Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by
Eric KripkeEric Kripke is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for creating the television series Supernatural.-Biography:...
, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on
The WBThe WB Television Network is a former television network in the United States that was launched on January 11, 1995 as a joint venture between Warner Bros. and Tribune Broadcasting. On January 24, 2006, CBS Corporation and Warner Bros...
, and is now part of
The CWThe CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006–2007 television season. It is a joint venture between CBS Corporation, the former owners of United Paramount Network , and Time Warner's Warner Bros., former majority owner of The WB...
's lineup. Starring
Jared PadaleckiJared Tristan Padalecki is an American actor. He grew up in Texas and came to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls as well as in several Hollywood films, including New York Minute and House of Wax...
as
Sam WinchesterSamuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of The CW Television Network's Supernatural along with his older brother Dean. He is portrayed by Jared Padalecki.-Background:...
and
Jensen AcklesJensen Ross Ackles is an American actor. He is known for his roles in television as Eric Brady in Days of our Lives, which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as well as Alec/X5-494 in Dark Angel and Jason Teague in Smallville...
as
Dean WinchesterDean Winchester is a fictional character from The CW Television Network's Supernatural, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. He hunts demons, spirits and other supernatural creatures with his younger brother Sam.-Background:...
, the series follows the brothers as they hunt demons and other figures of the
supernaturalThe supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, in association with
Wonderland Sound and VisionWonderland Sound and Vision is the production company of producers McG and Stephanie Savage. They are responsible for producing The O.C. and Supernatural as well as Chuck. Wonderland also co-produced all of McG's films since Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.-History:McG and Stephanie Savage formed...
. The current executive producers are Eric Kripke,
McGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
, and Robert Singer; former executive producer
Kim MannersKim Manners was an American television producer, director and child actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural.-Early life:...
died of lung cancer during production of the fourth season.
The series, which is filmed in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, was in development for nearly ten years, as creator Kripke spent several years unsuccessfully pitching it. The
pilot"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series Supernatural. It premiered on The WB on September 13, 2005 and was written by series creator Eric Kripke, and directed by David Nutter...
was viewed by an estimated 5.69 million viewers, and the ratings of the first four episodes prompted The WB to pick up the series for a full season. Originally, Kripke planned the series for three seasons, but later expanded it to five. The fifth season began airing on September 10, 2009, and concluded the series' main storyline; however, The CW officially renewed the show for a sixth season on February 16, 2010. On April 26, 2011, the show was renewed for a seventh season for the 2011–2012 season, which began on September 23, 2011.
Conception and creation
Before bringing
Supernatural to television, creator Eric Kripke had been developing the series for nearly ten years, having been fascinated with urban legends since he was a child. Although he had envisioned
Supernatural as a movie, he spent years unsuccessfully pitching it as a series. The concept went through several phases before becoming the eventual product, shifting from the original idea of an anthology series to one of tabloid reporters driving around the country in a van "fighting the demons in search of the truth". Kripke wanted it to be a road trip series, feeling that it was the "best vehicle to tell these stories because it's pure, stripped down and uniquely American... These stories exist in these small towns all across the country, and it just makes so much sense to drive in and out of these stories." Because he had previously written for the WB series
Tarzan, Kripke was offered the chance to pitch show ideas to the network, and used the opportunity for
Supernatural. However, the network disliked his tabloid reporter idea, so Kripke successfully pitched his last-minute idea of the characters being brothers. He decided to have the brothers be from
Lawrence, KansasLawrence is the sixth largest city in the U.S. State of Kansas and the county seat of Douglas County. Located in northeastern Kansas, Lawrence is the anchor city of the Lawrence, Kansas, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Douglas County...
, due to its closeness to Stull Cemetery, a location famous for its urban legends.
When it came time to name the two lead characters, Kripke decided on "Sal" and "Dean" as an homage to
Jack KerouacJean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's road-trip novel
On the RoadOn the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951, and published by Viking Press in 1957. It is a largely autobiographical work that was based on the spontaneous road trips of Kerouac and his friends across mid-century America. It is often considered a defining work of...
. However, he felt that "Sal" was inappropriate for the main character, and changed the name to "Sam". It was originally intended for the brothers' last name to be "Harrison" as a nod to actor
Harrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
, as Kripke wanted Dean to have the "devil-may-care swagger of Han Solo". However, there was a Sam Harrison living in Kansas, so the name had to be changed for legal reasons. Combining his interest in the
Winchester Mystery HouseThe Winchester Mystery House is a well-known mansion in California. It once was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester. It was continuously under construction for 38 years and is reported to be haunted. It now serves as a tourist attraction...
and his desire to give the series the feel of "a modern-day Western", Kripke settled on the surname of "Winchester". However, this also presented a problem. The first name of Sam and Dean's father was originally "Jack", and there was a Jack Winchester residing in Kansas, so Kripke was forced to change the character's name to "John".
Growing up, Kripke connected to television shows that had signature cars, such as
The Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
and
Knight Rider. This prompted him to include one in
Supernatural. He originally intended for the car to be a
'65 MustangThe first-generation Ford Mustang is the original pony car, manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1964 until 1973.It was initially introduced as a hardtop and convertible with the fastback version put on sale the following year...
, but his neighbor convinced him to change it to a '67 Impala, since "you can put a body in the trunk" and because "you want a car that, when people stop next to it at the lights, they lock their doors." Kripke has commented, "It's a Rottweiler of a car, and I think it adds authenticity for fans of automobiles because of that, because it's not a pretty ride. It's an aggressive, muscular car, and I think that's what people respond to, and why it fits so well into the tone of our show."
Kripke had previously pitched the series to Fox executive Peter Johnson, and when Johnson moved to
Wonderland Sound and VisionWonderland Sound and Vision is the production company of producers McG and Stephanie Savage. They are responsible for producing The O.C. and Supernatural as well as Chuck. Wonderland also co-produced all of McG's films since Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.-History:McG and Stephanie Savage formed...
as president of TV, he contacted Kripke. Johnson soon signed on as co-executive producer, as did Wonderland owner
McGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
as executive producer, with the production company set to make the pilot episode. Before it could be filmed, however, script issues needed to be dealt with. Originally, the brothers were not raised by their father, but rather by their aunt and uncle. Thus, when Dean comes to Sam for assistance in the pilot episode, he has to convince him that the supernatural exists. However, Kripke realized that this made the backstory too complicated, and reworked it with Peter Johnson so that their father raised them to be hunters. The script went through many additional revisions. One of the original ideas was for Sam's girlfriend Jessica being revealed as a demon, which prompts him to join Dean on the road; however, Kripke felt it was more appropriate for Sam's motivation to be Jessica's death, so he had her killed in the same manner as Sam's mother, making them the "right bookends". Other revised concepts include Sam believing Dean to be a serial killer that murders their father, and their father dying in Jessica's place. Filming for the pilot episode was greenlit after director David Nutter, who previously had worked with Kripke on
Tarzan, signed on. When the series was eventually picked up, the studio brought on Robert Singer as executive producer, as it wanted Kripke to work with someone with production experience. Co-executive producer John Shiban was also hired to help design the series mythology due to his previous work on
The X-Files. Kripke had the series planned out for three seasons, but later expanded it to five, and hoped to end it there on a high note.
Writing
The staff for the first season consisted of Kripke and five other writers, with assistants to help with researching urban legends. Most of the work done in writing the series is very collaborative, with the writers often breaking up into groups. At the beginning of each season, the writers are brought together and pitch out their ideas, which are then assigned to a specific writer to be developed. Each story idea is outlined on a dry-erase board, with Kripke and Bob Singer making necessary changes. Afterward, the script is written, and Kripke goes through it to make sure it has the same tone as other episodes. Kripke found this task very difficult to do in the first season, but he felt it became easier by the third season, as the staff came to "really understand the show's style".
The tone of
Supernatural was heavily influenced by films such as
Poltergeist—having the horror happen in a family setting rather than remote location—and
Evil Dead 2 and
An American Werewolf in LondonAn American Werewolf in London is a 1981 British-American horror film, written and directed by John Landis. It stars David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, and Griffin Dunne....
—having bits of comedy mixed in. Commenting on the former, Kripke added, "It's the idea that horror can happen in your own backyard. How many viewers have to worry about the vampire in the gothic castle?" Other influences include
The Two SistersThe Two Sisters is a 2007 mystery/suspense film starring Erin Daly, Eve Lorraine, Celeste Yarnall, Brinke Stevens, and Ron Millkie. The film was directed by Terri Dawn Arnold. Two sisters, Kellie and Lannie, see their single mother killed by her boyfriend during an argument when they are 13 and 14...
and Asian horror films
The EyeThe Eye, also known as Seeing Ghosts, is a 2002 horror film directed by the Pang brothers. The film spawned two sequels by the Pang brothers, The Eye 2 and The Eye 10...
,
Ju-onis the title of a series of horror films by Japanese director Takashi Shimizu. Shimizu attended the Film School of Tokyo, where he studied under Kiyoshi Kurosawa. Kurosawa helped Shimizu shepherd the Ju-on projects to fruition.-History:...
, and
Ringis a 1998 Japanese horror film by Hideo Nakata, adapted from the novel Ring by Kōji Suzuki, which in turn draws on the Japanese folk tale Banchō Sarayashiki. The film stars Nanako Matsushima, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rikiya Ōtaka as members of a divorced family...
.
According to creator Eric Kripke, the show originally was intended to focus on the weekly monsters, with Sam and Dean Winchester merely being "an engine to get us in and out of different horror movies every week". His sole desire was to merely "scare the crap out of people". However, a few episodes in, Kripke and executive producer Bob Singer noticed the onscreen chemistry between
Jared PadaleckiJared Tristan Padalecki is an American actor. He grew up in Texas and came to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls as well as in several Hollywood films, including New York Minute and House of Wax...
and
Jensen AcklesJensen Ross Ackles is an American actor. He is known for his roles in television as Eric Brady in Days of our Lives, which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as well as Alec/X5-494 in Dark Angel and Jason Teague in Smallville...
. This revelation caused them to change the series to focus more on the brothers than the monsters, basing the weekly monster around the storyline they wanted for the Winchesters. According to Kripke, "...sometimes we don't even have the monster until way late in the break, once we get all the angst and the drama done first."
Unlike shows with "endless mythology" like
LostLost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, Kripke prefers to keep
Supernaturals mythology simpler, saying, "It's so hard to go season after season after season with a mystery and then provide an answer that's going to be satisfying." He prefers to have the series' structure like that of the earlier X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
episodes, having mythology-based episodes spread through many self-enclosed episodes—Supernatural usually having three self-enclosed episodes followed by a mythology episode. With this format, viewers do not have to have previous knowledge of the mythology in order to watch the series, being able to "join the party at any time".
Effects
Though companies were hired for work on the pilot episode—such as Entity FX for the visual effects—effects departments now work exclusively for the series. Ivan Hayden is the visual effects supervisor, and works with many levels of the production staff. During pre-production, Hayden must go through the scripts, looking for possible visual effects. He then has a concept meeting with the writers, and after settling on the effect designs to use, coordinates with the special effects and stunt departments. Hayden is also present during filming to help the director make sure that the scenes are being filmed in the best way for the visual effects, such as by ensuring that the actors are looking at the correct location where an effect will later be added. Afterward, he then meets with the editors. Another aspect of the visual effects department is coming up with rules and physics for each supernatural creature, though the rules are often bent if it benefits the story.
Music
Supernatural features a synthesized orchestral score, although real instruments such as guitars and cellos are used at times. Special instruments have also been used to relate to specific episodes, such as playing "bluesy gospel music" on a broken-down piano in the faith-healing episode "Faith". Unlike other television shows, the series features two composers:
Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska. Each composer scores every other episode, giving them extra time to write the scores, which usually end up being around 30 minutes per episode. They write themes for their own episodes and characters, and work with one another if there is overlap between episodes. They try to base the music on the visuals of the episode, such as in the episode "Dead in the Water", in which off-angle shots are accompanied by repetitive and discordant notes, and spoken words such as "water" and "die" are followed by a lower pitch to create a "gurgly" sound. While there are similarities in the scores for situations such as the brothers and their father, about a third of each episode's score is newly written for the supernatural legend.
While original scores are used throughout episodes, another important aspect of the series' music is classic rock, which creator Eric Kripke threatened to quit over when the network would not allow its inclusion. Most of the songs are from Kripke's private collection, although one of his favorite bands—
Led ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
—is too expensive to use. Some episode titles are references to Led Zeppelin songs. The series has featured such bands as
Blue Öyster CultBlue Öyster Cult, often abbreviated BÖC, is an American rock band, most of whose members first came together in Long Island, NY in 1967 as the band Soft White Underbelly...
,
Bad CompanyBad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
,
RushRush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
and
AC/DCAC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
on more than one occasion. Multiple songs are usually used throughout each episode, and accompany "
The Road So FarA recap sequence is a narrative device used by many television series to bring the viewer up to date with the current events of the stories' plot...
" sequences before select episodes that highlight a montage of past events. Although Kripke prefers to keep a fine line between the score and songs used, sometimes Lennertz and Gruska are required to write short sections of rock-like music to fill fifteen- to twenty-second gaps, as it would be too costly to acquire song rights.
Filming locations
Though the pilot was filmed in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, principal filming takes place in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. Thus, on-location filming usually takes place in the area. "Dead in the Water" was filmed at
Buntzen LakeBuntzen Lake is a 4.8 kilometres long lake in Anmore, British Columbia, Canada, in the Greater Vancouver area. It is named after the first general manager of the B.C. Electric Co., Johannes Buntzen...
, and the final scenes of "Simon Said" were filmed at
Cleveland DamThe Cleveland Dam is a concrete dam at the head of the Capilano River in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada that holds back Capilano Lake. Part of the Capilano River Regional Park, it is not used for generating hydroelectricity, but rather for storing a portion of the Lower Mainland's...
. Other locations used on the show are often reused two or three times, with the art department making variations to conceal this. Heritage Park in Burnaby has been used as a cemetery in "Red Sky at Morning", and as the location of the gingerbread-house cottage in "Bedtime Stories". As well,
Riverview HospitalRiverview Hospital is a mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia, operating under the governance of BC Mental Health & Addiction Services. Originally called The Hospital for the Mind, and then Essondale , Riverview opened in 1913 and had 4,630 patients at its peak...
in Coquitlam has served many functions for the series, including an asylum in "Asylum", a hospital in "In My Time of Dying", and a prison in "Folsom Prison Blues". The episode,
Houses of the HolyHouses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on 28 March 1973. The album title is a dedication by the band to their fans who appeared at venues they dubbed "Houses of the Holy". It was the second Led Zeppelin album to not...
was filmed on location in Vancouver at St.Andrew's-Wesley United Church. Because episodes usually take place in the middle of nowhere, filming often takes place at an old military base. Having been shut down for years, the buildings have been removed, leaving just roads on which sets are erected, such as for crossroads scenes.. Also, for many "back alley" type scenes, filming takes place under the Vancouver
SkytrainSkyTrain or Skytrain may refer to:In mass transit:* SkyTrain , a partly elevated rapid transit system in Vancouver, Canada* BTS Skytrain, an elevated rapid transit system in Bangkok, Thailand...
.
Online distribution
Rather than having the series debut on television, The WB instead made the pilot episode available for online streaming through
Yahoo!Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
a week before it was set to premiere on the network as part of a promotional scheme. Following the transition to The CW, Supernatural episodes were added to
AppleApple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's
iTunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
starting in December 2006, being one of the first CW series to be made available for sale online. The following month, the network began streaming episodes of the series on its website with limited commercial interruption, available for up to four weeks after the initial airings. Beginning January 11, 2007, Australia's
Network TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
also began offering full episodes for download via their website, through a deal with Warner Bros. Television. To combat piracy, Ten debuted the second season premiere five days before its initial broadcast in the country, making Supernatural
the first major network show available for free download in Australia before being aired. Subsequent episodes became available online just hours after being televised. Around the same time, episodes were also made available for download on Microsoft's Xbox Live MarketplaceThe Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
. In September 2008, Amazon.comAmazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
launched its new on-demand TV service, with Supernatural
being one of the many television shows available for sale.
DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases
The first season of Supernatural was released as a six-disc Region 1 DVD box set in the US on September 5, 2006, three weeks before the premiere of the second season. Including all 22 episodes of the first season, the set also featured DVD extras such as commentaries for the episodes "Pilot" and "Phantom Traveler", deleted scenes, bloopers, featurettes, and a DVD-ROM sneak-peek at the second season. The set was later packaged with the first season of
SmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
as a "Season One Starter Pack", which was released on September 18, 2007. For Region 2, the season was split into two parts, being released on May 22, 2006, and August 21, 2006; the complete set was released on October 2, 2006.
The second season was released as a six-disc Region 1 DVD box set in the US on September 11, 2007, two weeks before the premiere of the third season. Including all 22 episodes of the second season, the set also featured DVD extras such as episode commentaries, deleted scenes, bloopers, Jared Padalecki's original screen test, and a featurette on the making of the season finale. For Region 2, the season was again divided into two parts, being released on May 14, 2007, and September 10, 2007; the complete set was released on October 29, 2007.
The third season was released as a five-disc Region 1 DVD box set in the US on September 2, 2008, two weeks before the premiere of the fourth season, and was eventually released on Blu-ray on November 11, 2008. Including all 16 episodes of the third season, the set featured limited DVD extras, having only bloopers and featurettes. Also included was a
digital copyDigital Copy provides consumers who purchase a film on DVD or Blu-ray Disc with an additional, digital copy of the movie for devices capable of operating with a file in contrast to a DVD.-Features:...
of the season.
Best BuyBest Buy Co., Inc. is an American specialty retailer of consumer electronics in the United States, accounting for 19% of the market. It also operates in Mexico, Canada & China. The company's subsidiaries include Geek Squad, CinemaNow, Magnolia Audio Video, Pacific Sales, and, in Canada operates...
carried a limited—only 26,500 available—box set that included a GreenLight Collectibles 1:64 scale replica of a black 1967 Chevy Impala, the car used by the Winchesters throughout the series. For Region 2, the season was released on August 25, 2008, this time only as a complete set, and its Blu-ray counterpart debuted November 10, 2008.
The fourth season was released in Region 1 as both a six-disc DVD box set and as a four-disc Blu-ray box set in the US on September 1, 2009, one week before the premiere of the fifth season. Including all 22 episodes of the fourth season, the set featured commentaries, bloopers, extended and deleted scenes, and a featurette on Supernaturals mythology.
TargetTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
bundled a bonus DVD of the
Supernatural panel at Comic-Con. As with the first two seasons in Region 2, the fourth season was also divided into two parts, being released on April 27, 2009, and September 21, 2009; the complete set and its Blu-ray counterpart were released on November 2, 2009.
The fifth season is scheduled for release with Part 1 in the United Kingdom (Region 2) on April 26, 2010. Part 2 was released on July 12, 2010. The complete release was on October 18, 2010.
In Australia, the first 5 seasons have been released on DVD, Region 4 including a season 1-5 box set and Seasons 1, 3, 4 and 5 have been released on Blu-ray, Region B. Season 6 is expected to be released on October 26, 2011 on both DVD and Blu-ray.
- Supernatural — The Complete 1st Season: Special Collector's Edition (6 Disc Set) - October 2, 2007
- Supernatural — The Complete 2nd Season (6 Disc Set) - October 2, 2007
- Supernatural — The Complete 3rd Season (5 Disc Set) - October 1, 2008
- Supernatural — The Complete 4th Season (6 Disc Set) - January 5, 2010
- Supernatural — The Complete 5th Season (6 Disc Set) - November 11, 2010
- Supernatural — Seasons 1-5 (29 Disc Box Set) - November 11, 2010
- Supernatural — The Complete 6th Season (6 Disc Set) - November 2, 2011
- Supernatural — The Complete 1st Season (3 Disc Set) (Blu-ray) - October 27, 2010
- Supernatural — The Complete 2nd Season (3 Disc Set) (Blu-ray) - June 14, 2011
- Supernatural — The Complete 3rd Season (3 Disc Set) (Blu-ray) - March 4, 2009
- Supernatural — The Complete 4th Season (4 Disc Set) (Blu-ray) - January 6, 2010
- Supernatural — The Complete 5th Season (4 Disc Set) (Blu-ray) - November 11, 2010
- Supernatural — The Complete 6th Season (Blu-ray) - October 26, 2011
Cast and characters
The series focuses primarily on the brothers
SamSamuel "Sam" Winchester is a fictional character and one of the two main protagonists of The CW Television Network's Supernatural along with his older brother Dean. He is portrayed by Jared Padalecki.-Background:...
and
Dean WinchesterDean Winchester is a fictional character from The CW Television Network's Supernatural, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. He hunts demons, spirits and other supernatural creatures with his younger brother Sam.-Background:...
, played by
Jared PadaleckiJared Tristan Padalecki is an American actor. He grew up in Texas and came to fame in the early 2000s after appearing on the television series Gilmore Girls as well as in several Hollywood films, including New York Minute and House of Wax...
and
Jensen AcklesJensen Ross Ackles is an American actor. He is known for his roles in television as Eric Brady in Days of our Lives, which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as well as Alec/X5-494 in Dark Angel and Jason Teague in Smallville...
, as they travel throughout the country hunting the supernatural. Padalecki became interested in the role due to his liking of horror series such as
The X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
and
Twilight Zone, which he found similar to
Supernatural. He was also excited to play "the reluctant hero", comparing Sam to
The MatrixThe Matrix is a 1999 science fiction-action film written and directed by Larry and Andy Wachowski, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Hugo Weaving...
s NeoThomas A. Anderson is a fictional character and the main protagonist in The Matrix franchise, as well as having a cameo in The Animatrix short film, Kid's Story. He was portrayed by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix Trilogy and The Animatrix. Andrew Bowen provided Neo's voice in The Matrix: Path of Neo...
and Luke SkywalkerLuke Skywalker is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the original film trilogy of the Star Wars franchise, where he is portrayed by Mark Hamill. He is introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, in which he is forced to leave home, and finds himself apprenticed to the Jedi master...
of Star WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
. As well, Padalecki had previous experience with executive producers McGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer....
and David Nutter, the former convincing him to audition for the role. Ackles was originally asked by Nutter to audition for the role of Sam, but preferred the character of Dean after reading the script. At the time of his audition, he was already a series regular on fellow WB series SmallvilleSmallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
. After landing the part of Dean, his Smallville role was cut short.
While the series does not have many lead characters, there are many recurring characters.
Jeffrey Dean MorganJeffrey Dean Morgan is an American actor, best known to television and movie audiences as Denny Duquette on Grey's Anatomy, patriarch John Winchester on Supernatural, and as The Comedian in the 2009 superhero film Watchmen....
portrays
John WinchesterJohn Eric Winchester is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural, and the protagonist of the comic book spin-off series Supernatural: Origins. Developed by series creator Eric Kripke, the character is mainly portrayed by Jeffrey Dean Morgan...
, father of Sam and Dean. Making an appearance in the pilot episode, John does not return until nearly halfway through the first season, after which he becomes a recurring character until his eventual death in the second season's premiere episode, though his spirit returns to help his sons in the season finale. According to writer John Shiban, it was decided early on that John would die. The writers found that having the brothers being separated from their father "split the show". Shiban noted, "...the boys were looking for Dad, and they were looking for a monster of the week, whatever that is, whatever case crosses their path. It became difficult, because it was like - 'what is Dad doing? Is he doing more interesting things than the boys are doing, or what?'" Morgan was initially reluctant on returning to Supernatural
for the second season due to his recurring role on the series Grey's AnatomyGrey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
. Future appearances of the character have been hindered due to Morgan's busy schedule.
Also introduced in the first season are the demon
AzazelAzazel is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's drama and horror television series Supernatural. He serves as the primary antagonist during the first two seasons. A demon, he feeds his blood to infants so that they will grow up to develop demonic abilities. His endgame of using one...
and his unnamed daughter. While Azazel mainly appears merely as shadows or silhouettes in the first season, only taking physical form when he possesses John Winchester, Azazel's daughter uses a girl named Meg Masters—portrayed by Nicki Lynn Aycox—as a host. Aycox was hand selected for the part by executive producer Kim Manners. In the second season premiere, Azazel's host is portrayed by
Fredric LehneFredric Lehne is an actor who has appeared in over 200 films, mini-series, and television shows as well as many stage productions including works by Shakespeare, Molière and Ibsen on Broadway...
; originally brought on only for one episode, Lehne impressed the showrunners so much that he was asked to return for the
season's two-part finale"All Hell Breaks Loose" is the joint title for the two-part second season finale of the CW television series Supernatural. It consists of the twenty-first and twenty-second episodes of the second season. "Part One" was first broadcast on May 10, 2007, and the second part aired the following week...
. Even after the character's death, Azazel makes appearances in the fourth season, being portrayed by Christopher B. MacCabe and
Mitch PileggiMitchell Craig "Mitch" Pileggi is an American actor. Pileggi is known for playing FBI assistant director Walter Skinner on the long-running popular series The X-Files. He also had a recurring role on Stargate Atlantis as Col. Steven Caldwell...
in the time travel episode "In the Beginning" and by
Rob LaBelleRob LaBelle is an American film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Career:LaBelle has made appearances, many as a character actor, in dozens of film and television roles, most in the science-fiction genre, and is probably best known for his role as...
in a flashback in the season finale. Likewise, after Azazel's daughter is exorcised from Meg towards the end of the first season, the demon and her host continue to appear in the series, although now as two separate characters. The demon returns for an episode in the second season, temporarily taking Sam as a host, and appears once again in the fifth season premiere, her newest host being portrayed by
Rachel MinerRachel Miner is a Broadway, film and television actress, born in New York City.-Personal life:A third generation Miner in show business, she is the daughter of director and teacher Peter Miner and the granddaughter of director/producer Worthington Miner and actress Frances Fuller...
. As well, Aycox continues her role in the fourth season when the angry spirit of Meg tries to kill the Winchesters.
The writers eventually wanted to flesh out the concept of hunters, resulting in the introduction of many new characters. Actor
Jim BeaverJames Norman "Jim" Beaver, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian...
makes his first appearance as
Bobby SingerRobert "Bobby" Singer is a fictional character in The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural portrayed by Jim Beaver. Chosen due to his working relationship with executive producer Robert Singer, Beaver made his initial appearance in the first season finale "Devil's Trap"...
, an old family friend of the Winchesters, at the end of the first season. Becoming a sort of surrogate father to Sam and Dean after their father's death, the character recurs throughout the rest of the series. Other hunters appear in the second season with the introduction of Harvelle's Roadhouse, a saloon frequented by hunters. It is owned by
Ellen HarvelleEllen Harvelle is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's Supernatural portrayed by Samantha Ferris. Introduced in the second season in order to explore a mother-daughter relationship in the hunting world, the "gun-toting, beer-slinging" Ellen brought a "maternal energy" to the...
—portrayed by
Samantha FerrisSamantha Ferris is a Canadian actress and in the mid-1990s was a television reporter for the Bellingham, Washington station KVOS TV-12 and Vancouver's BCTV, where she went by the name Janie Ferris...
—whose late husband was a friend of John Winchester. Working alongside her mother is
Jo HarvelleJoanna Beth "Jo" Harvelle is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural portrayed by Alona Tal. She was introduced in the second season in order to explore a mother-daughter relationship in the hunting world. Series creator Eric Kripke described...
, who is portrayed by
Alona Tal-Career:Tal started her career fresh out of the Israel Defense Forces, with a children's musical video tape, in which she played an evil witch. Following that, she appeared in a commercial for a laundry detergent...
. Also present is the genius Ash; portrayed by
Chad LindbergChad Tyler Lindberg is an American actor. He is best known for his film role as Jesse in The Fast and the Furious and for a rape scene in the 2010 remake I Spit On Your Grave.-Life and career:...
, he uses his vast computer skills to track the paranormal. Tal was eventually written out of the series, and believes the reason to be that the producers felt she looked like Sam and Dean's "14-year-old sister". Kripke claims the character was incorrectly conceived, and also cites poor fan reaction for her removal. As well, the character of Ash is killed off in the second season finale with the destruction of the Roadhouse. Ellen was meant to return in the third season, but the episode had to be scrapped due to the
writer's strikeThe 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. As well, the writers intended for her to be featured in the third season finale, but Ferris declined because the deal offered to her was not acceptable, as "It could cost [her] money and work". However, both Jo and Ellen later returned in the fifth season.
For the third season, the writers decided to introduce
RubyRuby is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's Supernatural portrayed by Katie Cassidy and Genevieve Cortese. Created by the writers in order to expand on the characterization of demons within the series, she first appears in the third season, rescuing Sam and Dean Winchester, and...
, a demonic former witch who claims to the Winchesters to be an ally, to the cast. However, the CW requested that another female be added, so the character
Bela TalbotBela Talbot is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural, portrayed by Lauren Cohan. Appearing only in the third season, she is depicted as a character who uses knowledge of the supernatural world to her advantage rather than to help people...
, a self-centered thief who sells occult objects to wealthy clients and who was already intended to appear in multiple episodes, was upgraded to a series regular.
Katie CassidyKatherine Evelyn Anita "Katie" Cassidy is an American actress who has performed in The CW TV series Melrose Place, Supernatural, Harper's Island, and Gossip Girl, and on the films When a Stranger Calls, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Taken, Monte Carlo, and has roles in the upcoming...
and
Lauren CohanLauren Cohan is an American actress. Her most recognized role to date is that of the role of Bela Talbot on Supernatural...
were eventually cast as Ruby and Bela, respectively, though they originally auditioned for the others' role. Though only making six appearances each in the third season, both actresses were credited as stars for their episodes. At the end of the season, Bela was killed off due to negative fan response, and Cassidy was let go due to budgetary reasons.
Ruby was recast for the fourth season, auditions only describing the character as "a love interest".
Genevieve CorteseGenevieve Padalecki is an American actress known for her breakout role on the television series Wildfire as Kris Furillo. She is also known for her recurring role in Supernatural as Ruby. She married Supernatural star Jared Padalecki in 2010.-Biography:Genevieve is of Italian, French and Flemish...
took over the role until the character's death at the end of the season.
Wanting to bring in
Christian mythologyChristian mythology is the body of myths associated with Christianity. In the study of mythology, the term "myth" refers to a traditional story, often one which is regarded as sacred and which explains how the world and its inhabitants came to have their present form.Classicist G.S. Kirk defines a...
to the series, the writers created the angel
CastielCastiel is a fictional character portrayed by Misha Collins on the CW Television Network's American television series Supernatural. An angel, he first appears in the fourth season, and is used to introduce the theme of Christian mythology to the series...
to introduce it. With Kripke wanting to keep the introduction of angels a secret, the character was instead described as a demon during auditions.
Misha CollinsMisha Collins is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as the angel Castiel on the CW television series Supernatural.-Personal life:...
was cast as the character. Making his debut in the fourth season premiere, Castiel resurrects Dean from Hell after his death in the third season, and comes to be an ally of the Winchesters. The character was originally intended for only a six-episode story arc, but the role was later expanded. Collins was promoted to a series regular for the fifth season, something Collins believes to be mainly due to fan support.
Along with Castiel came other angelic characters, with
Robert WisdomRobert Wisdom is an American actor. He is a graduate of Columbia University.-Biography:Wisdom was born in Washington, D.C. to Jamaican parents. He appeared in four of the five seasons of HBO program The Wire as Howard "Bunny" Colvin...
portraying the "militant" and "dogmatic" Uriel, who secretly supports Lucifer;
Julie McNivenJulie McNiven is an American actress. McNiven was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She is best known for her recurring roles in Mad Men and Supernatural. McNiven had a recurring role in the 2010-2011 second season of Stargate: Universe.McNiven studied swinging trapeze as a teenager at French...
playing the fallen angel Anna Milton, who eventually regains her angelic form but remains an outcast of Heaven; and
Kurt FullerKurt Fuller is an American character actor. He has appeared in a number of television, film, and stage projects. He graduated from Lincoln High School in Stockton, California in 1971.-Career:...
as Castiel's superior Zachariah, who wishes to start the Apocalypse in order to bring Paradise to Earth. Though Wisdom's character is eventually killed, McNiven and Fuller continue their roles into the fifth season, and are joined by
Mark PellegrinoMark Ross Pellegrino is an American actor of film and television. He is best known for his work on Lost as Jacob and for playing Lucifer on Supernatural.-Career:...
as the recently released Lucifer. Pellegrino had been the second choice for the role of Castiel, and was offered the role of Lucifer without an audition. Further on, Fuller and McNiven's characters were also killed along with both Harvelle characters.
Because the show focuses mainly on the two Winchester brothers, the writers realized that viewers would know that the characters are not in danger of being permanently killed. To fix this, the staff often writes in guest characters to give tension to the episode, occasionally having them die.
Season One
Season One consists of 22 episodes that aired in the United States beginning September 13, 2005, and ending May 4, 2006. The first sixteen episodes aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm, after which the series was rescheduled to Thursdays.
After their mother's death in a suspicious fire that burns down their house, Dean and Sam Winchester live a life on the road with their father as they grow up. Years pass and the boys team up to find their father, John, who went missing on a hunting trip. However, their father is not a typical hunter: he hunts supernatural creatures like
ghostIn traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s,
vampireVampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
s, and
spiritThe English word spirit has many differing meanings and connotations, most of them relating to a non-corporeal substance contrasted with the material body.The spirit of a living thing usually refers to or explains its consciousness.The notions of a person's "spirit" and "soul" often also overlap,...
s and he's trained his sons to do the same. Along the way, Sam and Dean save innocent people, fight creatures and ghosts, and collect clues to their father's whereabouts. Sam begins to mysteriously develop psychic abilities and visions as they travel. They eventually find their father, who reveals that the creature that killed Sam and Dean's mother years earlier is Yellow-eyes (Azazel) and the only thing that can kill him is a legendary gun created by
Samuel ColtSamuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
.
Season Two
Season Two consists of 22 episodes that aired on Thursdays at 9:00 pm in the United States beginning September 28, 2006, and ending May 17, 2007.
The season follows Sam and Dean as they deal with their father's death and continue to hunt the Yellow-Eyes, who caused the fire that led to the deaths of their mother and later, Sam's girlfriend, Jessica. They have assistance from new allies Ellen, Jo, and Ash. Part of Yellow-Eyes's master plan is eventually revealed as he gathers Sam and others like him, leading to Sam dying. Dean makes a deal in the crossroads to bring back Sam in exchange for his soul, which will be collected in one year. In a final confrontation, in which Dean kills Yellow-Eyes, a gate is opened, releasing fury from within.
Season Three
Season Three consists of 16 episodes that aired on Thursdays at 9:00 pm in the United States beginning October 4, 2007, and ending May 15, 2008. Originally 22 episodes were ordered for the third season, but production was halted on December 5, 2007, upon completion of the twelfth episode due to the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strikeThe 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. The season number was shortened to sixteen episodes, with four new episodes airing in April and May 2008.
The season mainly focuses on trying to save Dean from his deal and tracking down the fury that was released from the gate. Along the way, the brothers meet
RubyRuby is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's Supernatural portrayed by Katie Cassidy and Genevieve Cortese. Created by the writers in order to expand on the characterization of demons within the series, she first appears in the third season, rescuing Sam and Dean Winchester, and...
, who has an interest in Sam and claims to be able to help save Dean. Also, they meet
Bela TalbotBela Talbot is a fictional character on The CW Television Network's drama/horror television series Supernatural, portrayed by Lauren Cohan. Appearing only in the third season, she is depicted as a character who uses knowledge of the supernatural world to her advantage rather than to help people...
, an "acquirer" and seller of occult objects, who is constantly a thorn in their side. The brothers eventually learn what demon holds Dean's contract: a being of great power named Lilith. The brothers, along with Ruby, track her down and attempt to kill her. Lilith is unable to stop Sam due to his mysterious abilities; however, Dean's contract expires and his soul is taken.
Season Four
Season Four consists of 22 episodes that aired on Thursdays at 9:00 pm in the United States beginning September 18, 2008, and ending May 14, 2009.
Dean is rescued from Hell and brought back by an angel named
CastielCastiel is a fictional character portrayed by Misha Collins on the CW Television Network's American television series Supernatural. An angel, he first appears in the fourth season, and is used to introduce the theme of Christian mythology to the series...
, one of several angels who appears throughout the season. The rest of the season follows the brothers as they work with Castiel to stop Lilith's plan of breaking the 66 seals, which would allow Lucifer to walk free once again. Sam and Dean's relationship is also strained as Sam starts siding with Ruby over Dean. He also begins to give into his demonic side by drinking demon blood to become strong enough to defeat Lilith. After tracking down and killing Lilith, Sam learns her death is actually the last seal and Ruby was deceiving him all along. Dean arrives too late to stop him, but kills Ruby as Lucifer's prison opens up beneath them.
Season Five
Season Five consists of 22 episodes and was rumored to be the last season, due to Eric Kripke's statements over the years that he had planned for the show to run for only five seasons. Despite this, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles had contracts for a sixth season, and The CW renewed the series on February 16, 2010.
The fifth season revolves around the fight to stop Lucifer and save the world from the Apocalypse. Throughout the season, Dean and Sam battle both angels and demons as they fight their destiny to become the vessels of Michael and Lucifer. Unable to defeat Lucifer, they collect the rings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which act as the keys to Lucifer's prison. The idea of destiny versus freedom and choice plays a large role. Throughout the season, Dean, Sam, Castiel, and Bobby each have a crisis as they near giving up. However, through each other's support, they continue forward until the end. Castiel rebels against Heaven for Dean in this season. It is also notable that Bobby and Castiel have an ongoing friendship during this season, while Dean and Sam grow further apart.
Season Six
Season Six consists of 22 episodes. Creator Eric Kripke originally planned for the show to last only five seasons, but due to increased ratings from the fourth and fifth seasons, the CW network renewed the series for a sixth season. Kripke has not returned as showrunner, but still remained as a hands-on executive producer, leaving executive producer Sera Gamble to take over the reins.
The sixth season begins a year after the end happenings of the fifth with Dean living a happy life with Lisa and Ben. Sam returns to the world of the living and teams up with Dean, who leaves his new life behind. Sam has been working under Samuel in order to hunt and capture alive Alpha monsters (first of the gene pool). Castiel is barely helpful anymore because the civil war in Heaven has taken its toll. It is discovered that Samuel is following Crowley's orders in exchange for the return of his daughter. Crowley wants to use the Alphas to locate Purgatory, in which there are a vast collection of souls that could be used for power. Castiel brought back Sam without his soul, and Dean implores the help of the Horseman Death in order to retrieve it. Death puts a wall up in Sam's mind so that he will not remember Hell. The old Sam returns with no memory of the past year. It turns out Castiel made a deal with Crowley for each of them to receive half of the souls in Purgatory. Dean doesn't like the idea and tries to stop the duo. To stop the Winchester brothers and Bobby, Castiel knocks down the mental barrier in Sam. Castiel betrays Crowley, Crowley becomes allies with Raphael and performs the ritual to open the doors of Purgatory. It fails because they had fake dog's blood and Castiel appears full of power from having done the ritual himself. He obliterates Raphael and Crowley escapes. When the Winchesters try to talk Castiel into reason, he reveals that he is not an angel anymore: he has become the new God.
Season Seven
On April 26, 2011, CW announced early renewals for five shows for the 2012 season which included a seventh season for Supernatural with 23 episodes. The seventh season aired on September 23, 2011.
Immediately upon declaring himself the new God, Castiel goes forth to punish those he feels deserve it. However, he absorbed things older than souls in Purgatory: Leviathans that had been imprisoned there previously. Castiel attempts to rid himself of the Purgatory souls, but fails to expel the Leviathans, who kill him and escape. Now on the loose, and seemingly unkillable, the Leviathans wreak havoc.
Recurring elements
While the locations and storyline change on a near weekly basis, there are a few things that show up regularly.
The Colt
The 1836
Colt PatersonA Colt Paterson is a revolver. It was the first commercial repeating firearm employing a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers aligned with a single, stationary barrel. Its design was patented by Samuel Colt on February 25, 1836, in the United States, France, and England, and it derived its...
, Texas, usually referred to as "The Colt", was made by
Samuel ColtSamuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
for a paranormal hunter. According to legend, anything shot by this gun, using one of its thirteen original bullets, will die, including creatures normally immune to any and all weapons. John Winchester gives it to the demon Azazel in return for Dean's life being spared after an almost-fatal car crash, and at the end of the second season, Azazel uses it as a key to open a gateway to Hell that Samuel Colt had sealed. The last bullet is then used to kill the demon, though the gun is later altered to allow the use of more bullets. Towards the end of the third season, Lilith's right-hand demon Crowley acquires the gun and hides it. It is then featured in two time-travel episodes, before Crowley returns it to the Winchesters so that they can kill Lucifer. However, Lucifer later reveals there are five things in creation which the gun cannot kill, and he is one of them. It is seen once more when the Winchesters travel to 1861. Dean drops the Colt just before being transported back to the present day, where it is retrieved by the saloon owner Elkins, the ancestor of Daniel Elkins, who possessed the weapon at the beginning of the series.
The gun used in the series is actually a replica
Colt ball and cap gunThe family of Colt Pocket Percussion Revolvers evolved from the earlier commercial revolvers marketed by the Paterson Arms Company of Paterson, NJ. The smaller versions of Colt's first revolvers are also called "Baby Patersons" by collectors and were produced in .24 to .31 calibers...
modified to fire
metallic cartridgesA cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
. On the barrel of the gun is inscribed the Latin phrase "non timebo mala", meaning "I will fear no evil". On the handle is a carving of a pentagram, with much of the finish removed to give it an aged appearance. The props department also has a rubber version of the Colt to be used in fight scenes for
pistol-whippingPistol-whipping is the act of using a handgun as a blunt weapon, wielding it as if it were a club or blackjack. "Pistol-whipping" and "to pistol-whip" were reported as "new words" of American speech in 1955, with cited usages from 1940s...
.
Impala
Throughout the series, Dean drives a black 1967
Chevrolet ImpalaThe Chevrolet Impala is a full-size automobile built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors introduced for the 1958 model year. Deriving its name from the southern African antelope, Chevrolet's most expensive passenger model through 1965 had become the best-selling automobile in the United...
. Having been passed down to him by his father, it is Dean's most prized possession, with actor Jensen Ackles feeling it is Dean's "life" and "sanctuary". The brothers travel in it throughout the country as they hunt the supernatural, and the trunk holds various weaponry. In the first two seasons, it has a Kansas license plate with the number KAZ 2Y5, a reference to the Winchesters' home state of Kansas, and the series premiere date of 2005. Towards the end of the second season, the car sports a new
OhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
license plate (CNK 80Q3) to aid the brothers in hiding from the FBI.
The origins of the Impala were first depicted in the comic mini-series Supernatural: Origins, in which John Winchester takes ownership of the car from Mary's uncle after accidentally getting him killed during a hunt. However, fans responded negatively to this, as John is shown with the Impala in the teaser for the pilot episode, which is chronologically set before the comic series. Due to this, the comic was altered for the trade paperback version, with the Impala's true origins later being depicted in the series' fourth season. Having been sent back to 1973 by the angel
CastielCastiel is a fictional character portrayed by Misha Collins on the CW Television Network's American television series Supernatural. An angel, he first appears in the fourth season, and is used to introduce the theme of Christian mythology to the series...
, Dean convinces his father to purchase the Impala over a 1964 VW Van. The car's origins were further explored during the season five finale, in which a
frame storyA frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
surrounded the plot of the episode tracking the Impala's history from its manufacture, through several previous owners, up until the present day.
All of the cars used in the show are stock 1967 Chevrolet Impalas four-door
hardtopA hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. It has been used in several contexts: detachable hardtops, retractable hardtop roofs, and the so-called pillarless hardtop body style....
s. They feature Chevrolet small-block engines, recolored interiors, custom seats, and nonfunctioning radios. Other than the one used in the original, all of the Impalas had to be painted black for the series. One of the Impalas used features a detachable roof and doors for up-close shots, and is capable of being separated in half.
Ruby's Knife
Ruby possessed a mysterious and presumably magical demon-killing knife, which Kripke refers to as "a hand-to-hand version of the Colt". Its handle is made of elk antlers, and the knife has engravings on both sides of the blade, although the symbols are all balderdash. It has been seen and used many times following its introduction in the third season. Upon being stabbed in a vital area, the demon is almost immediately killed, usually taking the human host with it. It is unknown if it is effective against other supernatural beings, although it is useless against angels. Furthermore, the demon Alastair is resistant to the knife's power. How the knife functions has yet to be revealed, and creator Eric Kripke doubts it ever will be, stating, "I like to leave some things mysterious. And that's likely to remain mysterious."
66 Seals
Holding Lucifer at bay are over 600 mystical seals, only 66 of which have to be broken for him to be released. The first seal needed to be broken is a "righteous man" spilling blood in Hell. The demon Lilith ensures Dean Winchester gets sent there at the end of the third season. While in Hell, Dean's decision to torture souls to free himself from his own torment breaks the first seal. This allows Lilith to begin breaking the remaining seals, prompting the angel Castiel to resurrect Dean from Hell to stop her in season four. The remaining seals are broken over the course of the season, with the final seal being broken by Sam when he succeeds in destroying Lilith in the finale "Lucifer Rising". Sam broke the last seal by killing Lilith, the first demon Lucifer ever created and whose death would break the final seal.
Trouble with the Law
Because Dean and Sam do not get paid for their hunting, the brothers earn their living and pay for their hunting equipment through
credit card fraudCredit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. Credit card fraud is also...
, poker winnings, and pool hustling. Furthermore, their investigations often put them on the wrong side of the law, as they have desecrated graves, impersonated various officials, and committed breaking and entering. Framed for murder and bank robbery by
shapeshifterShapeShifter is an Application Enhancer plugin for Mac OS X developed by Unsanity that allows the user to make system-wide modifications to the appearance of the operating system's graphical interface by applying GUI skins through “injection” into running code and without modifying system files,...
s, Dean has become a highly wanted man, and the brothers are occasionally pursued by various law enforcement officers, most notably FBI Agent Victor Henricksen. Because of their wanted status, the brothers often use aliases, usually derived from hard rock musicians, film references, or a meta-reference. However, in the third season's mid-season finale episode "Jus in Bello", Sam and Dean are presumed dead in the explosion of the
Monument, ColoradoMonument is a growing town situated on the Rampart Range in El Paso County, Colorado, United States. Monument is bordered by Pike National Forest on the west, Colorado Springs and the United States Air Force Academy to the south, foothills and rock outcroppings to the north and rolling plains to...
Sheriff's county jail, effectively ending the FBI's pursuit of them.
They managed to stay under the radar until recently when the Leviathan cloned the brothers. The clones went on a killing spree in order to flush Sam and Dean out of hiding. The real Sam and Dean were captured by the police in Iowa in the town where they defeated the Hook Man in season one. The Leviathans used this to try to kill them, but were themselves killed. The sheriff, having just witnessed the Leviathans kill some of his men, helps Sam and Dean by letting them be dead again.
Promotion and tie-ins
The advertisements The WB chose for the show went beyond just commercials and billboards. Before the series debuted, the network placed signs for the show at gas station pumps, and gave out rubber glow-in-the-dark bracelets at New York and Los Angeles movie theaters. As well, coffee cup sleeves revealed the image of a "terrified woman seemingly pinned to a ceiling" when heated were distributed to 500 cafes throughout New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. The same image was used in special mirrors the network installed in almost 200 nightclubs throughout three cities in order to reach "young, hip horror fans". Additional advertisements were also placed in bars, movie theaters, and video game stores, with hundreds of the bars also receiving Supernatural
napkins and coasters.
The series also has many real-life tie-ins. The urban legend website Hellhounds Lair
featured in the Season One episode "Hell House" is a real website set up by the show's producers. As a tie-in to the sequel episode "Ghostfacers", in which the owners of Hellhounds Lair
create their own Ghost HuntersGhost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
-style reality show, The CW set up
Ghostfacers.com. The Winchesters later visit this website in the fourth season episode "It's a Terrible Life". Series tie-ins, however, extend beyond the internet. For a time, Dean's cell number—revealed in the first season episode "Phantom Traveler" to be 1–866–907–3235—was a real number, with
Jensen AcklesJensen Ross Ackles is an American actor. He is known for his roles in television as Eric Brady in Days of our Lives, which earned him several Daytime Emmy Award nominations, as well as Alec/X5-494 in Dark Angel and Jason Teague in Smallville...
reading the message: "This is Dean Winchester. If this is an emergency, leave a message. If you are calling about 11-2-83, page me with your coordinates." The second season episode "Tall Tales" featured a tie-in to that week's issue of the tabloid newspaper
Weekly World NewsThe Weekly World News was a supermarket tabloid published in the United States from 1979 to 2007, renowned for its outlandish cover stories often based on supernatural or paranormal themes and an approach to news that verged on the satirical. Its characteristic black-and-white covers have become...
. The February 19 and March 19, 2007, editions of the paper featured exclusive interviews with Sam and Dean, the articles being written by Paul KupperbergPaul Kupperberg is a former editor for DC Comics, and a prolific writer of comic books and newspaper strips.-Biography:Kupperberg entered the comics field from comics fandom, as had his brother, writer/artist Alan Kupperberg...
.
Merchandise
Supernatural has a vast amount of merchandise available, including calendars, t-shirts, shot glasses, and posters. CineQuest.com has released sculpted hand-painted resin mini-busts of numerous characters from the series, including Sam, Dean, and John Winchester, the titular villain from the episode "Scarecrow", and the Woman in White from the pilot episode. The company also plans on developing 12-inch figures. Inkworks has released trading cards for the show, some cards featuring actors' autographs and swatches from actual costumes used on the series. As well, a Supernatural
pen and paperPaper-and-pencil games are games that can be played solely with paper and pencil .In some board games, including some abstract strategy games like Gomoku, a piece once played will not be moved on the board or removed from the board...
roleplaying game was developed by
Margaret Weis Productions, LtdMargaret Weis Productions, Ltd is a publisher.It published Serenity role playing game in late 2005 to coincide with the release of Joss Whedon's feature film Serenity based on the television series Firefly...
. Originally scheduled for release in the October 2007, it was delayed until August 2009. The game uses material from the series, novels, and comics. Additionally, on September 7, 2010, Watertower Music released Supernatural: Original Television Soundtrack — Seasons 1-5. It features 18 original tracks by Supernatural series composer's
Christopher Lennertz and Jay Gruska. *
Amazon.com
Further information on the series' mythology and production have been detailed through print. Official companion guides for the first six seasons have been released (ISBN 1845765354, ISBN 1845766571, ISBN 1-84856-103-2, ISBN 1848567383, ISBN 1848567391, ISBN 085768289X), all written by Nicholas Knight and published by Titan Books. Two additional guides written by Alex Irvine, The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls
(ISBN 0-06-136703-6) and John Winchester's Journal
(ISBN 0-06-170662-0), have been published by It Books. Irvine's books function as resource guides that contain illustrations and detailed descriptions of the supernatural creatures the Winchester family has encountered, giving additional background on creatures and mythology featured on the show. Premiering on November 27, 2007, was the Official Supernatural
Magazine. Published by Titan Magazines, it contains series information and exclusive cast and crew interviews. It Books published Supernatural: Bobby Singer's Guide to Hunting by David Reed on September 6, 2011 (ISBN 0062103377), sharing all the knowledge that the character Bobby Singer had to share about hunting, the Winchesters, and other knowledge he picked up over the years dealing with the elements of the supernatural.
Comics
The series has also developed an
expanded universeThe term Expanded Universe is generally used to denote the 'extension' of a media franchise with other media...
. Three six-issue
comic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series have been published by
WildstormWildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
, a company under the
DC ComicsDC 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...
umbrella. Supernatural: Origins
depicts the early lives of John, Sam, and Dean Winchester, and shows how John became a hunter. Supernatural: Rising Son
, a "a dysfunctional family story", details Dean as he begins following in his father's footsteps. While Kripke was heavily involved with the first series, the writer's strike prevented him from doing so with Rising Son
. Supernatural: Beginning's End
deals with "the definitive events that led to Sam leaving his family to attend Stanford". The first two miniseries were written by Peter Johnson, one of the series co-executive producer, while the third one is by television series writers Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin.
A fourth miniseries, Caledonia
, by Brian Wood and Grant Bond, will deal with Sam Winchester's trip to the United Kingdom during the Stanford years.
Novels
Several novels based on the series have also been published.
| Title |
Author |
Published |
Publisher |
ISBN |
| Nevermore |
Keith R.A. DeCandido |
July 31, 2007 |
HarperEntertainment |
ISBN 0-06-137090-8 |
| Witch's Canyon |
Jeff Mariotte Jeff Mariotte is an author who currently lives in Arizona with his wife, author Maryelizabeth Hart, and family. As well as his own original work, he is best known for writing novels and comic books based on licensed properties.-Biography:...
|
October 30, 2007 |
HarperEntertainment |
ISBN 0-06-137091-6 |
| Bone Key |
Keith R.A. DeCandido |
August 26, 2008 |
HarperEntertainment |
ISBN 0-06-143503-1 |
| Heart of the Dragon |
Keith R.A. DeCandido |
February 16, 2010 |
Titan Books |
ISBN 1-84856-600-X |
| The Unholy Cause |
Joe Schreiber |
May 4, 2010 |
Titan Books |
ISBN 1-84856-528-3 |
| War of the Sons |
Rebecca Dessertine and David Reed David Reed may refer to:* David A. Reed , U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, 1923–1935* David Reed , British Labour Party Member of Parliament, 1970–1974* Dave L. Reed , member of the Pennsylvania State House...
|
August 31, 2010 |
Titan Books |
ISBN 1-84856-601-8 |
| One Year Gone |
Rebecca Dessertine |
May 24, 2011 |
Titan Books |
ISBN 0-85768-099-4 |
| Coyote's Kiss |
Christa Faust Christa Faust is an American author who writes original novels, as well as novelizations and media tie-ins. Faust won the 2009 Crimespree Award for Money Shot.-Novels:*Control Freak...
|
July 12, 2011 |
Titan Books |
ISBN 0-85768-100-1 |
| Night Terror |
John Passarella John "Jack" Passarella is an American author. His work includes a number of novels set in Joss Whedon's Buffyverse.-Buffyverse:Media tie-in novels relating to the fictional universe established by Buffy and Angel:* 2000 Ghoul Trouble...
|
September 13, 2011 |
Titan Books |
ISBN 0-85768-101-X |
Meta Merchandise
An unofficial anthology entitled In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural
(ISBN 1933771631) was released on February 10, 2009 by Smart Pop and featured essays covering different aspects of both the series and its fanbase. The Mythology of Supernatural: The Signs and Symbols Behind the Popular TV Show
(ISBN 0425241378), published by Berkley Trade on August 2, 2011, sought to explore the religious and mythological roots of the show. And on October 1, 2011, ECW Press released the book TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map of Supernatural (ISBN 1770410201) which explored topics such as folklore, religion, gender and sexuality, comedy, and music through essays from a number of contributors.
Ghostfacers
The growing popularity of "amateur spook-hunters" Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler prompted Kripke to consider a spin-off series for the characters. He discussed the idea of an online venture with actors A.J. Buckley and
Travis WesterTravis Wester is an American pianist and actor who got his start in the film industry by playing the part of Austin Sanders in Beverly Hills, 90210. He is perhaps most well known for playing the character Jamie in EuroTrip...
, and held a successful meeting with studio and network executives. Though Kripke announced their plans to produce "some new material, either webisodes, potentially cell phone content or basically an off-network Ghostfacers series" at the 2008 Comic-Con, the economic downturn delayed production until 2009.
Buckley and Wester, along with Patrick J. Doody and Chris Valenziano, penned the series. They found the format—ten three-minute segments—difficult to manage because each webisode has to work both individually and as part of the overall storyline. However, Wester noted, "We couldn't get too indulgent, we couldn't delve into long conversations. That helps not only with the storytelling but with the comedy... With drama, it takes time to establish an emotional connection with the characters. With comedy, you can jump right in."
Though an initial idea of Kripke's involved the cast searching real haunted houses, the first season instead features the Ghostfacers investigating a haunted theater. The series also stars Brittany Ishibashi as Maggie and Austin Basis as Spruce. Buckley shares a manager with
Kelly CarlsonKelly Lee Carlson is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Kimber Henry on Nip/Tuck. In 2001 she was listed on Tear Sheet Magazines 50 Most Beautiful list.-Career:...
, and she accepted the guest role of the ghostly actress Janet within half an hour of reading the script.
On October 23, 2011 A.J. Buckley posted on his Twitter account a link to a special webisode in which the Ghostfacers meet Castiel, first shown during the Hell Hounds 2009 Con.
Supernatural: The Animation
On June 9, 2010, the official Japanese Warner Bros. website announced an anime version of the series entitled Supernatural: The Animation. Set to debut in Japan in January 2011, the series will be produced by famed Japanese anime studio
Madhouseis a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
. Shigeyuki Miya and
Atsuko Ishizukais a Japanese animator and director at Madhouse, one of the leading animation production companies in the world. She was born on September 30, 1981 and has been with Madhouse since 2004.-Personal history:...
will be co-directing, with Kripke credited as the project creator. Madhouse co-founder
Masao Maruyamais a Japanese film producer, animation developer, the co-founder, board of directors member, and producer of Studio Madhouse, one of the leading animation production companies in the world...
will serve as executive producer, with Naoya Takayama supervising the scripts and Takahiro Yoshimatsu designing the characters.
Yūya Uchidais a Japanese actor and singer, who is regarded as a major figure in Japanese popular music.He began his music career in 1957, and became one of Japan's pivotal rock and roll figures. He became good friends with John Lennon after touring with The Beatles in 1966...
and
Hiroki Touchiis a Japanese voice actor. He has frequently appeared in many anime and appeared in some video games mainly created by tri-Ace.-Games:* Aluze in Valkyrie Profile, Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth, & Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria...
, who voice Sam and Dean for the Japanese dub of the live-action series, will reprise their roles.
The anime's first season will consist of 22 episodes; while the storyline will cover the first two seasons of the live-action series, it will also include original content exploring the Winchesters' childhoods and expanding upon secondary characters. Warner Home Video will release the first two episodes on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on January 12, 2011; episodes 3 through 12 will ship on February 2, and the rest on April 6. Warner Home Video will release the Blu-ray and DVD box sets of the anime series on July 26, 2011 in North America.
Jared Padalecki has officially signed on to dub the English language for Sam, while Jensen Ackles has only signed to do the last two episodes of the series for Dean due to scheduling reasons.
Samuel Colt
During production of Supernaturals third season, Kripke stated that the writers sometimes discussed the possibility of a prequel series. Set in the
Old WestThe American Old West, or the Wild West, comprises the history, geography, people, lore, and cultural expression of life in the Western United States, most often referring to the latter half of the 19th century, between the American Civil War and the end of the century...
, the spin-off would follow
Samuel ColtSamuel Colt was an American inventor and industrialist. He was the founder of Colt's Patent Fire-Arms Manufacturing Company , and is widely credited with popularizing the revolver. Colt's innovative contributions to the weapons industry have been described by arms historian James E...
and a group of hunters.
Ratings
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Supernatural on The WB and The CW (some including repeats).
| Season |
Network |
Timeslot |
Season premiere |
Season finale |
TV season |
Rank[Rank denotes the relative position]A ranking is a relationship between a set of items such that, for any two items, the first is either 'ranked higher than', 'ranked lower than' or 'ranked equal to' the second....
of the television series with respect to other prime timePrime time or primetime is the block of broadcast programming during the middle of the evening for television programing.The term prime time is often defined in terms of a fixed time period—for example, from 19:00 to 22:00 or 20:00 to 23:00 Prime time or primetime is the block of broadcast...
shows on the CW, FOX, NBC, CBS, and ABC. |
Viewers in millions |
Rating[Rating is the percentage of all households tuned into the program.] |
| 1 |
The WB |
| | Tuesday 9/8c |
September 13, 2005 |
May 4, 2006 |
2005–2006 |
#165 |
3.81 |
1.4[Statistics run from September 19, 2005 through May 7, 2006, leaving out the season premiere.] |
| Thursday 9/8c |
| 2 |
The CW |
Thursday 9/8c |
September 28, 2006 |
May 17, 2007 |
2006–2007 |
#216 |
3.14 |
1.1 |
| 3 |
October 4, 2007 |
May 15, 2008 |
2007–2008 |
#187 |
2.74 |
1.0 |
| 4 |
September 18, 2008 |
May 14, 2009 |
2008–2009 |
#161 |
3.14 |
1.1[Statistics run from September 22, 2008 through May 17, 2009, leaving out the season premiere.] |
| 5 |
September 10, 2009 |
May 13, 2010 |
2009–2010 |
#125 |
2.64 |
1.2[Statistics are based on first-run episodes only.] |
| 6 |
Friday 9/8c |
September 24, 2010 |
May 20, 2011 |
2010–2011 |
#134 |
2.47 |
1.1 |
| 7 |
September 23, 2011 |
May 2012 |
2011–2012 |
|
|
|
After the first four episodes of Supernatural
aired in 2005, the WB decided to pick up the series for a full season of 22 episodes. During those first episodes, the series was ranked third in males aged 18–34 and 12–34. It also posted an increase of 73% in males aged 18–49 from the year before, although it only gained 4% in total viewers, and retained 91% of viewers from its lead-in, Gilmore GirlsGilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
. Supernatural had low ratings during its second season, with viewers consisting mainly of teen girls, and the CW trying to attract more male viewers. The show's future was in doubt at the end of the second season. Despite mediocre ratings in the previous year, it was back for a third season. Although its third season's rating were low, it did well with viewers aged 18–49. In this category, it ranked eighth of all returning series broadcast by a major network. The show received an early pickup for its fourth season. The shows ratings increased in its fourth season. The fourth season premiere aired on September 18, 2008, averaging its highest rating ever since its debut on The CW Network with 3.96 million viewers, a 33% surge over the season three premiere and a 1.7/5 in adults 18–49, up 42% from one year earlier. On October 16, 2008, the show was watched by 3.06 million viewers, making the lowest rating for the season. On October 30, 2008, the show climbed to its best performance in adults 18–34 (1.4/4), adults 18–49 (1.5/4) and total viewers (3.6mil) since its season premiere on September 18, 2008. For the fifth season premiere, viewership increased by 6% in women 18-34 (1.7/5) over the fourth season premiere. However, taking DVR viewings into account with new Live-Plus 7 Day data, total viewership for the premiere increased 38%, with women 18-34 increasing by 35% and adults 18-34 by 47%.
Awards
With the exception of writer Raelle Tucker, who received the Constellation Award for "Best Overall 2007 Science Fiction Film or Television Script" for the second season episode "What Is and What Should Never Be", Supernatural has not won any major awards. However, the series, cast, and crew have been nominated numerous times. Work on the pilot episode garnered two Emmy Award nominations in 2006, composer Christopher Lennertz being nominated in the category of "Outstanding Music Composition For A Series (Dramatic Underscore)" and the sound editors
[Michael Lawshe (Supervising Sound Editor), Timothy Cleveland (Sound Effects Editor), Paul Diller (Sound Effects Editor), Marc Meyer (Sound Effects Editor), David Lynch (Sound Effects Editor), Jessica Dickson (Dialog Editor), Karyn Foster (Dialog/ADR Editor), Chris McGeary (Music Editor), David Lee Fein (Foley Artist), and Jody Thomas (Foley Artist)] receiving a nomination for "Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series". The sound editors
[Michael E. Lawshe (Supervising Sound Editor), Norval "Charlie" Crutcher, III (Supervising ADR Editor), Karyn Foster (Dialogue Editor), Marc Meyer (Supervising Sound Effects Editor), Timothy Cleveland (Sound Effects Editor), Paul Diller (Sound Effects Editor), Albert Gomez (Sound Effects Editor), Casey Crabtree (Foley Artist), Michael Crabtree (Foley Artist), and Dino Moriana (Music Editor)] received a nomination for the latter award once again in 2008 for the third season episode "Jus In Bello". The pilot episode also brought in a nomination for a Golden Reel Award in the category of "Best Sound Editing in Television: Short Form – Sound Effects and Foley", with work on the first season episode "Salvation" and the second season episode "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2" gaining the same nomination in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Additionally, the series has been nominated for a Saturn Award in the category of "Best Network Television Series" in 2006, 2008, and 2009. Several nominations have been through the Teen Choice Awards, the series being nominated for "TV — Choice Breakout Show" and Jensen Ackles for "TV — Choice Breakout Star" in 2006. Several years later, the series was nominated for the 2010 "Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi". Jared Padalecki received a nomination for the category of "Choice TV Actor: Drama" in 2007. In 2009, the series was nominated for a People's Choice Award for "Favorite Sci-Fi / Fantasy Show", as well as a GLAAD Media Award in the category of "Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a regular LGBT character)" for the third season episode "Ghostfacers"; it would go on to win the former award in 2010. The guest cast of the series has also been nominated many times. In 2007,
Colby PaulColby Paul is an American actor. Since 2005, he has worked on a wide range of television series, including Night Stalker, Supernatural, Ghost Whisperer, Pushing Daisies, The Mentalist, and Fringe...
was nominated for a Young Artist Award in the category of "Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy or Drama) - Guest Starring Young Actor", followed in 2008 by Nicholas Elia for "Best Performance in a TV Series — Guest Starring Young Actor" for the third season episode "The Kids Are Alright" and Conchita Campbell for "Best Performance in a TV Series — Guest Starring Young Actress" for the second season episode "Playthings". Jessica Harmon gained a nomination in 2008 for a Leo Award in category of "Best Guest Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series" for the second season episode "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1", as did Mandy Playdon the following year for the fourth season episode "Family Remains". In 2010, the Constellation Awards nominated Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins for Best Male Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode (for the fifth season episodes "The End" and "The Rapture", respectively), Alona Tal for Best Female Performance in a 2009 Science Fiction Television Episode (for the fifth season episode "Abandon All Hope"), and Supernatural
for Best Science Fiction Television Series of 2009. Supernatural
won the People's Choice Award 2010 for Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show.
In the tail end of 2010, Supernatural won the cover of TV Guide Magazine
, with fans casting over five million votes.
Reception
Tanner Stransky of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the first season a B, saying the show "comes off as weekly installments of a horror movie series", but that "Adding to the show's cred are the '67 Chevy Impala the boys rumble around in and their kick-ass soundtrack". Jeff Swindoll of Monsters and CriticsMonsters and Critics is a web-only entertainment/celebrity news and review publication with movie, DVD, video game, and music reviews, along with political commentary as well as coverage of world news, technology, sports, and science.- Background :...
"really liked" the first season due to its "horrific content and the brotherly chemistry between its two stars". He also noted that the season finished "with one bang of a cliffhanger". Swindoll enjoyed the second season, too, saying that it "still works thanks to the brotherly chemistry between Padalecki and Ackles" and noted the second season focused more on the show's mythology. According to Special Forces Soldier Master Sergeant Kevin Wise at a 2007 Supernatural
convention, the DVDs most requested by armed forces personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan were the first two seasons of the series.
Swindoll also liked the third season, saying "Eric Kripke must've sold his soul to the devil so that the show wouldn't suffer a third season slump." He also enjoyed the moments featuring Bobby Singer (Jim BeaverJames Norman "Jim" Beaver, Jr. is an American stage, film, and television actor, playwright, screenwriter, and film historian...
), likening him to the character Cooter from Dukes of HazzardThe Dukes of Hazzard is an American television series that aired on the CBS television network from 1979 to 1985.The series was inspired by the 1975 film Moonrunners, which was also created by Gy Waldron and had many identical or similar character names and concepts.- Overview :The Dukes of Hazzard...
. However, Daniel Bettridge of Den of Geek!
believed that the writer's strike hindered the season, with many issues being left unresolved and the finale feeling "a little rushed". He also felt that new characters Ruby (Katie CassidyKatherine Evelyn Anita "Katie" Cassidy is an American actress who has performed in The CW TV series Melrose Place, Supernatural, Harper's Island, and Gossip Girl, and on the films When a Stranger Calls, Black Christmas, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Taken, Monte Carlo, and has roles in the upcoming...
) and Bela (Lauren CohanLauren Cohan is an American actress. Her most recognized role to date is that of the role of Bela Talbot on Supernatural...
) were "disappointingly unexplored and ineffectively used". While Diana Steenbergen of IGN
liked that there was a season-long story arc with Dean's demonic deal, she believed that viewers would know that the pact would not be resolved until the finale, making the self-enclosed episodes feel like they are "treading water, waiting for the main storyline to resume".
Another Monsters and Critics reviewer, June L., gave the fourth season a positive review, saying the show "remains intriguing and entertaining, giving viewers much to ponder in terms of the philosophical analysis of the nature of good and evil." Steenbergen felt that the series made a transition from a "pretty good show to being a pretty great show". She praised Misha Collins for his portrayal of the angel Castiel, and felt that the interactions between Dean and Castiel were "one of the highlights of the season". Before the premiere of the fifth season,
Rolling StoneRolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
listed the series as one of "The 50 Best Reasons to Watch TV", citing Sam and Dean Winchester as the "Bo and Luke Duke of demon hunting".
The Chicago TribuneThe Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
s Maureen Ryan named
Supernatural among the top ten shows of 2009, stating that the "thoughtfully crafted show got bolder and more creative in 2009, coming up with hilarious and innovative episodes and taking risks with its storytelling." Mike Hale of
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
also named the series on his top ten list for the year: "
Supernatural is currently among the wildest and most entertaining series in prime time."
Syndication
On January 4, 2010, the cable television network TNT began airing reruns of
Supernatural. The show is broadcast on weekdays at 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. ET, and began with the pilot episode.
Fandom and popular culture
Being a cult series,
Supernatural has garnered a dedicated fanbase. They are active online, and many have written fanfiction stories about the show, with a portion of the writers dedicated to stories involving a sexual relationship between Sam and Dean Winchester—known as "Wincest". The writers have jokingly referenced this several times in the series. On November 3, 2011,
Misha CollinsMisha Collins is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as the angel Castiel on the CW television series Supernatural.-Personal life:...
appeared on the
podcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
Disasterpiece Theatre to discuss what a Supernatural "Wincest" movie might look like.
The first fan conventions dedicated to
Supernatural took place in Nashville, Tennessee, in October 2006 and in London in May 2007, and conventions have since expanded through to Germany and throughout the United States. The series' stars and large guest cast make appearances, with fans from the United States, Europe, China, and Australia attending.
Before the debut of the series' fifth season, in which Lucifer is finally freed from his imprisonment, fans attempted to promote the show through the website
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. Enough fans posted the hash tag "#LuciferIsComing" that it made it into "
trending topicA trending topic is a word, phrase or topic that is posted multiple times on the social networking and microblogging service Twitter. Trending topics become popular either through a concerted effort by users or because of an event that prompts people to talk about one specific topic...
s"—a list depicting words and phrases posted with the highest frequency on the website. However,
Twitter users who were unaware of the fans' intentions responded with numerous posts of "#GodIsHere", and all the messages were eventually removed due to complaints. Actor
Misha CollinsMisha Collins is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as the angel Castiel on the CW television series Supernatural.-Personal life:...
, who portrays
CastielCastiel is a fictional character portrayed by Misha Collins on the CW Television Network's American television series Supernatural. An angel, he first appears in the fourth season, and is used to introduce the theme of Christian mythology to the series...
in the series, tried to continue the campaign by requesting that fans post "#PDiddyIsScaredOfHisTV", rapper P. Diddy being the one whom many fans believe to be the instigator of the initial backlash. However, after an hour, these messages were also blocked.
External links