Those of us who have traveled on “The Road So Far” and have continued to do so are well aware that Supernatural is still going strong – especially after witnessing the glory of Season 11’s final handful of episodes. With those creative juices still flowing, it’s no surprise to me that The CW sees no immediate end to the series. After all, it’s consistently drawn solid ratings, even more so when they moved the show from Friday nights.
The CW President Mark Pedowitz said as much during the TCA press tour (via Polygon):
“Creatively, the show is fantastic. If the ratings hold, the show could outlast my tenure in this chair.
“Jared and Jensen are both very happy and like I said earlier, I’m thrilled with the creative direction of the show. It’s the same answer I’ve been giving for years.”
While the notion of Supernatural becoming the horror equivalent of Gunsmoke is still somewhat far off, it wouldn’t entirely surprise me if it did. Boasting a cult following that many series can only dream of having and churning out much merchandise that I never saw coming (Supernatural Clue, anyone?), the demon hunting juggernaut’s longevity may be incalculable at this point.
Speaking from an analytical standpoint, the show would logically have to spend a season or two on Friday nights and completely bottom out ratings-wise before the network would even think about pulling the plug. Given the recent return to Thursday nights, that theoretical scenario is still years away.
Many of you likely remember when the network was preparing a spinoff series, Supernatural: Bloodlines, a few years back. After its back door pilot, a season 9 episode aptly titled “Bloodlines,” was met with much criticism from fans, plans for that series were scrapped. Considering that it defied established series conventions and felt more similar in tone to The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, it was probably for the best.
Pedowitz said the network still wishes to expand that universe, but I’m guessing they’re waiting for the right pitch:
“It’s still a priority. I leave it to the studio. When they’re ready to do it, we’ll be glad to have it developed.”
Supernatural returns for its twelfth season on Thursday, October 13 on The CW.
