As I finished watching Supernatural‘s recent episode, “Bedtime Stories,” I wondered to myself: should this be the CW’s signature show?
Now, before all the Gossip Girl, Reaper, One Tree Hill, and Smallville fans start blowing their tops,`hear me out. Those shows have limited appeal, save maybe Reaper. Yup, I said it. Gossip Girl may be the semi-critical darling of the CW, but it’s audience really wont reach out past the, well, girl appeal.
Reaper may have wider appeal, but it’s a freshman. Got to give it time to grow and show itself.
One Tree Hill is one-dimensional not only in its storylines, but in its fanbase as well. The average guy would have no interest in watching a show just to see which co-star Chad Michael Murray decides to marry next.
Smallville, on the other hand, targets a far different audience. Yes, it appeals to the average male and even female audience, but mainly to those with a sci-fi fix. Also, it doesn’t help that Smallville seems like it’s on season 47 with absolutely nothing having been resolved, and nothing really more to offer.
OK, you may blow your tops now.
Supernatural, on the other hand, seems to have taken notes while watching Buffy, the Vampire Slayer dominate the WB and UPN. Now, in no way is it near the sheer brilliance of Buffy. I’m not even sure I should be mentioning them in the same sentence. But, at at least Supernatural tries. It blends action, suspense, appealing characters, the slightest of funny dialogue, and most importantly, a story. It’s not perfect, but at least the effort is there.
I’m also not overlooking the CW’s true best show, Everybody Hates Chris, but let’s be honest: how many viewers of the show’s above even know this show resides here? Exactly.
To prove a little more of my point, Supernatural has been placed in the most difficult of time slots. Really, it should be considered murder in the entertainment world: Thursdays at 9pm. Still, the show has grown in viewers rather steadily throughout the first five episodes of the season. It’s gone from 2.97 million viewers for its season 3 premiere to 3.24 million this past week. That’s very CW healthy.
So that’s my argument for the CW. Supernatural has been consistently steady or increasing in viewers,, has a broad appeal, and actually has more consistently good episodes than not. It deserves to be treated as such.
-Ralph Galvan, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
