The CW announced the sixth season renewal of "Supernatural" Tuesday morning (Feb. 16), an occasion which you might assume would make the series' diehard fans happy.
That, however, isn't exactly the case.
Many viewers, loyal to the show's mythology, seem to feel that because the series was always meant to tell a story that spanned five seasons, a sixth year will be doing "Supernatural" a disservice.
Knowing that "Supernatural" will be back next year means the stakes of the upcoming apocalyptic battle between Dean/Michael vs. Sam/Lucifer have decreased significantly. Sure, creator Eric Kripke has killed off a ton of characters in the past, but there's no way he's going to have one of the Winchester brothers die when the series will be back for at least one more season. "Supernatural" has been building to this epic battle for years, but now that we know this season won't be the show's last, some fans feel like they're getting cheated.
Then again, others may think another year of Sam and Dean is nothing but a good thing. Especially since Kripke has agreed to stay on as show runner and says he has more stories to tell.
Where do you stand?
Weigh in...
Though both the network and the studio declined to comment, sources now confirm that though Kripke will stay on as an executive producer, he will not stay on as show runner for "Supernatural" season 6.
The CW network has given early renewals to 5 of its series: "Supernatural," "Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl," "90210" and "America's Next Top Model."
UPDATE: When I asked a CW representative whether creator/executive producer Eric Kripke would return for "Supernatural's" sixth season, I got a three-word reply: "Yes, he's back."
UPDATE 2: I sent a note to "Supernatural" executive producer Sera Gamble when I heard about the show's renewal for a sixth season. I said I was happy to hear that the show would be returning, but I had to be a little cheeky and ask if viewers would be getting "The Apocalypse 2: The Squeakquel" next season. Here's her response:
"No, you will not be getting Apocalypse, The Squeaquel in Season 6 (that's hilarious)," Gamble wrote. "We're climaxing that story this season. We've been working on the Season 6 storyline for quite some time, and we're very excited about it. We have lots of ideas, and are grateful for the chance to keep the show going.
"Please tell the fans that the writers say thank you! We so appreciate the support."
Remember when Kripke said he had a five-year plan for the show? However, as he said last summer at Comic-Con, Kripke has re-thought that plan and has stated various times in the last year or so that he could see how the Winchesters' story might last longer than five years. And based on Gamble's comments, it's looking like we'll get a whole new story line when the Winchester return in the fall of 2010
(Update 3: EW reports that Gamble will be the show's day-to-day showrunner for Season 6, but Kripke will still be involved with the show and "working very closely" with Gamble and the show's creative team. I'm certainly interested to see where Gamble takes the show in Season 6, and given that she's been with "Supernatural" since Season 1 and has written many excellent episodes, in my opinion, the show's in good hands. By the way, it's worth reading Alice Jester's post on Winchester Family Business on this not-unexpected situation.).
So, my fellow "Supernatural" fans, the Winchester chronicles will get a Season 666. Wait, I meant Season 6 -- my fingers slipped on the keyboard. Or maybe the Devil made me do it?
That, however, isn't exactly the case.
Many viewers, loyal to the show's mythology, seem to feel that because the series was always meant to tell a story that spanned five seasons, a sixth year will be doing "Supernatural" a disservice.
Knowing that "Supernatural" will be back next year means the stakes of the upcoming apocalyptic battle between Dean/Michael vs. Sam/Lucifer have decreased significantly. Sure, creator Eric Kripke has killed off a ton of characters in the past, but there's no way he's going to have one of the Winchester brothers die when the series will be back for at least one more season. "Supernatural" has been building to this epic battle for years, but now that we know this season won't be the show's last, some fans feel like they're getting cheated.
Then again, others may think another year of Sam and Dean is nothing but a good thing. Especially since Kripke has agreed to stay on as show runner and says he has more stories to tell.
Where do you stand?
Weigh in...
Though both the network and the studio declined to comment, sources now confirm that though Kripke will stay on as an executive producer, he will not stay on as show runner for "Supernatural" season 6.
The CW network has given early renewals to 5 of its series: "Supernatural," "Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl," "90210" and "America's Next Top Model."
UPDATE: When I asked a CW representative whether creator/executive producer Eric Kripke would return for "Supernatural's" sixth season, I got a three-word reply: "Yes, he's back."
UPDATE 2: I sent a note to "Supernatural" executive producer Sera Gamble when I heard about the show's renewal for a sixth season. I said I was happy to hear that the show would be returning, but I had to be a little cheeky and ask if viewers would be getting "The Apocalypse 2: The Squeakquel" next season. Here's her response:
"No, you will not be getting Apocalypse, The Squeaquel in Season 6 (that's hilarious)," Gamble wrote. "We're climaxing that story this season. We've been working on the Season 6 storyline for quite some time, and we're very excited about it. We have lots of ideas, and are grateful for the chance to keep the show going.
"Please tell the fans that the writers say thank you! We so appreciate the support."
Remember when Kripke said he had a five-year plan for the show? However, as he said last summer at Comic-Con, Kripke has re-thought that plan and has stated various times in the last year or so that he could see how the Winchesters' story might last longer than five years. And based on Gamble's comments, it's looking like we'll get a whole new story line when the Winchester return in the fall of 2010
(Update 3: EW reports that Gamble will be the show's day-to-day showrunner for Season 6, but Kripke will still be involved with the show and "working very closely" with Gamble and the show's creative team. I'm certainly interested to see where Gamble takes the show in Season 6, and given that she's been with "Supernatural" since Season 1 and has written many excellent episodes, in my opinion, the show's in good hands. By the way, it's worth reading Alice Jester's post on Winchester Family Business on this not-unexpected situation.).
So, my fellow "Supernatural" fans, the Winchester chronicles will get a Season 666. Wait, I meant Season 6 -- my fingers slipped on the keyboard. Or maybe the Devil made me do it?
