Supernatural (TV series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Supernatural | |
|---|---|
The Winchester brothers. |
|
| Format | Paranormal Horror Mystery Drama Comedy |
| Created by | Eric Kripke |
| Starring | Jensen Ackles Jared Padalecki |
| Country of origin | |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 52 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Eric Kripke McG Robert Singer |
| Location(s) | |
| Running time | 40-45 min. |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | The WB (2005–2006) The CW (2006–present) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Original run | September 13, 2005 – present |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Supernatural is an American paranormal drama television series, filmed in Canada, that debuted on September 13, 2005 on the WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. The second season premiered on September 28, 2006, and the third season premiered on October 4, 2007.
The show follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles respectively, who travel across the country in a black 1967 Chevy Impala investigating and combating paranormal events and other unexplained occurrences, many of them based on American urban legends and folklore, as well as classic supernatural creatures such as vampires, werewolves, and ghosts.
Eric Kripke cites Neil Gaiman's The Sandman and American Gods as influences on Supernatural, along with American Werewolf in London and Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey.[1]
Contents |
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester (2005-2006) (2007)
- Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer (2006-)
- Samantha Ferris as Ellen Harvelle (2006-)
- Lauren Cohan as Bela Talbot (2007-)
- Katie Cassidy as Ruby (2007-)
- Samantha Smith as Mary Winchester (2005-2007)
- Nicki Lynn Aycox as Meg Masters (2005-2006)
- Alona Tal as Joanna Beth "Jo" Harvelle (2006-)
- Chad Lindberg as Ash (2006-2007)
- Sterling K. Brown as Gordon Walker (2006-2007)
- Katharine Isabelle as Ava Wilson (2006-2007)
- Adrianne Palicki as Jessica Moore (2005-2007)
- Gabriel Tigerman as Andrew Gallagher (2006-2007)
- Richard Speight, Jr. as the Trickster (2007-2008)
| Season | Ep # | First Airdate | Last Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 22 | September 13, 2005 | May 4, 2006 |
| Season 2 | 22 | September 28, 2006 | May 17, 2007 |
| Season 3 | 13 | October 4, 2007 | May 2008 |
When Sam Winchester was an infant and his brother Dean was only four years old, their mother, Mary, was murdered on November 2, 1983 (All Souls' Day). Her husband, John, saw blood dripping onto Sam's cradle, looked up, and found his wife pinned to the ceiling, her midsection sliced open. A moment later, she burst into flames. John told Dean to take baby Sam outside and tried to make a desperate and futile attempt to save his wife while the house was consumed by flames.
After Missouri Moseley, a psychic, told John that something of the supernatural was responsible for Mary's death, he became obsessed with finding and destroying the thing that killed his wife and in the process trained his sons to recognize and defend themselves against paranormal entities. At a young age, both Sam and Dean became resourceful sleuths and experienced fighters assisting their father in his quest to destroy dangerous creatures and find the demon that had killed their mother. However, Sam rebelled against the lifestyle his father chose for him, eventually having a falling out with his father and leaving to live a "normal" life. He attended Stanford University on a full scholarship and lived with his girlfriend, Jessica Moore, in an apartment near campus. Dean, after two years of estrangement, appears one night on Sam's doorstep during the autumn of his senior year, bearing the news that their father has gone missing while on a "hunting trip". Sam reluctantly agrees to help Dean in the search.
The brothers trace John to Jericho, California, where they find more clues about their father's possible location and help solve the ghost murder mystery their father had been working on before he disappeared. Afterwards, however, when John is yet to be found, Sam declines his brother's invitation to continue the search and conduct more hunts, opting instead to return to his life with Jessica.
Shortly after arriving back in his apartment, he finds her pinned to the bedroom ceiling, bleeding from the abdomen. As Sam watches helplessly, she bursts into flames and dies in the same manner as his mother, twenty-two years to the day afterwards. Dean rescues his brother from the burning apartment, and the bereaved Sam decides to join Dean in the search for their father, who may have answers about the demon who killed his mother and his girlfriend. In Dean's 1967 Chevy Impala, the Winchester brothers pick up John's trail, traveling the back roads and small towns of the continental United States in the process.
Eventually the brothers locate their father, and he reveals the extent of his knowledge of the demon that killed Mary, and his intention to kill it. At first he opposes the boys' involvement because he fears losing them, but eventually he yields. Together, the Winchesters search for a special weapon: The Colt, which was created during the Battle of the Alamo and at the time of Halley's Comet passing. Being made by the legendary Samuel Colt, for a demon hunter, the gun has the ability to destroy any creature, with a well placed shot. All three Winchesters, after recovering the Colt from a band of vampires, band together and start to hunt the demon in earnest. However, due to a series of catastrophic events (beginning with John's capture), they are eventually overpowered by the demon. While possessing John the demon nearly tortures Dean to death before Sam is able to and shoot it in the leg with the Colt. Sam tries to rush Dean and John to the hospital, but a demon then possesses a semi truck driver and plows into Dean's Impala, demolishing it and leaving all three Winchesters incapacitated inside the wreckage.
At the beginning of season two, the trio are rescued via MEDEVAC and taken to the hospital, but due to his extended injures caused by both the demon's torture and the car accident, Dean is comatose. John summons the demon to make a deal and trades the gun and his own life for Dean's.
Both Dean and Sam struggle to cope with John's death while trying to continue their job. As they continue to hunt any supernatural spirit they find, they come across many people that share the same story as Sam, a mother who mysteriously dies in their nurseries when the children were 6 months old. These "special children" each discovered recently that they have some sort of psychic power. In the light of these revelations, Dean reveals to Sam that their father (just before giving his life to the demon) had told Dean he had to save Sam or be forced to kill him. Various revelations occur throughout the rest of the season that lead the pair to believe these psychics are being trained to participate in an army that the demon will lead in a coming apocalypse.
After several months of "by-the-book" jobs, Sam disappears while ordering food at a diner. He awakens in a ghost town with four other psychics, two of whom he had met in prior episodes (Ava from Hunted and Andy from Simon Said). There, in a dream, the demon reveals to Sam he has brought all of them to the town to compete against one another and the winner (the only one left alive) would become the leader of the demon's army. The two innocent psychics are killed, before Ava (who has killed Andy by summoning a murderous demon) is revealed to be a demonic familiar herself. Jake, an Army soldier who claims he was abducted from Afghanistan, kills Ava by snapping her neck after taking her by surprise. Dean has been frantically trying to locate his brother, discovering the Roadhouse has been burned to the ground, leaving Ash dead and Ellen missing. With the help of Andy, who can "beam information" directly into people's brains, Bobby discerns where Sam and the others are (a haunted ghost town in rural, fictional "Cold Oak, South Dakota"). Upon their arrival, Dean and Bobby watch in horror as Sam is stabbed in the back by the only other survivor, Jake. Sam dies in Dean's arms.
In the season finale, Dean, distraught and unable to cope with the loss of his brother, believes that he has let Sam down. His mind made up, Dean sets off without Bobby, leaving Sam's body behind. He makes a deal with the demon at the crossroads, his soul for Sam's. The demon agrees and brings Sam back from the dead. However, she tells Dean that she will only give him one more year to live, and if he tries in any way to prevent his death, Sam will drop dead on the spot. When Dean returns, he finds his brother alive and well and unaware of all that has happened. After everything Dean went through knowing that his father had died for him, he wants to protect Sam and decides not to tell his brother that Jake had killed him.
Ellen, who was away when the roadhouse burned down, finds Bobby, Dean, and Sam and shows them a map that Ash had prepared just before his death. They discover that an elaborate gate was constructed by Samuel Colt to bar an entrance from hell. The demon tells Jake that he must open the gate and that the Colt is the key. The whole group arrives to stop Jake, who is beyond surprised to see Sam and insists that he killed him. Jake gets the gate open but is shot to death by Sam.
The demon returns and taunts Dean with the possibility that the Sam that Dean has had resurrected, may not be "one hundred percent pure Sam." He then attempts to kill Dean. However, John Winchester, who has escaped from hell, manages to save his son. Dean shoots and kills the demon with the last remaining bullet in the Colt, and John's soul departs, no longer condemned to hell. Bobby and Ellen are able to close the gate, but not before hundreds of souls and demons escape. Sam is suspicious and wants to know why Jake insisted that he had killed him. Dean is then forced to reveal the deal he had made at the crossroads, and Sam, who is upset over the sacrifice Dean has made, promises to save him.
Season Three premiered on the CW Network on October 4, 2007. The first episode, "The Magnificent Seven", introduces one new character – a young blonde woman named "Ruby" (played by Katie Cassidy) who uses a demon-killing dagger.
Ruby is possessed by a demon that shows particular interest in Sam. At her urgings, Sam discovers that all of his mother's friends and contacts have been steadily killed off over the years by the yellow-eyed demon. Ruby won't discuss what it is she wants, but says that not all demons are the same or have the same motivations. She also says if Sam helps her she can save Dean. In the episode Sin City she describes herself as a "little fallen angel" on Sam's shoulder. She also assisted Bobby in successfully rebuilding and restoring power to the Colt.
In "Bad Day at Black Rock", it is discovered that John had a secret storage room in Black Rock. Dean and Sam find that an object from the room is missing and set out to find it. The boys track down the burglars and discover that the missing object is a rabbit's foot. This rabbit's foot brings the boys to a series of lucky events until it is stolen by Bela (played by Lauren Cohan), a thief and merchant out to use the supernatural world as a paycheck.
Sam seems to have developed a sense of no remorse for killing demons since his return to life at the end of Season 2. This includes Jake, Father Gil/Casey, and the crossroads demon. There are multiple discussions throughout the season involving Dean realizing these changes, and confirming them with Bobby, who does not believe the yellow eyed demon (now known as Azazel) was telling the truth.
In the episode "Bedtime Stories", Sam and Dean argue over whether using the newly rebuilt Colt will help give them the upper hand in breaking Dean's deal with the crossroads demon who revived Sam. At the end of the episode, Sam takes the Colt and, while Dean is asleep, visits the demon and threatens her. She tells Sam, however, that killing her will not break the deal since her boss holds the contract. Sam shoots and kills the demon anyway.
The other addition to the cast in season three is Bela Talbot, played by Lauren Cohan. Described by Bobby Singer as "pretty damn far from a Hunter", Bela is an attractive Englishwoman who acquires magical objects for wealthy clients. Bela is amoral, claiming that she will sell anything to anyone for the right price. She only shows an ability to help Sam and Dean when it benefits her. Dean threatens to kill Bela numerous times. It was implied that she once killed one of her own family members.
Supernatural is a Warner Bros. Television Production Inc., in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision. From executive producers McG and Peter Johnson with writer/executive producer/creator Eric Kripke and director/executive producer David Nutter. Though the pilot was filmed in California, principal filming takes place in Vancouver, British Columbia[2] with post production work taking place in California.[citation needed]
Like other recent TV dramas such as Lost, the show does not have an opening credit sequence or theme music, only a title card, generally following a brief recap of previous episodes. In season one, "Supernatural" is a moving aqua-blue text. In season two, appears in flames and the "A" becomes a pentagram. In season three, "Supernatural" is a moving silvery text against a background of clouds of spirits. Beginning with the episode "Scarecrow", the name of each episode appears before the cast credits.
A "previously" sequence before each episode highlights a montage of past events. This may be scored to a classic rock song, particularly when the the episode is important to the story arc. This was first done with the episode "Salvation", in which the entire season was recapped to Kansas's "Carry On Wayward Son". [1] This continued with the season one finale and the first three episodes of season two.
The production team also created a "coming soon" sequence midway through season two, set to Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog". [2]
- Supernatural season 2 was made available on iTunes on December 5, 2006.[3] The episodes may be downloaded one day after they are aired. It is the first CW show available.
- The CW has also begun offering the four most recent full, streamed episodes directly from its website(Only Available To United State Residents) at www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural
- Australia's Network Ten began offering full episodes for download via their website, through an exclusive deal with Warner Bros. Television in January 2006. It is the first U.S. television show available for free download in Australia. The episodes appear online soon after being televised, and are viewable for up to a month after download.
- In November 2006, Season Two of Supernatural was made available for download on Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace for 150 Microsoft Points (roughly $2). Similar to iTunes, the entire season up until the most recent episode has been made available.
- The "Hellhounds Lair" website featured in the episode "Hell House" is a real website set up by the show's producers. In the episode "Tall Tales", the website Sam mentions his computer is stuck on is actually a link back to the Warner Brothers website.
- For a time, Dean's cell number was a real number, with Jensen Ackles reading the message: "This is Dean Winchester. If this is an emergency, leave a message. If you are calling about 11-2-83, page me with your coordinates."[4]
- Episode 2.15 "Tall Tales" centers on the tabloid newspaper Weekly World News. Both the print edition (dated February 19, 2007) and online Weekly World News feature an exclusive interview with both Sam and Dean [3] as well as a spoiler-free sneak preview of the episode. In the article, written by Paul Kupperberg, Dean says he's been subscribing to the Weekly World News since the fourth grade.
- An Official Season One Guide was published on September 25, 2007 with an Official Season Two Guide to follow on April 8, 2008. An additional companion guide, The "Supernatural" Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons, and Ghouls, functions as a "Dad's Journal" for the viewer, giving additional background on creatures and mythology featured on the show.
- In June, the winner of the CW and Promax "making the cut" competition was announced. View the winning Supernatural promo here.
- A prequel comic book, Supernatural: Origins, detailing the early lives of John, Sam, and Dean and how they became hunters has been published by Wildstorm, a company under the DC Comics umbrella. It began publication in May 2007.
- Two Supernatural novels have been published, and a third has been announced.
- Supernatural Role Playing Game - A pen and paper roleplaying game (RPG) that is in production through Margaret Weis Productions, Ltd.[5]
Dean's trademark black 1967 Chevrolet Impala was passed down to him by his father. It bears a Sedgwick County, Kansas license (though their hometown of Lawrence, Kansas is actually in Douglas County) plate KAZ 2Y5, a reference to Kansas, the Winchesters' home state, and 2005, the year the show premiered. Starting in the episode 2.20 "What Is and What Should Never Be", the car sports a new Ohio license plate (CNK 80Q3) to aid in the brothers' hiding from the FBI.
In an interview at a convention, Ackles said the main Impala they use has a 427 and skid plates.
The car has been prominently featured on the series, beginning with the teaser of the pilot which shows John Winchester holding his two sons as he sits on the car and watches his house burn. The car is Dean's most prized possession, and he protects it with nearly the same ferocity with which he protects his family.
In the pilot episode, the trunk is revealed to hold various weaponry to fight the supernatural. On a closer look, the trunk contains at least three machetes, what appear to be Marine Corps Ka-bar knives, an arrow, a spearhead, two silver spikes, several throwing stars with engravings on them, a revolver-type grenade launcher (loaded with police 37mm grenades), two flare guns, two tasers, two double-barrel sawn-off shotguns (another shotgun with long barrels was taken in Hook Man), a pistol grip pump-action shotgun (which is used to prop the door open), and a Heckler & Koch G3A3ZF sniper rifle. There are also several pistols including: a silver Desert Eagle, silver Colt 1911 with engravings, a silver Beretta 92FS (and the matte black Beretta 92FS as well), a matte black Colt M1911, and a Smith and Wesson M645.
The car is moderately damaged at the end of the pilot episode and nearly totalled in a crash at the end of the season finale. Dean manages to rebuild the car; the newly restored vehicle is prominently featured in Bloodlust in an extended sequence to the soundtrack of AC/DC's "Back in Black". Dean's car continues to play an important role in the series throughout the second season.
Seasonal rankings (based on average total viewers per episode) of Supernatural on The WB and The CW.
| Season | Timeslot | Season Premiere | Season Finale | TV Season | Network | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
Season High (in millions) | Season Low (in millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Tuesday 9/8C (from September 13, 2005 to February 28, 2006) Thursday 9/8C (from March 30, 2006 to May 04, 2006) |
September 13, 2005 | May 04, 2006 | 2005-2006 | The WB | #127 | 3.8 | 5.82 | 3.26 |
| 2nd | Thursday 9/8C | September 28, 2006 | May 17, 2007 | 2006-2007 | The CW | #134 | 3.1 | 3.93 | 2.72 |
| 3rd | Thursday 9/8C | October 4, 2007 | Spring 2008 | 2007-2008 | The CW | TBA | TBA | 3.23 | 2.87 |
| Country | Local Title | Literal Translation | Network | Weekly Schedule | |
| Supernatural | Warner Channel, Telefé | Warner Channel: Tuesday 10:00pm, Sunday 6:00pm Telefé: Tuesday 01:00am |
|||
| Supernatural | Network Ten | Monday 8:30pm | |||
| Supernatural | VT4 | Wednesday 11:30pm | |||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel | Wednesday 9:00pm, Sunday 9:00pm | |||
| Supernatural | Citytv, SPACE, Z Télé (Québec), The WB, The CW |
Citytv: Thursday 9:00pm SPACE: Tuesday 10:00pm Z Télé: Wednesday 8:00pm The CW: Thursday 9:00pm |
|||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel, RedTV | ||||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel | ||||
| Lovci na natprirodno | Hunters of Supernatural | HRT | |||
| Lovci duchů | Ghosts Hunters | Prima televize | |||
| Supernatural | 3+ | Everyday 5:00 pm | |||
| Sobrenatural | Supernatural | TeleAntillas | Weekends 6:00pm (repeats on some Weekday evenings) | ||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel | ||||
| Supernatural | OBN | Friday 9pm | |||
| Supernatural | SubTV | ||||
| Supernatural | TF6, M6 | ||||
| Supernatural | Premiere, Pro7 |
Monday 8:15pm | |||
| 狙魔人, 超自然檔案 | Demon Hunter, Supernatural Files | TVB Pearl, AXN | Thursday 9:35pm, Tuesday 11:00pm | ||
| Odaát | Out There / The Afterlife | RTL Klub | Friday 11.15pm | ||
| Yfirnáttúrulegt | Supernatural | Sirkus TV | |||
| Supernatural | AXN (Season 2), Animax (Season 1) | AXN: Wednesday 11.00pm, Animax: Wednesday 10.00pm | |||
| Supernatural | Trans 7 | Trans 7: Monday-Friday 08.30pm | |||
| Supernatural | TV3 | Thursday 12.00pm, Friday 12.00am | |||
| על טבעי | Supernatural | yesSTARS, yes stars 2 |
Monday 9:30pm | ||
| Supernatural | Rai Due | Tuesday 10.30pm | |||
| Supernatural,スーパーナチュラル | Nippon Television | wednesday 01:56am | |||
| Supernatural | TV3, AXN | AXN: Tuesday 10.00pm TV3: Sunday 10.30pm |
|||
| Veronica | |||||
| Supernatural | TV2 (TVNZ) | Friday 8:30pm | |||
| Supernatural | TV Norge | Sunday 11:45pm | |||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel, Canal 5 | Warner Channel: Tuesday 10:00pm Canal 5: Monday 10:00pm |
|||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel, RPC Channel 4 |
||||
| Supernatural | AXN AXN Beyond on Sky Cable |
AXN: Tuesday 10pm, Wednesday 2am, Saturday 11pm, Sunday 4am |
|||
| Nie z tego świata | Not from This World | TVN season 1 TVN Siedem season 2 |
TVN: Tuesday 11:45pm TVN Siedem: Thursday 10:00pm |
||
| Sobrenatural | Supernatural | RTP2, AXN | RTP2: Thursday 10.40pm AXN: Monday 10.25pm |
||
| Supernatural: Aventuri in Lumea Intunericului | PRO TV | PRO TV: Monday-Thursday 12.15am | |||
| Сверхъестественное | Supernatural | REN TV | Sunday 8.00pm | ||
| Supernatural | MediaCorp TV Channel 5, AXN |
Friday 10.00pm, Tuesday 10pm |
|||
| Supernatural | ActionX | ||||
| Sobrenatural | Supernatural | AXN, TVE | TVE: Monday 11pm | ||
| Supernatural | Channel1 MTV | Saturday 7.00pm | |||
| Supernatural | SVT | ||||
| Supernatural | AXN | ||||
| Надприроднє | 1+1 (first showing) | 1+1: Friday 23.50pm | |||
| Supernatural | ITV1 (repeats), ITV2 (first showing) | ITV Network: Friday 11.00pm ITV2: Sunday 9.00pm, Thursday 11:00pm |
|||
| Supernatural | The WB, The CW | The CW: Thursday 9.00pm | |||
| Supernatural | Warner Channel | Tuesday 10:00pm, Sunday 9:00pm |
| Supernatural: The Complete First Season | ||||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||||
|
|
|||||
| Release Dates | ||||||
| Region 1 | Region 4 | Region 2 | ||||
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Complete | ||||
| September 5, 2006 | September 6, 2006 | May 22, 2006 | August 21, 2006 | October 2, 2006 | ||
| Supernatural: The Complete Second Season | ||||||
| Set Details | Special Features | |||||
|
|
|||||
| Release Dates | ||||||
| Region 1 | Region 4 | Region 2 | ||||
| Part 1 | Part 2 | Complete | ||||
| September 11, 2007 | October 8, 2007 | May 14, 2007 | September 10, 2007 | September 20, 2007 | ||
* Available on region 1 and region 4 Collectors Edition releases only.
The first season box set came out in the US on September 5, 2006. It includes all 22 episodes, cast/crew commentaries, deleted scenes, a gag reel and several featurettes. There is also a DVD-ROM "sneak peek" of the second season.[6] Best Buy bundled an exclusive DVD of the Museum of Television and Radio's 2006 William S. Paley Festival Panel interviewing Kripke, Ackles, Padalecki, and several other producers, writers, and directors from the show.
Although the Season One DVD was released almost simultaneously in Australia, all extras were removed, though there were still many references to their existence inside the case. On October 2, 2007, a "Special Collectors Edition" was released with all the special features listed above returned to the set.
In the UK, "Season One - Part One" was released on May 22, 2006, followed by the release of "Season One - Part Two" on August 21, 2006; "Season Two - Part One" was released May 14, 2007 and "Season Two - Part Two" was released September 10, 2007, a Complete Season 2 Boxset is due out October 29, 2007
A boxset of Seasons One and Two is to be released on September 11, 2007 in region 1.
- ^ http://blogs.mediavillage.com/sci_fi/archives/2007/07/eric_kripke_sat.html
- ^ HNR - Vancouver & BC Film & TV News, Lists and Links. Hollywood North Report. Retrieved on 2007-02-04.
- ^ Supernatural on iTunes. iTunes. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
- ^ A SUPERNATURAL Number. Cinescape (2005-10-08). Retrieved on 2006-10-10.
- ^ 'Supernatural RPG' from Margaret Weis Productions (April 20, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
- ^ Gord, Lacey (2006-05-04). Supernatural date and extras for season 1. TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.
- Supernatural (Official CW site)
- SupernaturalWiki.com
- Supernatural at Yahoo! TV
- Supernatural at itv.com
| S U P E R N A T U R A L |
|---|
| Main |
| Episode Guide | Origins |
| Main Characters |
| Dean | Sam | John |
| Supporting Characters |
| Ash | Ava | Azazel | Bobby | Ellen | Gordon | Jo | Mary | Meg | Missouri | Ruby |
| Miscellaneous |
| The Colt | The Impala | Singer Salvage Yard |
| Web Sites |
| Official CW Supernatural page Supernatural Wiki |
Categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since February 2007 | Citytv network shows | WB network shows | CW network shows | 2000s American television series | Horror television series | Television series by Warner Bros. Television | Television shows set in the United States | Paranormal television | Vancouver television series