Supernatural (U.S. TV Series)
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Revision as of 07:35, 10 January 2019
| Supernatural | ||
| Genre | Horror Fantasy Action Adventure Mystery Drama | |
| Created by | Eric Kripke | |
| Starring | Jared Padalecki Jensen Ackles Misha Collins Katie Cassidy Lauren Cohan Misha Collins Mark A. Sheppard | |
| Composer(s) | Jay Gruska Christopher Lennertz | |
| Country of origin | United States | |
| Language(s) | English | |
| No. of Seasons | 11 | |
| No. of episodes | 241 (List of episodes) | |
| Production | ||
| Executive producer(s) | Eric Kripke Robert Singer McG David Nutter Kim Manners John Shiban Phil Sgriccia Sera Gamble Ben Edlund Jeremy Carver Adam Glass | |
| Location | British Columbia, Canada | |
| Camera setup | Single-camera setup | |
| Running time | 38–45 minutes | |
| Production company(s) | Kripke Enterprises Wonderland Sound and Vision (Seasons 1–8) Warner Bros. Television Distribution | |
| Distributor | Warner Bros. Television Distribution | |
| Release | ||
| Original channel | The WB (2005–2006) The CW (2006–present) | |
| Picture format | 1080i (HDTV) | |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital 5.1 | |
| Original run | September 13, 2005 – present | |
| Chronology | ||
| Related shows | Supernatural: Bloodlines | |
| External links | ||
| Official website | ||
Supernatural is an American supernatural drama television series with humorous elements created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they hunt demons and other figures of the supernatural. The series is produced by Warner Bros. Television, in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision. The current executive producers are Eric Kripke, McG, and Robert Singer; former executive producer Kim Manners died of lung cancer during production of the fourth season.
The series is filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia and surrounding areas and was in development for nearly ten years, as creator Kripke spent several years unsuccessfully pitching it. The pilot 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 concluded the series' main storyline, and Kripke departed the series as showrunner. The series has continued on for several more seasons with new showrunners, including Sera Gamble, Jeremy Carver, Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb. The series was renewed for an eleventh season, which premiered on October 7, 2015. With its eleventh season, Supernatural became the longest-running North American fantasy series. The series has been renewed for a twelfth season, which will premiere on October 13, 2016.
Contents |
Production
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, Kansas, 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 Kerouac's road-trip novel On the Road. However, he felt that "Sal" was inappropriate for a 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 Ford, 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 House 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".
| “ | We say it's a modern American Western — two gunslingers who ride into town, fight the bad guys, kiss the girl and ride out into the sunset again. And we were always talking from the very beginning that if you're going to have cowboys, they need a trusty horse. | ” |
| —Eric Kripke on the decision to add the Impala.<ref name="impala"/>, {{{4}}} | ||
Growing up, Kripke connected to television shows that had signature cars, such as 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 Mustang, 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 Vision as president of TV, he contacted Kripke. Johnson soon signed on as co-executive producer, as did Wonderland owner McG 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
Effects
Music
Filming locations
Online distribution
DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases
Cast and characters
- Main article: Characters of Supernatural
Synopsis
- Main article: List of Supernatural episodes
Season 1
- Main article: Supernatural (season 1)
Season One 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 goes missing on a hunting trip. However, their father is not a typical hunter: he hunts supernatural creatures like ghosts, vampires, and spirits 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 and reunite with 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 Colt. The season ends with the brothers and their father involved in a car crash when a truck hits the side of the Impala. They lay inside the car, covered in blood and unconscious.
Season 2
- Main article: Supernatural (season 2)
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 (he traded his life for Dean's with Yellow-Eyes after the car crash) and continue to hunt this demon, who also 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 to fight each other, leading to Sam dying. Dean makes a deal with the crossroads demon to bring back Sam in exchange for his soul, which will be collected in one year and taken to hell. In a final confrontation, in which Dean kills Yellow-Eyes, a gate to hell is opened, releasing hundreds of demons back into the world.
Season 3
- Main article: Supernatural (season 3)
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 strike. 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 Ruby, a 'good' demon, who has an interest in Sam and claims to be able to help save Dean. Also, they meet Bela Talbot, an "acquirer" and seller of occult objects, who is constantly a thorn in their side. The brothers eventually learn from Bela which demon holds Dean's contract: one being of great power named Lilith. Lilith takes Bela's soul after her contract expires but not before she has warned Sam and Dean. 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 to Hell.
Season 4
- Main article: Supernatural (season 4)
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 Castiel, 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's 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. He and Dean eventually have a falling out and Sam sides fully with Ruby in his obsessive quest to kill Lilith. Dean makes a deal with the angels to save Sam and learns that they want the Apocalypse to come in order to rebuild Earth as a Paradise. With aid from Castiel, Dean escapes and tries to stop Sam as he has learned that Lilith is in fact the last seal, but Sam kills her anyway, breaking open Lucifer's prison. Ruby reveals her true colors as a demon loyal to Lucifer and Dean kills her, but as the season ends, Lucifer's Cage opens and he starts to escape.
Season 5
- Main article: Supernatural (season 5)';
Season 6
- Main article: Supernatural (season 6)
Season 7
- Main article: Supernatural (season 7)
Season 8
- Main article: Supernatural (season 8)
Season 9
- Main article: Supernatural (season 9)
Season 10
- Main article: Supernatural (season 10)
Season 11
- Main article: Supernatural (season 11)
Season 12
- Main article: Supernatural (season 12)
Season 13
- Main article: Supernatural (season 13)
Season 14
- Main article: Supernatural (season 14)
Recurring elements
Impala
Trouble with the Law
The Colt
Ruby's Knife
Word of God Tablets
Mark of Cain and the First Blade
Other Media
Promotion and tie-ins
Merchandise
Comics
Novels
Secondary literature
Spin-off series
Ghostfacers
Supernatural: The Anime Series
On June 9, 2010, the official Japanese Warner Bros. website announced an anime version of the series titled Supernatural: The Animation (スーパーナチュラル・ザ・アニメーション), which debuted in Japan in January 2011 and is produced by Japanese anime studio Madhouse. Shigeyuki Miya and Atsuko Ishizuka are co-directors for the series, with Kripke credited as the project creator. Madhouse co-founder Masao Maruyama serves as executive producer, with Naoya Takayama supervising the scripts and Takahiro Yoshimatsu designing the characters. Yūya Uchida and Hiroki Touchi, who voice Sam and Dean for the Japanese dub of the live-action series, reprise their roles.
The anime's first season consists of 22 half-hour episodes; while the storyline covers the first two seasons of the live-action series, it also includes original content exploring the Winchesters' childhoods and expanding upon secondary characters. Warner Home Video released the first two episodes on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan on January 12, 2011; episodes 3 through 12 shipped on February 2, and the rest on April 6. Warner Home Video released the Blu-ray and DVD box sets of the anime series on July 26, 2011, in North America.
Jared Padalecki voices Sam in the English-language version of the series, while Jensen Ackles voices Dean only in the last two episodes for scheduling reasons; Andrew Farrar voices Dean in English for the first 20 episodes.
Supernatural: Bloodlines
- Main article: Supernatural: Bloodlines
