I know it's coming up to that ...
Question: I know it's coming up to that time of year again when you tell the public about shows they should be watching and shows networks need to keep. I wanted to make sure, this year, that
Supernatural is on that list. One of the smartest and funniest hours on television, it delivers wrenchingly authentic emotional drama without pandering to its audience or coming off contrived, so I think it deserves more than three million viewers a week. A lot of people haven't given it a chance because of its Thursday time slot, smack in the middle of the toughest night on TV, and the fact that the CW is still new and finding its legs. Because of a lack of advertising funds, many people simply haven't heard of it. So please draw attention to
Supernatural! The crew is one of the hardest-working in television, and the two leads, with the most natural chemistry I've seen since Newman and Redford, break their backs (in the case of
Jared Padalecki, his wrist!) to provide quality television. I want to see those boys finally get the returns they deserve, because they're both incredible talents. On that note, I have a question for you:
Supernatural is the sixth or seventh highest-rated program on the CW, but it's a long jump down from No. 5 to No. 6. This show's a cult favorite, with a dedicated fan base. Can we comfortably expect renewal, or do we need to turn up our efforts to fight for more viewers while we still have a few months of leeway?
Answer: Thanks for at least attaching a question to your plea, which is more than I got in most of the seemingly hundreds of
Supernatural e-mails that popped up in a blitz over the last week or so. Please,
Supernatural-ists.
I beg you. Enough already. (I'm not sure where everyone got the idea I was about to publish a list of shows worth saving. That may well happen, but I certainly haven't planned for it or been assigned it yet.) Word of advice to the world of fandom: Blitzing a columnist with a tonnage of similar messages is not the way to someone's heart or mind. It's annoying and just looks desperate, which I guess is fair when it comes to a show that flies under the radar the way
Supernatural does. (And this time, I guess it paid off, since I've devoted another item to it.) Look, I respect this show (although I don't love it the way I did
Buffy or
The X-Files), I respect the passion of its fans, and I truly hope the CW gives it a third season. (I'm still working my way slowly through the last part of last season, by the way.) How likely is its renewal? I haven't a clue. Looking at the CW's development slate for new drama contenders for next season, there is at least one horror/genre project (
Reaper, described as a "comedic drama about a 21-year-old slacker who becomes the devil's bounty hunter, retrieving souls escaped from hell"), which makes me wonder if the network is shopping for a new companion to
Smallville. Personally, I think
Supernatural is a great fit in quality and tone with
Smallville, and it doesn't hurt that both come from Warner Bros. TV, a partner in the CW. The studio no doubt would like to keep
Supernatural going for syndication purposes. But can you "comfortably expect renewal"? Probably not. My advice is to keep beating the drums (I'm already in the loop, so leave me out of it) and hope for the best.
