Supernatural, with its performances and massive fanbase, is hailed as one of the greatest TV shows in modern pop culture. The Eric Kripke show ran for 15 seasons and made some significant records. While ardent fans still love to talk about Supernatural, The CW show was never expected to be so long.
Initially, when the show was launched, Supernatural faced several hurdles to make a name. Eric Kripke confessed that the team was always afraid of a sudden cancellation as it had always been a bubble show. On top of it, Supernatural also had to face tough competition from other shows.
The unpredictable fate of Supernatural always kept Eric Kripke on edge
Supernatural focuses on brothers Dean and Sam Winchester, played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki who hunt ghosts, monsters, and many other supernatural beings. While the show ran for 15 seasons and 327 episodes, Eric Kripke confessed that they never expected it to survive so many challenges.
Speaking to TV.com (see Nicki Swift) in 2008, The Boys mastermind claimed that they were always worried about Supernatural‘s fate, thanks to its dwindling ratings. Eric Kripke continued that competition from shows like Lost and The Big Bang Theory that were broadcasted in the same time slot drastically affected their viewership.
Every year we have to fight for our survival. The biggest determinant of whether or not we come back and really tell the story correctly is in the hands of the fans.
Kripke was very disappointed with how the network rested the show’s fate solely on the fans’ reception. The crew also found another reason to worry about when The WB merged with UPN to form The CW. As the merger killed significant shows, Jared Padalecki stated to Variety that they were extremely worried about the fate of their show after its debut season.
At the end of season one, to scare us all even a bit further, the WB merged with another network, UPN, [to form] The CW. So if we were nervous about what was going to happen to us to begin with, then when we found out there was going to be a new captain of the network ship so to speak, it certainly didn’t settle our stomachs.
Fortunately, the fan reception was enough to keep Supernatural afloat for 15 seasons and over 300 episodes. Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that the show’s prolonged length also harmed The CW show.
Eric Kripke should have followed his 5-year plan for Supernatural
Although Supernatural never lost its entire charm and still finds itself in fan discussions, the show’s quality significantly declined post-Season 5. Following the exit of Eric Kripke as the showrunner, uncountable fans complained that the horror factor decreased rapidly in the show.
Interestingly, in a chat with The Futon Critic in 2007, Eric Kripke stated that they had a 5-year plan for the show. Reportedly, Kripke planned for only 3 seasons before extending it to 5 seasons for its fame. Even a massive section of the fandom still believes that the finale of the 5th season titled Swan Song was the perfect swan song for the series.
However, Eric Kripke later commented to Collider in 2010 that when a show begins, “the plans are not set in stone.” As Supernatural progressed with different showrunners after Season 5, the charm was lost, and the ultimate ending in Season 15 was deemed to be disappointing by many. From a lack of good villains to confusing storylines and repetitive plots, many factors jointly contributed to the show’s mixed audience reception in its concluding seasons.
Supernatural can be streamed on Netflix.
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