I was so excited about the upcoming Constantine TV show on NBC, but I should have realized that it was – you know – on NBC, so it was bound to disappoint. The show may still be good but it will be missing the one key ingredient that made up for Constantine’s biggest and most important storyline.

NBS Standard and Practices won’t allow John Constantine to smoke. He won’t even be allowed to light up one single cigarette on the show. And, with that, I have slightly lost interest in the show for now.

Let me tell you about “Dangerous Habits.”

In the Hellblazer comic books that John Constantine is the lead character of, he smokes like a freaking chimney. He doesn’t care and no one can stop him. That is, until he gets lung cancer that is so advance that he is going to die. This isn’t something like regular cancer that just hits someone randomly (or based on genetics). This is cancer that Constantine brought to himself.

John Constantine – the great magic man – KILLED himself because he wouldn’t stop smoking. He then tried everything in his power to save himself using magic. Nothing worked. He was going to die. Then, he got the brilliant idea to trick Hell and sold his soul to the three rulers of Hell. There are three so that no one can take over, and if one of them tries to claim his soul, Hell will go to war against itself and tear itself apart.

That is how John Constantine saved himself from lung cancer. It is also how he became the one soul that the lords of Hell hated more than any other. Honestly, taking away John Constantine’s cigarettes is like taking away the one thing that makes him special.

Hopefully, the stories are so good that fans can get past the fact that Constantine just lost his biggest addiction. They cast a British actor in the role, so that was a good start, and the trailer makes it sound like he will be as big of a jerk as ever. That is good. But, damn it, losing the cigarettes is so disappointing. They are part of what makes him such a broken and tragic character.

Honestly, Constantine might have been better off on AMC or a cable network that isn’t so stupid about standards and practices, even when the cigarettes are actually a weakness and are shown to be B-A-D. Does losing the cigarettes make you less excited about the Constantine TV show? Chime in below with your thoughts.

Source: Collider