Supernatural - So am I missing something?

[Jimmy Higgins]

So Supernatural has been on the WB since approximately the mid 13th century. WB is stigmatized for me, as I automatically (fair or not) discount anything that is on the WB. But 14 seasons sounds like a long time. I'm familiar with one of the actors, as he was on Gilmore Girls for a few seasons, a show I watched in entirety once (yes, it was a WB show). It has to have some level of quality if it made 14 seasons, of course, with such a run, it could also just be a cheap but cultish show that the WB can rely on some demographic . I got into Buffy well by accident (catching a Season Three episode in syndication) and then Angel on word of mouth. And that stuff was great.

So I was curious, is Supernatural something I should look into, or is it more Charmed than Buffy?

 

[Politesse]

The past ten seasons have not been the best in my opinion, but it seems to be one of those shows that people watch for the sake of existing in its universe for a while. From the way my students casually reference the show in essays and the like, I think it scratches a certain ancestral itch for the not-very-religious Millenial audience the show caters to, generally including supernatural themes without getting preachy. People like talking about demons and elves and god knows what, as long as it is safely contained in a fiction box. That said, at the moment I'm incredibly annoyed with them for <<spoilers>> in a way that finally confirmed the existence of a true relationship between <<spoilers>>... but played it safe by immediately sending <<spoilers>> to <<spoilers>> to appease... the many religious zealots that are apparently in the audience still for some reason? Fuck that noise, God made Adam and Steve, and they can <<spoilers>> if they want to.

 

[Angry Floof]

Initially Supernatural seemed like a rip off of The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams, which Is I think why it didn't grab me and I never bothered watching past the first or second episode.

 

[ZiprHead]

I've enjoyed it the few times I've watched it. I see it as a cop/detective show only the perps being apprehended are angels, demons, ghosts, etc. They even have their fake LEO IDs they break out when necessary. With a little humor thrown in here and there.

And my wife's first car was a 67 Impala so she appreciates that too.

As far as Charmed and Buffy go, I've never seen them so I have no idea about comparison.

 

[Rhea]

It’s 15 seasons, btw. (I should note that I watched the first 12 seasons in a single year on DVD from the library with my daughter to catch up.)

I watched it with my daughter. I very much enjoyed the first 5 seasons for the fun detective stuff and the constant 70s-80s music. And once per season or so, they had a spoof episode. Like a scooby doo one, a broken 4th wall one, etc.

I continued to watch but with a different mindset when they left episodic hunting stories and went for serial world-danger stories. Still enjoyable with her, but I did miss the rugged individualist /lone warrior aesthetic.

Started to enjoy more again during seasons (um? 10-13, maybe?) when they started to introduce other peers, including women, to hunt monsters.

In seasons 14 and 15 I enjoyed the obvious long term camaraderie of the actors.

I have not yet seen the last 3 episodes that were filmed after the start of the pandemic, inclusing the last one, where, my daughter reports, she is incredibly annoyed with them for

<<spoilers>> in a way that finally confirmed the existence of a true relationship between <<spoilers>>... but played it safe by immediately sending <<spoilers>> to <<spoilers>> to appease... the many religious zealots that are apparently in the audience still for some reason? Fuck that noise, God made Adam and Steve, and they can <<spoilers>> if they want to.

Exactly.

Oh, and it’s Adam and Yves, isn’t it?

 

[Tom Sawyer]

The first five seasons were really good. The plot advanced each season, with the threats becoming more and more serious, until they finally ended up in a confrontation with Lucifer himself. The writing was good and the story progression done well. However, after facing Lucifer, the question of "OK ... so where do we go from here?" was not ever really answered and the show just kind of meandered since. Some story lines were quite well done, like the war of the angels, but they kind of just spun their wheels for a decade.

Worth it for the first five seasons, though. It may not continue to engage your interest after that, though.

 

[ZiprHead]

I liked it that a couple episodes took place in my home town of Saginaw, even though none of the programs was filmed here.