The Misinformation Continues!!!

Tuesday, 16 February 2010 20:00 |

Welcome to the downside of Twitter! When anyone with a supposed "exclusive" can whip fans up in a frenzy over to believing something as fact as opposed to speculation and get people to spread the word as fact lightening quick. Especially with talk that has been around for a while but is now ripe for a big newscycle.

Michael Ausiello at EW is now giving an "Exclusive" that Eric Kripke is stepping down as showrunner and Sera Gamble is taking over. That would be a great story except no one from The CW or Warner Brothers would confirm the story. That's because they're still negotiating and determining roles. Now I'm not saying that what Mr. Ausiello is reporting won't happen, but it's NOT CONFIRMED or OFFICIAL. Plus, what he's saying is something I strangely said in the Supernatural TV forums two weeks ago. Here are my posts from February 4th:

Post #1 http://z14.invisionfree.com/Supernatural/index.php?showtopic=10913&st=10260

If season six is official, NO ONE is sharing that info. They are pretty tight lipped about it. However, from just about every source I hear from, it's considered a lock. Now, in television, unless a signed contract is confirmed a "lock" is only about 95% worthy. Something could always go wrong.

No one will say if Kripke is on board, but if he isn't, Robert Singer will take over and likely Sera Gamble too. Ben Edlund is not a showrunner type. I'm thinking there's still some negotiation going on there. I'll tell you the biggest vote of confidence of all as to why this is a lock. At the 100th episode party, both Dawn Ostroff (president of CW) and Peter Roth (President at Warner Brothers) were there, posing for pictures with everyone. They flew to freaking Vancouver for that! That's not going to happen with a show you're about to cancel.

So don't worry folks! It's happening, especially since the actors are signed. The big issue is what comes out of pilot season. If they can find something more compatible with The Vampire Diaries, or if Smallville isn't renewed (negotiations there are a lot tougher) then expect a new home on Friday night.

Post #2

Oh, I forgot the reason as to why Kripke might not be on board as showrunner (but I think he'll be there at least as a consultant). Word is Warner Brothers wants him to take over some other projects. He's listed as Executive Producer for the new Ghostfacers Web Spinoff on wbtv.com. Believe it or not, these web series are important to Warner Brothers. If they take off online, their notion is they're ripe to be TV show on The CW or cable. The CW wants him back, but studio demands can be tough on a creator of a show that just celebrated their 100th episode. They like repeated successes.

So, why didn't I rush to publish this "Exclusive" back then? Because I was mentioning unconfirmed reports. Granted some of my sources are pretty saavy, but since it didn't come from The CW or Warner Brothers, I couldn't state it as fact. Why whip fans into a frenzy? You know, like what Michael Ausiello does all the time. This is no different than a few weeks ago when another site incorrectly reported that Supernatural Season Six was official. Sure renewal looked very good, we all knew that, but nothing is official unless The CW or Warner Brothers says so.

So, again I must warn, be careful what you read or retweet.

Last Updated (Tuesday, 23 February 2010 16:31)

Comments (17)

Thanks Alice,

I knew Michael Ausiello's post sounded strangely familiar... People just assume it's true because he is posting it. If CW or Warner aren't confirming it, I suggest he should say that LOL

Thanks for clearing this up as usual!

Thanks, Alice! Nothing against Ausiello - but he does like to create a stir with vague posts and rumours. I'll be looking to you for the ACTUAL truth!

Owner's reply:

Thanks elle for the vote of confidence, but also remember I'm not exactly the first person Warner Brothers or The CW goes to report an exclusive. I go through a lot of trouble to get even little tidbits of information from good sources. However, I'll trust ANYTHING Mo Ryan or Alan Sepinwall reports over Michael Ausiello and Kristin Dos Santos. I'm hoping Mo gets the story first.

i agree with you on the Ausiello thing but the CW did post the story on their website. http://blog.cwtv.com/category/cw-news/
i know Kripke has a lot going on and as long as he has input on the show that's all that matters to me. if in fact sera has been promoted that's great. good for her. at the end of the day i just want my supernatural.

Owner's reply:

Oh absolutely, the season six renewal is true, very true!! That was my original source for the season six announcement. Also, true, confirmed by Mo Ryan from The CW, Kripke is coming back. The question is at what capacity? No one official will confirm that, yet everyone is already tweeting this story as fact and congratulating Sera Gamble. I think congratulations will be in order, just not right now.

Thank you for this. Isn't Ausiello also the one who reported that Jensen was directing the 100th episode? It's so easy to get swept up in excitement and speculation (I'll admit, I'm guilty of it). So thank you for giving us a little bit of a reality check. However this turns out, whatever role Kripke has in season 6, I'm in. 100%.

Great article, Alice! You are always the voice of reason. I'm not fully trusting Aussiello for a darned thing.

There is this from The Watcher, where Maureen Ryan has info from an unnamed CW source and Sera Gamble:

Ryan 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."

Ryan 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."

The link for that is here:
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/02/supernatural-vampire-diaries-gossip-girl-90210.html

So, at least we can be assured Eric and Sera are deeply involved with SPN, whatever their respective capacities.

Thanks again for being, as ever, a calm voice amidst the storm. Wink

Owner's reply:

Hi there Erin! Thanks for reposting Mo Ryan's info here. I had that in my Season Six announcment, but not here. She is 100% correct and has very respectable sources. Heck, she has Sera Gamble herself. The reason she didn't report the role Kripke is playing in the future is because no one knows yet. If Sera Gamble didn't say something, nothing is official. EW has been wrong on several occasions about this show. They don't wait for real facts.

This is interesting, thanks for giving us that information, Alice. It seems to be one of the unwritten laws of show business to puff up so-called exclusive info, however unconfirmed, to get people to check in on a certain site, in this case twitter, to score more hits.

I’ve learned to be very wary about information like that and tend not to believe anything I read until it is confirmed from an official source. The rest is nothing but gossip on a higher level.

I’ve always appreciated your patience when it comes to reporting any news – it would have been easy to follow other examples and post ‘news’ on this site, getting fans to check in here and get many hits in the process, creating the occasional frenzy as a side effect.

You never did that. When you post any information, you do it after a certain amount of fact checking, which is the kind of reliable journalism (even if this is a blog, reporting on anything stretches into the field of journalism) I admire and prefer. It is one of the reasons why this site is respected. And it is one of the reasons (among several others, of course) why I am here and why I’ve learned to trust you. But, you know that. Thank you nevertheless for this kind of integrity. It is highly appreciated.

Best, Jas

Hey Alice, good morning.

I agree with you that Ausiello has caused a frenzy in the fandom. I myself when I read the "exclusive news" I was concerned and very upset.

I have nothing against Sera, but I confess that I was not happy with what I read, but as always I'll expect an official statement about it, "Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble".

Your remarks are always consistent and well done, I like that. I'll wait to see how all this will be resolved. I just feel sort of "abandoned and disappointed" if this is true, simply because Eric Kripke is the soul of Supernatural. But I'm not naive and I know how things works in business's world. It's just very sad to see the business side can damage the artistic side of the show. That's it.

But as I said, I will not jump ship. I'm still a fan completely in love with the show and I know Kripke also. He'll know what to do.

Thanks and sorry for any gramatical error but English isn't my first language.

Brazilian hugs for you.

I want very badly to believe this is just a rumour, but it smells very like the truth to me for a number of reasons. First and foremost, I think that Kripke is ready to move on and Gamble is the heir apparent. WB wants to move Kripke into other projects and it is very likely, with the stars contracts up at the end of the year, that 6 will be the last season. I can think of very few shows that have survived a major re-boot from changing showrunners. X-Files jumps to mind immediately. I was passionate about that show too and ironically came to Supernatural not through either Jared or Jensen but because of Kim Manners. I watched the painful end to X-Files and I will watch Supernatural until the end too, but the passion and enjoyment I had in the X-Files was gone by the time it went off the air - to the point that I've never even bothered to buy the DVDs of the seasons that I had originally loved. I'm sure fans who are not deeply invested in the show won't notice a change. A new storyline and a new night will likely bring in some new viewers to replace those who will inevitably leave at the end of this season (for whatever reason). I, personally, don't believe I will enjoy where the story goes, but I'm sure there will still be individual episodes that I will like (especially anything written by the quirky Edlund) - but that's just my personal opinion.
Thank you for this - as always your posts are thoughtful, well-researched, and much appreciated..

I heard Kripke has been hired by a government bioterrorism unit to look into the feasibility of using zombie alligators in combat zones and that the writing team behind Bugs will be made show runners. It was on the internet, so it's obviously true.

Owner's reply:

I just put this on our Facebook page. Too good!

As long as Robert Singer sticks around I am not all that concerned either way. He seems like the level headed glue that holds everything together.

Thank you for clearing things up! True story a friend of mine woke me up around 8 am because someone told her the show had been cancelled!!! So, it is important for people to wait for official words from reliable sources...and fans appreciate someone who actually cares about the series being so sure that it's fans gets true news and updates Wink

So, thanks all around!!!!

My head is spinning. I'll just sit tight in my happy place eating my M&Ms, and only emerge when things are FER SURE.

*crashes on the couch and graps a handful of Narcissus M&M's*

Mee too *munches* Smile

Sufficient unto the day, dudes ... Pass the chocs.

PS Randal, tell the government suits it's a BAD idea, MI5 already tried and they tend to eat the home team ... Also they can't attack up stairs so it's just like the Daleks only smellier and with more teeth ... Wink

What can I say….First I see…. I don’t like making hasty comments and already go having conclusions before I see how this 5 season ends and as the 6 season begins.
Let’s have a little calm and let’s put a little more of trust in all supernatural team.:]
The same that uploaded in Ausiello put here. First I see after comment xD
Thank!!!
Sorry my English, a Brazilian fan trying write a little English.

Uh, Suze, I think American supervillain science is a wee bit ahead of the Brits. Seriously, when's the last time you guys tried running the world, the 19th century? Bah!