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Swamp Thing (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Swamp Thing, also known as Swamp Thing: The Series, is a science fiction
, action/adventure
television series based on the DC Comics
(later Vertigo Comics) character
Swamp Thing
. It debuted on USA Network
on July 27, 1990 and lasted three seasons for a total of 72 episodes. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel
.
facilities and soundstages. This was allegedly granted to demonstrate the new studio because the series could be produced cheaply and quickly. For the first thirteen episodes, the crew shot on location in actual Florida swamps and returned to the studio for other scenes. However, the swamps not only prevented them from creating favorable lighting but also required lots of time to transport people and equipment from the swamp to the studio. They finally decided to build a swamp in the studio which, according to Durock, looked "ten times better than a real swamp."
Actor
/stuntman
Dick Durock
, who played Swamp Thing in both films
, reprised his role for the more serious-toned TV series. He wore a modified version of Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz's latex suit created for The Return of Swamp Thing
, and he spoke in an electronically altered basso profundo. Since his profuse sweating caused the lip and eye prosthetics to fall off while shooting the previous films, Durock simply had makeup applied in those areas for his television costume. "In the first feature it took close to four hours. In the second feature it took close to two hours. By the time we did the series, which ironically was by far the best makeup and costume, we had it down to about 45 minutes," he recalled.
Durock worked twelve hours a day, six days a week for 50 straight episodes without a break. In addition to the burden of wearing an 80-pound costume, the schedule required him to learn ten pages of dialogue each day. "I don't think this has ever been done before in the history of Hollywood where a guy wore a costume for that amount of time," Durock noted in a 2008 interview. However, he also recited the schedule as "two shows a week, three days each show, ten pages of dialogue a day. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and at the end of the day they hand you another thirty pages." This may allude to the schedule after the rigorous first 50 episodes. What's more, Durock stressed that "I had no experience as an actor at all, other than playing on Rockford Files
and a zillion other shows, but not as an 'actor' actor per se."
Swamp Thing debuted with "The Emerald Heart" on Friday, July 27, 1990 at 10:30PM
Eastern
. The show's introductory narration decrees:
After the pilot episode, the series was temporarily halted for some retooling in presentation. Further modifications came after the initial 22 episodes, namely enlisting Tom Greene as executive producer
, to improve the series for its second season which premiered January 3, 1992. Swamp Thing regularly featured guest stars such as Roscoe Lee Browne
as a Voodoo
priest, Tyne Daly
as Dr. Arcane's fierce rival, Wolfman Jack
as a carnival owner, and Adam Curry
as a rock star. Two episodes also guest starred professional wrestlers
Terry Funk
, Kevin Nash
, and Jorge Gonzáles
a.k.a. El Gigante.
The series also introduced characters like the Kipp family, as well as a completely new incarnation of Anton Arcane
played by Mark Lindsay Chapman
. A young boy named Jim Kipp, played by Jess Ziegler, was intended to appeal to the young audience. However, after the first 12 episodes, a decision was made to return the series back to a darker theme seen in the original Swamp Thing film. Consequently, the story had Jim Kipp abducted by a South American child stealing ring acting under the orders from Dr. Arcane, and Jim never appeared again in the series. Durock noted, "The way they wrote him out was kind of a shock to me and everybody else except for I suppose the writers... That's a hell of a way to meet your demise!" Indeed, the Swamp Thing evolved as it went along. Regarding these shifts, Durock commented, "I guess we finally got it ironed out after the first 23, and with the next 50, we kind of tried to hit a balance."
With the network eager to release new episodes, many were aired out of their original order in the series' original run. The disorganization created the effect of sporadic or unfulfilled plot points in various episodes, an issue that was corrected in the first DVD set. The series was also planned for 100 episodes but ended prematurely on May 1, 1993. Given this, a number of fleshed out plots were left unused. Due to its strong cult following
, however, Swamp Thing would later re-air on Sci-Fi Channel
and be featured during the S.C.I.F.I. World
schedule in the early 2000s. As of 2008, the series airs on Chiller
in movie form and is available on its official website.
Swamp Thing was at one time USA Network's top rated show despite being subject to mixed or poor reception. Dick Durock, however, recounted being sent many positive reviews from various media. He also noted that the series had strong European following, particularly in the Netherlands
and England
which had a national Swamp Thing fan club.
The series failed to reach a considerable mainstream approval but has gained a cult following thanks in part to its unintentional camp
value. Adam-Troy Castro of SciFi
.com gave a largely unimpressed review of the series' first DVD set, noting "Somehow [the] action never amounts to very much, because the staging is consistently beyond awful." While he noted moments of good cinematography, the Swamp Thing costume is criticized for its poor mobility and burden on fight scenes. Castro also considers the acting poor and the bonus interviews much more interesting than the episodes themselves.
Andrew Winistorfer of PopMatters
heavily criticized the series in his review for the Volume Two DVD set. Calling it "a marathon of bad clichés, disjointed plot lines, lame acting, and even lamer stories devoid of any ironic pop culture worth at all," he gave the DVD set a 2/10 rating. Winistorfer also expressed frustration in the episodes being organized by original air dates rather than production order, causing numerous plot inconsistencies. Various other websites have echoes such statements in their own Swamp Thing DVD reviews.
in England. This includes "Birth Marks," "The Watchers," "Tremors of the Heart," and "Walk a Mile in My Shoots."
On January 22, 2008, Shout! Factory
released Swamp Thing - The Series. This 4-disc DVD
set contains all 22 episodes of the first two seasons in their proper chronological order. Volume Two was released July 15, 2008 and contains the first 25 episodes of the third season. However, this collection organizes the episodes by original air date. Cast members reunited to film extras for the DVDs, and Durock embarked on a tour of fan convention
s to promote the new releases.
On May 26, 2010, Shout Factory announced Volume 3, which would contain the last episodes of the series, would be released on June 22 exclusively from the Shout Factory website.
On July 14, 2009 a DVD collection titled Swamp Thing: Eight Favorite Episodes was released by Mill Creek Entertainment
(under license by Shout! Factory) containing eight selected episodes.
Another single disc DVD compilation titled Swamp Thing: The Legend Continues was released on September 28, 2010 by Shout! Factory, containing seven selected episodes. Episodes in this DVD were: "Night Of The Dying", "Love Lost", "Mist Demeanor", "A Nightmare On Jackson Street", "Better Angels", "Children Of The Fool", and "A Jury Of His Fears".
U.S. television science fiction
U.S. television science fiction is a popular genre of television in the United States that has produced many of the best-known and most popular science fiction shows in the world. Most famous of all, and one of the most influential science-fiction series in history, is the iconic Star Trek and its...
, action/adventure
Adventure (genre)
The adventure genre, in the context of a narrative, is typically applied to works in which the protagonist or other major characters are consistently placed in dangerous situations...
television series based on the DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
(later Vertigo Comics) character
Superhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
. It debuted on USA Network
USA Network
USA Network is an American cable television channel launched in 1971. Once a minor player in basic cable, the network has steadily gained popularity because of breakout hits like Monk, Psych, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, Covert Affairs, White Collar, Monday Night RAW, Suits, and reruns of the various...
on July 27, 1990 and lasted three seasons for a total of 72 episodes. It was later shown in reruns on the Sci Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
.
Overview
Swamp Thing was filmed in the brand-new Universal Studios FloridaUniversal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is an American theme park located in Orlando, Florida. Opened on June 7, 1990, the park's theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and...
facilities and soundstages. This was allegedly granted to demonstrate the new studio because the series could be produced cheaply and quickly. For the first thirteen episodes, the crew shot on location in actual Florida swamps and returned to the studio for other scenes. However, the swamps not only prevented them from creating favorable lighting but also required lots of time to transport people and equipment from the swamp to the studio. They finally decided to build a swamp in the studio which, according to Durock, looked "ten times better than a real swamp."
Actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
/stuntman
Stuntman
A stuntman or stunt performer is someone who performs dangerous stunts.Stuntman may also refer to:*The Stunt Man, a 1980 film starring Peter O'Toole*Stuntman , a 2002 video game**Stuntman: Ignition, its sequel...
Dick Durock
Dick Durock
Richard "Dick" Durock was an American stuntman and actor who has appeared in over eighty films and over seven hundred television episodes.- Biography :...
, who played Swamp Thing in both films
Swamp Thing (film)
Swamp Thing is a 1982 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. It tells the story of scientist Alec Holland who becomes transformed into the monster Swamp Thing through laboratory sabotage orchestrated by the evil Anton Arcane...
, reprised his role for the more serious-toned TV series. He wore a modified version of Carl Fullerton and Neal Martz's latex suit created for The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing
The Return of Swamp Thing is a sci-fi-comedy film released in 1989, and directed by Jim Wynorski. It is based on the DC Comics title Swamp Thing and is a sequel to the 1982 horror film Swamp Thing directed by Wes Craven; however, it had a lighter tone than the previous film...
, and he spoke in an electronically altered basso profundo. Since his profuse sweating caused the lip and eye prosthetics to fall off while shooting the previous films, Durock simply had makeup applied in those areas for his television costume. "In the first feature it took close to four hours. In the second feature it took close to two hours. By the time we did the series, which ironically was by far the best makeup and costume, we had it down to about 45 minutes," he recalled.
Durock worked twelve hours a day, six days a week for 50 straight episodes without a break. In addition to the burden of wearing an 80-pound costume, the schedule required him to learn ten pages of dialogue each day. "I don't think this has ever been done before in the history of Hollywood where a guy wore a costume for that amount of time," Durock noted in a 2008 interview. However, he also recited the schedule as "two shows a week, three days each show, ten pages of dialogue a day. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and at the end of the day they hand you another thirty pages." This may allude to the schedule after the rigorous first 50 episodes. What's more, Durock stressed that "I had no experience as an actor at all, other than playing on Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
and a zillion other shows, but not as an 'actor' actor per se."
Swamp Thing debuted with "The Emerald Heart" on Friday, July 27, 1990 at 10:30PM
12-hour clock
The 12-hour clock is a time conversion convention in which the 24 hours of the day are divided into two periods called ante meridiem and post meridiem...
Eastern
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. The show's introductory narration decrees:
After the pilot episode, the series was temporarily halted for some retooling in presentation. Further modifications came after the initial 22 episodes, namely enlisting Tom Greene as executive producer
Executive producer
An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, to improve the series for its second season which premiered January 3, 1992. Swamp Thing regularly featured guest stars such as Roscoe Lee Browne
Roscoe Lee Browne
Roscoe Lee Browne was an American actor and director, known for his rich voice and dignified bearing.-Biography:Browne was the fourth son of a Baptist minister, Sylvanus S. Browne, and his wife Lovie...
as a Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo
Louisiana Voodoo, also known as New Orleans Voodoo, describes a set of underground religious practices which originated from the traditions of the African diaspora. It is a cultural form of the Afro-American religions which developed within the French, Spanish, and Creole speaking African American...
priest, Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly
Tyne Daly is an American stage and screen actress, widely known for her work as Detective Mary Beth Lacey in the television series Cagney & Lacey and as Maxine Gray in the television series Judging Amy. She is also known for her role as Alice Henderson in television series Christy...
as Dr. Arcane's fierce rival, Wolfman Jack
Wolfman Jack
Robert Weston Smith, known commonly as Wolfman Jack was a gravelly voiced US disc jockey who became famous in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early career:...
as a carnival owner, and Adam Curry
Adam Curry
Adam Clark Curry is a broadcasting and Internet personality well known for his stint from 1987 to 1994 as a video jockey on the music video channel MTV. In the mid-1990s, Curry was a World Wide Web entrepreneur and one of the first celebrities to personally create and administer a Web site...
as a rock star. Two episodes also guest starred professional wrestlers
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
Terry Funk
Terry Funk
Terrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the latter part of his career that inspired many younger wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
, Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
, and Jorge Gonzáles
Jorge Gonzales
Jorge González was an Argentinian basketball player and professional wrestler. He was best known for his appearances in World Championship Wrestling under the ring name El Gigante between 1989 and 1992 and in the World Wrestling Federation under the ring name Giant González in...
a.k.a. El Gigante.
The series also introduced characters like the Kipp family, as well as a completely new incarnation of Anton Arcane
Anton Arcane
Anton Arcane is a DC Comics villain who first appeared in Swamp Thing vol. 1 #2, and was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.-Fictional character biography:...
played by Mark Lindsay Chapman
Mark Lindsay Chapman
Mark Lindsay Chapman is an English film and television actor.His credits include: Max Headroom, Dallas ,...
. A young boy named Jim Kipp, played by Jess Ziegler, was intended to appeal to the young audience. However, after the first 12 episodes, a decision was made to return the series back to a darker theme seen in the original Swamp Thing film. Consequently, the story had Jim Kipp abducted by a South American child stealing ring acting under the orders from Dr. Arcane, and Jim never appeared again in the series. Durock noted, "The way they wrote him out was kind of a shock to me and everybody else except for I suppose the writers... That's a hell of a way to meet your demise!" Indeed, the Swamp Thing evolved as it went along. Regarding these shifts, Durock commented, "I guess we finally got it ironed out after the first 23, and with the next 50, we kind of tried to hit a balance."
With the network eager to release new episodes, many were aired out of their original order in the series' original run. The disorganization created the effect of sporadic or unfulfilled plot points in various episodes, an issue that was corrected in the first DVD set. The series was also planned for 100 episodes but ended prematurely on May 1, 1993. Given this, a number of fleshed out plots were left unused. Due to its strong cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
, however, Swamp Thing would later re-air on Sci-Fi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
and be featured during the S.C.I.F.I. World
S.C.I.F.I. World
S.C.I.F.I. World was a daytime programming schedule for the Sci Fi Channel that started on July 17, 2000 and ended on December 21, 2001. It was what replaced varied programming in favor for mini-marathons.-Format:...
schedule in the early 2000s. As of 2008, the series airs on Chiller
Chiller (TV channel)
Chiller is a 24-hour American cable and satellite television channel specializing in horror and suspense programming. conglomerate NBCUniversal.- Origin :...
in movie form and is available on its official website.
Cast
- Dick DurockDick DurockRichard "Dick" Durock was an American stuntman and actor who has appeared in over eighty films and over seven hundred television episodes.- Biography :...
as Swamp ThingSwamp ThingSwamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
: A professor who was burned by chemicals at the hands of Dr. Anton Arcane, transforming him into a supernatural creature hellbent on protecting his new home from evil. - Mark Lindsay ChapmanMark Lindsay ChapmanMark Lindsay Chapman is an English film and television actor.His credits include: Max Headroom, Dallas ,...
as Dr. Anton ArcaneAnton ArcaneAnton Arcane is a DC Comics villain who first appeared in Swamp Thing vol. 1 #2, and was created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson.-Fictional character biography:...
: A smarmy villain who attempted to steal Holland's formula and serves as his arch nemesis. - Carrell Myers as Tressa Kipp: Divorced mother of Jim and stepmother to Will, who's trying to restart her life in her hometown in Houma, LouisianaHouma, LouisianaHouma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
. - Scott GarrisonScott GarrisonScott Garrison is an American actor best known for his role as Perdicas on the television series Xena: Warrior Princess.-Early and Personal Life:Garrison was born in San Antonio, Texas, where he studied theater, music and drama.-Career:...
as Will Kipp: Step-Son to Tressa and half-brother to Jim, who came from Philadelphia and befriends Swamp Thing. - Kari WuhrerKari WührerKari Samantha Wührer is an American actress and singer, mostly credited as Kari Wuhrer, sometimes as Kari Salin.-Early life:...
as Abigail: A runaway synthetic human created by Dr. Woodrue. - Kevin Quigley as Graham: The unimaginative yet trusty and devoted assistant to Arcane.
Reception
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
which had a national Swamp Thing fan club.
The series failed to reach a considerable mainstream approval but has gained a cult following thanks in part to its unintentional camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
value. Adam-Troy Castro of SciFi
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
.com gave a largely unimpressed review of the series' first DVD set, noting "Somehow [the] action never amounts to very much, because the staging is consistently beyond awful." While he noted moments of good cinematography, the Swamp Thing costume is criticized for its poor mobility and burden on fight scenes. Castro also considers the acting poor and the bonus interviews much more interesting than the episodes themselves.
Andrew Winistorfer of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
heavily criticized the series in his review for the Volume Two DVD set. Calling it "a marathon of bad clichés, disjointed plot lines, lame acting, and even lamer stories devoid of any ironic pop culture worth at all," he gave the DVD set a 2/10 rating. Winistorfer also expressed frustration in the episodes being organized by original air dates rather than production order, causing numerous plot inconsistencies. Various other websites have echoes such statements in their own Swamp Thing DVD reviews.
Home video and DVD release
In 1990, four episodes of Swamp Thing, labeled The New Adventures of Swamp Thing, were released on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in England. This includes "Birth Marks," "The Watchers," "Tremors of the Heart," and "Walk a Mile in My Shoots."
On January 22, 2008, Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory is an entertainment company founded in 2003 that was started by Richard Foos , Bob Emmer and Garson Foos initially as a specialty music label...
released Swamp Thing - The Series. This 4-disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set contains all 22 episodes of the first two seasons in their proper chronological order. Volume Two was released July 15, 2008 and contains the first 25 episodes of the third season. However, this collection organizes the episodes by original air date. Cast members reunited to film extras for the DVDs, and Durock embarked on a tour of fan convention
Fan convention
A fan convention, or con , is an event in which fans of a particular film, television series, comic book, actor, or an entire genre of entertainment such as science fiction or anime and manga, gather to participate and hold programs and other events, and to meet experts, famous personalities, and...
s to promote the new releases.
On May 26, 2010, Shout Factory announced Volume 3, which would contain the last episodes of the series, would be released on June 22 exclusively from the Shout Factory website.
On July 14, 2009 a DVD collection titled Swamp Thing: Eight Favorite Episodes was released by Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment
Mill Creek Entertainment is a home entertainment company that manufactures movie and television DVD compilation box sets at "value" prices. Nashville's Amity Entertainment is an affiliate to Mill Creek...
(under license by Shout! Factory) containing eight selected episodes.
Another single disc DVD compilation titled Swamp Thing: The Legend Continues was released on September 28, 2010 by Shout! Factory, containing seven selected episodes. Episodes in this DVD were: "Night Of The Dying", "Love Lost", "Mist Demeanor", "A Nightmare On Jackson Street", "Better Angels", "Children Of The Fool", and "A Jury Of His Fears".