There was a time when I thought that Supernatural was just one of those ghost-hunting reality shows that was all faked and cheesy, like “Oh look, ectoplasm!” I don’t know why I thought this. I must not have known ANYONE who watched it.
Then I joined Tumblr. I began seeing gifs and photos everywhere. Handsome men, rugged and bloodied, making goofy faces, with captions that made zero sense to me. I had to find out what was going on. I wanted in on all of the jokes and the “feels.” So I got on Netflix and starting watching as often as I could. Apparently, it is about two brothers, Sam and Dean, who travel around the country, carrying on their father’s legacy: “Saving people, hunting things: the family business.” They kill or “gank,” as Dean likes to say, any supernatural or mythical creature that is harming people and has been brought to their attention by news stories or tips from fellow hunters. Vampires, werewolves, evil witches, demons, and so much more. The demons are brought more into the story with developing plot lines about Heaven and Hell and what comes out of them. Every facet of North American lore has been brought to the table, or will be in future seasons. The themes of self-sacrifice and family love are very strong with this one.
Now, when I started watching, I didn’t have a job, at least not full time, so I ended up catching up completely just in time to start watching season 8 as it aired. I loved it. I was obsessed. I’m still obsessed. Among my Tumblr friends, Supernatural is one of the best shows out there. Among my Facebook friends, the response is not quite as enthusiastic. Here’s why: The show only has 3 million fans. Sounds like a lot, but compare it to The Big Bang Theory, which currently has 18 million fans. Ratings for Supernatural are not great, apparently. So how is it still on the air? Because the fans are more hardcore about their love for the show than are the fans of many mainstream shows today. National Public Radio even did a story on how wildly devoted the fans are. I found it a very interesting read. It’s too popular to ever be considered a “cult classic” like Firefly or Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but it’s not popular enough to be featured in the “What to watch” sections of celebrity magazines. I’ve never even seen paparazzi photos of any of the actors in those magazines. Which is great for them; they get to live a normal life, somewhat. The only downside of the small number of fans is that it’s hard to find friends in real life who are also fans and who can watch it with me!
“Sam, I’ve never dealt with rabid fangirls. What to we do?”
“Uh…”
How do you show your devotion to your favorite TV show?
Emerald City Explorer 