SUPERNATURAL to End, and We Miss It Already

Sometimes when news hits, it’s easy to pull out the facts, do a quick write-up, and share the news with our readers. Sometimes, it’s a little more complicated than that. Sometimes the news hits hard enough that it takes a few days of processing before I can write with a clear head. I’m still not sure if I’m there, but the show must go on. Or in this case, it won’t. On Friday, the stars of the long-running series Supernatural announced that the series will be ending after the next season. I was caught off guard when it was announced that Arrow would be ending next season, but nothing could have prepared me for this.

My wife and I started watching Supernatural when it was already in its eighth season or so. We bought all of the seasons and marathoned through them so that we could watch the show live. It was the perfect storm of cheesy horror, great character writing, and family. One episode might see a monster explode into buckets and buckets of blood that drenched the characters while the next might see a tear-filled goodbye to a beloved sidekick. As the seasons have progressed, the storylines have become more and more outlandish, as they must in a show like this. How do you top killing Death? Where do you go after literally meeting God before he goes on vacation?

The series coming to an end shouldn’t really be a surprise from a storytelling standpoint. After all, there’s only so far you can go, so high you can fly. Still, does knowing that a family member’s time is short make it any easier when they pass? Maybe, but it definitely doesn’t make it easy. And that’s what Supernatural has become, as you’ll see mentioned time and time again. The show has become so much more than just an hour of television once a week. Fans have viewing parties, becoming fast friends with strangers. Fans and stars share heartfelt hugs at conventions and other events. The cast reaches out, supporting fans and also supporting important causes like To Write Love On Her Arms, The Wounded Warrior Project, and Attitudes In Reverse – Student Suicide Prevention through the “Always Keep Fighting” campaigns.

Of course, the actors won’t just vanish off the face of the planet. Fan favorites Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster have “The Wayward Podcast”. The Big Three (Jensen, Jared, and Misha) probably have their pick of what to do next. Even side-characters-turned-lead-characters like Jack, Rowena, and Mary have become so integral to the show that the actors behind them haven’t been able to work anywhere else. With the show winding down, expect to see a lot of familiar faces elsewhere in the TV/movie world.

I have to be truthful, though. While it’ll be nice seeing Jared, Jensen, and the gang elsewhere in the world, it won’t fill the hole left by Sam, Dean, and the gang.