It occupied television screens for fifteen years, and two-and-a-half years after concluding its run, it’s still inescapable on social media. Debuting in 2005 and finishing in 2020, Supernatural was an incredibly long-running series about monster-fighting brothers Sam and Dean Winchester. During its run, the show’s immense popularity was demonstrable not only in how long it remained on air, but in the overwhelming presence it had in online fandom spaces. However, despite the love for Supernatural during its run, the show has left a very mixed legacy in recent years. Many fans criticised the show’s last three episodes, with particular critique going towards Castiel’s death moments after confessing his unrequited love to Dean. This criticism has spilled over to Supernatural’s prequel/sequel series, The Winchesters, which has received low viewership numbers, despite the star Jensen Ackles’ involvement in the production. Real-world events, from co-lead Jared Padalecki’s exclusion from The Winchesters to international dubs altering Castiel’s love confession to be requited have contributed to discourses surrounding Supernatural. On the flip side, however, other shows involving Supernatural’s main cast – Jared Padalecki’s Walker, Jensen Ackles’ The Boys, and most recently, Misha Collin’s Gotham Knights – have all achieved high viewership numbers and/or seasonal longevity, suggesting that fans still hold great affection for the series and its stars. The proposed article would explore the legacy left by one of the CW’s flagship shows.
One of the things Supernatural did right was pay attention to its fans. The actors and writers had good friendly relationships with their fans - there's a variety of Moments at conventions worth considering for this article - and they put homages to the fans in some of their episodes.
Then they proceeded to not do a couple of things some of the fans would have wanted them to do, like make the Destiel relationship fully canon. Part of the disappointment was probably based on a perceived betrayal of the fans' trust.
The things fans liked about their fifteen-year relationship with the show have persisted after the show ended, and therein lies the show's legacy. – noahspud2 years ago
Analyze both the successes and failures the TV show Supernatural has encountered; the plot lines of different seasons and where the original plan to end the series was found, the success of the fanbase, the acting, the writing, and the plans to continue the series. Compare it to other long-lasting TV series, and consider what makes them so successful. Consider as well, the well-done series that are cut short and what made them end up failing.
there is so much to talk about with this one, i love supernatural and sometimes i am surprised it is still standing and going on because normally you get tired of tv shows after 11+ seasons; but, not with supernatural. – scole9 years ago
There's definitely a lot to talk about here, from the interesting use of mythology from around the world to create interesting threats to humanity as well as the bond between family and what exactly that means at the end of the day, to how writers and producers created in my opinion the perfect ending to the series at the conclusion of season 5 but continued the series, to the general attitude of queer baiting that seems to permeate the dialogue and interactions between Dean and Castiel. – Nayr12309 years ago
Definitely talk about what it's like to be a road show with an overarching plot. In movies that involve road trips, there is typically not a strong plot-driven story; instead, the story is character driven, and the point of the story is the character development that occurs on the road. Road movies/shows can't have plot-driven stories, because it defies the point of a road movie. The early seasons of Supernatural are set up like a road movie, where the episodic storytelling style connects only slightly. The main focus of the Winchesters was finding their father, an act that tested their strengths and weaknesses as characters. However, in the later seasons where the show was thought to be heading off the rails, there is still a road-movie style, but also a very strong overarching plot. – Sarah Bish6 years ago
