It has been 36 years since DC released a television series that remains mostly forgotten today but matched the comics well in its weirdness. In the 1980s, comic book adaptations on television were popular, but usually lived in an area of campiness that doesn’t quite fit in well with what fans today are used to. The 1960s Batman series was pure kitsch. Wonder Woman was a fun series, but from Diana spinning in circles to turn into Wonder Woman to the catchy theme song, it was a little too light to match what fans today might want. Hulk had some horror elements and some terrifying episodes, and it might be the gold standard of classic superhero TV, getting the feeling of the character right.
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Then there was the Swamp Thing. The series debuted on July 27, 1990, and it lasted for three seasons and 72 episodes, airing on USA Network. However, for several reasons, almost no one remembers it today. That said, this is a series that comic book fans should check out because it does things most other superhero shows never dared.
Swamp Thing Was on TV for 72 Episodes, Yet Remains Forgotten
When Swamp Thing debuted on USA Network, this wasn’t the first time Hollywood set its eyes on the character, and it wasn’t going to be the last. Wes Craven directed Swamp Thing in 1982, two years before he directed A Nightmare on Elm Street. The horror director wanted to make a horror movie based on the DC Comics character and created what has become a cult classic. Ray Wise (Twin Peaks) stars as Alec Holland, with Dick Durock taking over when he turns into Swamp Thing. Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog) stars as love interest Alice Cable.
The movie received a sequel called The Return of Swamp Thing in 1989, with Durock returning as Swamp Thing and Heather Locklear as the new damsel in distress. This led, one year later, to USA Network airing its own version of the series. Durock was back again as Swamp Thing, and this series was developed by Joseph Stefano (The Outer Limits). Interestingly, the series wanted to create a more serious tone than the movies, but things ended up going off the rails as it wore on.
After the first 12 episodes, Stefano left the series and a new executive producer named Tom Blomquist came on board. This led USA Network to extend it to a 50-episode run, and it ended up as one of the highest-rated shows on that network. The rest of the series didn’t base its stories on the comics, but instead used the character to introduce anthological science fiction stories featuring guest-star characters encountering the mysteries of the swamp.
The TV Version of Swamp Thing Embraced Alan Moore’s Weirdness
The guest stars that Swamp Thing brought in offered up a weird mix that made it unlike any other comic book series to date. Names like Tyne Daly, Wolfman Jack, Debby Boone, Summer Phoenix, Adam Curry, and professional wrestlers like Terry Funk and Kevin Nash made the guest of the week as exciting for fans as the actual stories. However, the series did start to go off the rails in a good way, which helped it match the stories that Alan Moore told when he took over the title in 1984.
Moore cared little about Swamp Thing’s relationship with other DC Comics superheroes, and he is the one who turned the character into an Earth elemental. Moore took what creators Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson created and then turned it into something deeper and more profound. What resulted were the greatest Swamp Thing stories ever told. However, one thing that Wein and Moore had in common was that they had a penchant for the weird, and the Swamp Thing TV series played off that masterfully.
Whether played for laughs or scares, Durock’s Swamp Thing was always the protector of the swamp. He faced villains and ecological threats alike. When he went into battle, it was the weirdest thing on television at the time, and few superhero shows since have matched the level of abstract and often eclectic moments that made it impossible for fans of that era to forget.
However, despite all that, there are several reasons people don’t think about the TV show at all anymore. The movies have been easily available on DVD and streaming for years, but the USA Network series has always been a little harder to find. There was also an animated series that came out around the same time that kids might remember more. Swamp Thing has been part of several animated features in recent years, including Justice League Dark and Batman & Harley Quinn, and there was a more recent live-action series that is highly acclaimed that aired on DC Universe and later HBO Max. However, for fans of the weird Swamp Thing from Alan Moore’s run, the Swamp Thing series from 1990 is well worth the look.
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