criminal Minds) specializes in giving hell… hell. Armed with a ferocious knowledge of the dark arts and his wickedly naughty wit, he fights the good fight — or at least he did. With his soul already damned to hell, he’s decided to leave his do-gooder life behind, but when demons target Liv (Lucy Griffiths, True Blood), the daughter of one of Constantine’s oldest friends, he’s reluctantly thrust back into the fray – and he’ll do whatever it takes to save her. Before long, it’s revealed that Liv’s “second sight” — an ability to see the worlds behind our world and predict supernatural occurrences — is a threat to a mysterious new evil that’s rising in the shadows. Now it’s not just Liv who needs protection; the angels are starting to get worried too. So, together, Constantine and Liv must use her power and his skills to travel the country, find the demons that threaten our world and send them back where they belong. After that, who knows… maybe there’s hope for him and his soul after all.

Deadline reports that NBC may not have fully been on-board for Constantine, stating that it wasn't "universally liked" by the network. There's also some speculation that it could push the Warner Bros. drama Revolution out the door.

Daniel Cerone (Charmed) will oversee the series along with David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight). Giving John Constantine what essentially amounts to a Doctor Who-style companion seems like a choice that could make the character deviate dramatically from the comics version originated by Alan Moore and others in the pages of Swamp Thing and Hellblazer, but you can't say Matt Ryan doesn't have the look right.

Finally, iZombie, which deviates quite substantially from Chris Roberson and Mike Allred's cult favorite comic, as we have noted:

A med student-turned-zombie takes a job in the coroner’s office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity, but with each brain she consumes, she inherits the corpse’s memories. With the help of her medical examiner boss and a police detective, she solves homicide cases in order to quiet the disturbing voices in her head.
CAST: Rose McIver, Malcolm Goodwin, Alexandra Krosney, David Anders, Robert Buckley, Nora Dunn, Ruhul Kohli
TEAM: Rob Thomas (w, ep), Diane Ruggiero (w, ep), Danielle Stokdyk (ep), Dan Etheridge (ep)

One of these people has to turn into a were-terrier eventually.  Come on, CW. You have a show with a real-life Deathstroke on it. One were-terrier isn't too much to ask.