What’s A Supernatural Fan To Do? Why Mainstream Hollywood Doesn’t Get This Fandom
It was a moment of deep triumph yet bitter disappointment. Supernatural won two 2012 People’s Choice awards, Best SciFi/Fantasy show and a big win in for Best Broadcast Drama. The latter was an award that always has been televised. However, this ended up being the first year they elected not to air the Best Drama award or even announce the winner. It reminded me of The Simpsons, when Homer, the only employee not to win the “Worker of The Week†award, lost out his ultimate turn to an inanimate carbon rod. Disappointment galore, not to mention the ultimate insult. Except with The Simpsons it was funny.
It was another incident that got me thinking. You see, the past few months haven’t been the easiest ones for this Supernatural fan. There have been a lot of reasons that I’ve found myself pondering my status in this small but tight-knit fan community. I’ve seen a lot friends, fellow writers, and fans on this site and other places go away recently because either the show doesn’t excite them anymore or they’ve found other priorities in life. I’ve also battled issues with a network that doesn’t seem to value its fan sites much anymore.
The show itself has been confusing the heck out of me. The writing isn’t as fluid as what I’ve grown accustomed as a long time reviewer for this show. Fan favorites are being killed off needlessly (perhaps). When I’ve shared that confusion in my reviews, I’ve gotten huge fan reactions either vehemently defending the show or ones so bitter they’re spewing all sorts of epitaphs for Supernatural and outrage at it’s current writing team. It’s gotten quite nasty of late.
Oh, but there’s been signs of hope too. I’ve seen lots of new fans come in, discovering the show only recently through repeats on TNT or other international channels. It has affirmed for me that love for Supernatural is still really strong. However, it was last week after The People’s Choice Awards that reminded me why I’m still a very proud member of this fandom and why us fans are needed.
Why Hollywood Doesn’t Get Fandoms
Supernatural doesn’t exactly get any mainstream recognition or accolades. I’ve never put much stock in The People’s Choice Awards, but I learned two years ago when Supernatural won it’s first PCA for Best SciFi/Fantasy Show that it’s the best shows on The CW can do. When balloting happened this year, I backed my show one hundred percent, especially when Supernatural was nominated in two categories. Publicists from the network, Warner Brothers, and the People’s Choice organization themselves were urging fans to vote like mad, and urging fan site administrators like me to spread the word. Jared and Jensen even made a video, and everyone knew that going pantless would be a strong motivator. I did my part to heavily promote, even though I wondered would all these efforts be rewarded the way fans had hoped (a presentation during the broadcast), or would a piece of glass end up on some producer’s desk with little fanfare.
Yeah, all those hours of voting and promoting, and the latter scenario did happen. Part of me feels scammed and duped, but another part of me is really proud of this fandom. We banded together and beat mainstream network shows like House, Grey’s Anatomy, and The Good Wife. Supernatural may be smaller in viewers, but it scores tops in a motivated fandom. Sadly, that’s exactly why Supernatural wasn’t recognized.
In the blanket statement from a junior member of the Proctor and Gamble PR team that was sent to irate fans, it was clear something was lost in the translation. Proctor and Gamble and CBS didn’t get what the big deal was. Lots of their awards weren’t broadcast. Yeah, if I was in their shoes, I wouldn’t get it either. They probably looked at their numbers and found that it was a smaller group of fans voting more often to put their show over the top, even if it was a major category. Why would they take valuable high profile air time out for a show that nobody had heard of? That’s the trouble, “nobody†is really mainstream Hollywood. It’s hard to get anybody to look outside their social circle and gain perspective, let alone Hollywood. There’s too much noise out there, too many publicists and fans pushing their product.
Genre shows have been dissed for years by these award shows, but a few have broken through and gotten mainstream recognition. The X-Files was often up for Emmys and Golden Globes, and Gillian Anderson actually won the Best Actress Emmy. Lost had won in a few categories, including Best Drama. Both shows were filmed outside of Los Angeles, just like Supernatural, so they were a fan’s hope that their show could get some credit given the right opportunity.
Still, with Supernatural, there’s never been much of a chance. Most cable networks get better ratings than The CW, let alone broadcast. Because of the appeal to teens and women 18-34 though, shows like Gossip Girl and The Vampire Diaries are welcomed with open arms. It’s kind of comical actually, considering those shows would never make it on a big network. Gossip Girl actually gets far less viewers than Supernatural. But somehow people have heard of them, and The Vampire Diaries is a genre show, thus bucking the supposed “genre” bias. It’s really all about hype and perception.
Misha Collins in an interview with After Elton at the beginning of the season painted a good picture of that lack of perception. After going back to the audition circuit in Los Angeles he didn’t think anyone in Hollywood watched the show. Misha maybe a God (or pseudo God) to us in the Supernatural world, but in Hollywood he’s unknown and fighting for jobs with every other unknown actor. It’s rather frustrating.
Another frustration is that anyone affiliated with a big network or big sponsor doesn’t get cult shows and their fans. Heck, they don’t even try. Trekkies have been around for years and become legendary, but that hasn’t prevented genre fandoms from being unappreciated or ignored by most marketing departments. It’s possible because fandoms are a little volatile. They might come off as bat shit crazy. These advertisers try to assign numbers and categories for their marketing charts, but cult fandoms don’t easily fit into any one category. That’s why Supernatural’s ad rates are much lower than Gossip Girl’s even though Supernatural pulls more viewers in 18-49 and overall. Supernatural isn’t glitzy and doesn’t fit into one box. It’s the same factor that makes Glee far more money than number one rated NCIS.
The perception isn’t favorable either. Genre fans are often pictured as people who gather at conventions, dress in costumes and engage in role playing, something that scares the crap out of the mainstream media. Now there’s a whole online world that they fail to understand. Online fandoms are an acquired taste and does take a certain acumen to navigate. Fans usually come from all over the world, get a little too fannish over one liners, and spend hours debating exhaustively and vocally every minute detail. On top of that, marketers are finding all that effort to tap into an online community doesn’t translate to the big numbers that they are looking for. It’s only a fraction.
The Wall Street Journal even confirmed that online buzz for a show does not mean big numbers. Optimedia US, an ad-buying firm, did a study that raised questions that social media is an effective tool for promoting US TV shows. The most fascinating point in that article is that the study conducted suggests that consumers might be overwhelmed by too many networks tapping social media to promote their shows. It makes sense, since social media is cheap advertising. Get fans to join in and spread the word, you don’t get better free publicity. Hmm, sounds like a People’s Choice Award tactic, huh?
With all that noise out there, getting to know a cult TV show and its fans isn’t worth the trouble to most. It’s a shame, since there’s never been a better time to be a fan. Twitter and Facebook have certainly broken barriers, allowing producers, crew members, writers, directors and actors to interface with the fans directly, thus cutting out the meddling networks. It’s really worked for a Supernatural fan, making us feel like we’re a part of something special.
For example, fans got official confirmation from Jared Padalecki through Twitter that he and his wife Genevieve were expecting a baby. That didn’t come from any “spokesperson†or official press release like normal. I know such a relationship between cast and fans hasn’t resulted in more live viewers for the show, but it has strengthened the loyalty of those that already do watch. It’s a better fan experience, but it doesn’t impress a network or advertiser one bit when they don’t see the numbers go up.
Any Supernatural fan will say that if the show had been on any of the big four networks, it would have been cancelled years ago. “Under the radar†is good for fans, but bad for networks and advertisers. Supernatural exists not because of big ratings, but because it makes money for it’s studio and has a loyal core of fans worldwide keeping it afloat. That’s hardly a story that sells right? It should be, but it isn’t.
So it makes sense. With all that noise and perception bias, how in the world is Supernatural going to stand out? Especially since it’s in season seven and newer shows that can grow audiences are having such trouble? It isn’t.
Time To “Get To Know†Supernatural
Like most fans, I hoped that recognition like the People’s Choice Awards would give the show a chance to share with a larger audience what they’re missing. So yes, the snub from The People’s Choice Award stings. We wanted a presentation desperately for those involved in the show, and the show wanted it desperately for the fans that have kept this little known program going far longer than anyone imagined. As a matter of fact, season eight is all but a certainty thanks to fans. Remember when you were a fan running the “Save Our Show†campaigns back in season two?
We’re all disappointed, but fans and the cast, crew, and producers of Supernatural have a very unique relationship that continues to be our best kept secret. The numerous worldwide fan conventions will still continue, the exchanges on Twitter will still occupy and delight us, and the show will go on for a little while longer. For those looking to right wrongs, maybe it’s time to get out of “Defend Our Show†mode and go into “Get To Know Our Show†mode instead.
I often smile when thinking of this, but when I was asked to write an article for Variety commemorating Supernatural’s 100th episode, I wasn’t at all surprised to find that those involved with that publication knew very little about the show. The editor was surprised when I chose the subject of Eric Kripke taking on the meta episodes like The Real Ghostbusters. He had no idea Supernatural did that and found it fascinating that Kripke would go there. He wondered why. It did make for a good article (as well as the four others published), so it felt good that for once a major trade had a chance to tell Hollywood what this show was all about.
If you’re drafting that letter or online message complaining to The People’s Choice award committee, CBS, or anyone in attempt to get Supernatural recognized, how about sending a “getting to know us†letter instead. Tell them what your favorite show is about, what it’s like to be part of this fandom, what they’re missing out on, and how you’re involved in a unique and extraordinary community in which respect between the fans, cast, crew, and producers is all mutual. Tell them how there are more people out there watching Supernatural than their numbers indicate. Even invite them to spend an afternoon at a fan convention (like the upcoming LA one). That way, they might come out of this at least understanding why the fans are upset. That perhaps there’s more behind a TV show than pure ratings demographic numbers. I know, that sounds a little Pollyanna-ish in these cynical times of TV entertainment, but hey, it’s a start.
As for now, I’m going to continue on doing what I do best as a Supernatural blogger. I’m going to promote and raise awareness about this awesome show, attend fan conventions and share my obsession with other fans, and spend hours online discussing all things Supernatural. I’ll give praise where it’s due and rant about filler episodes that look like they were written by bad fan fiction writers. I still love my show but there’s always honesty among friends, right? Of course it’s your prerogative to tell me in exhaustive detail why I’m full of crap, and I know you all will. I can’t wait to hear it.
I’m honored to be part of this Supernatural family. Let’s hope one day mainstream Hollywood gets it.
I am certainly one of the many fans upset over the PCA snub of our show. I have (civilly) posted my concerns in the appropriate places like many others, even though I knew that as a whole, we would probably not be taken seriously. Your article brought me up short and made me rethink my tactics. It has made me realize we are going about this the wrong way. Instead of expressing righteous anger, we should be using our powers of persuasion to paint a positive picture of what this show means to us. We should all be introducing our show to new people, and keep introducing it until we find one that gets hooked. And we need to spread our love of our show wherever we can – by example. Thank you for this article – it is a sorely needed voice of love in the midst of much angst – and heaven knows our boys need that!
Amen Alice Amen on everything. I’ve been talking about Supernatural for years and sometimes I feel like I’m talking to a wall. Not only do I get blank stares when I mention my favorite show, I also get a lack of recognition for the whole Network that occurs as well. Not good to be trying to entice people to watch when they haven’t even heard of the network.
Even if they have heard of the CW, they just assume its full of what I call Teen Sex Dramas and not really original and fun to watch shows like Supernatural. We all know who to blame for that one…..
I feel lonely on Friday nights having no one nearby with whom I can share my passion with. On occasion I am fortunate enough to watch it at my Sisters house on her 60″ TV (which is what I was able to do last week and a what a joy that was). She tolerates my obsession, occasionally indulging me and for that I am very grateful. While not a fan herself, she has a basic idea of whats going on. I fill her in on the rest when she has questions. I doubt I’ll ever be able to totally convert her but I’ll keep trying, lol.
Keep up all your hard work Alice. Sites like this give us light in the darkness of obscurity. Our fandom RULES!!!!!
Alice,
This is absolutely what this fandom needed to hear right now.
Am I angry and disappointed by the PCA Snub? You bet. Is fandom volatile sometimes? Absolutely.
So why stay involved in this fandom?
Because of what you just said.
Sure, we can get into heated discussions and squabble over story lines. Sure, it can get a little hot under the collar.
But at the end of the day, the name for this fandom is the Supernatural Family, and what makes it so special is it’s not just the fans online banding together—it’s as you said, the cast and crew joining in.
Because, really, at the end of the day this little show that could is OURS.
Dear Alice,
I really appreciate your thoughts on what’s happened. I’ve sent 3 different emails to P&G. This morning I received a response.
” We appreciate your taking the time to write, your feedback is important to us and we didn’t mean to offend or upset anybody and you can be sure I’m sharing your comments with the appropriate people in the company.
Thanks again for getting in touch with us. Amanda P&G team. “
I wrote my emails keeping in mind that, naturally, profits are the main motivator for sponsors. In my last email I stated: “…Supernatural has a determined fandom both in the US and internationally and most of us feel personally disrespected and slighted. Supernatural is about family and loyalty. This was not an accidental oversight or one of timing. 2012 was the first time the drama award was not mentioned live during the ceremonies with someone from the winning cast on stage. We’re not stupid, you simply didn’t like the fact that Supernatual won. We’re a fandom of all ages and incomes. I am in my (not twenties) and the primary shopper for my household. Our income is (pretty good). I am working to find alternatives to P&G products to purchase til I am satisfied with your response to this snub. I will encouarge friends and family…. to do the same. You asked fans to vote and we voted and then were shown that we’re not good enough, thats personal. … Anyway, we’re not going away and we won’t forget. Thank you and hope to hear this debacle has been resolved soon.
I know my emails probably don’t matter but it makes me feel a little better. Alice, I’m glad you’re sticking with Supernatural. I wish every show was a classic like the last one, but I watch for the story of the brothers. I was intrigued with the first ep I ever saw, the Season 6 premier and fell in love with Supernatural watching from the beginning on TNT. It’s now replaced the Office as my favorite show.
I’m very impressed with the Supernatural fandom and family (except for brother and Cas wars). I hope efforts to spread the word for Supernatural and other genre shows will have an impact. Maybe the success of Once Upon a Time will help.
Loved this article, it made me feel proud to be a fan of a small show … except I’ve never thought of Supernatural as being that small. Sure, when I first started watching it, no one had heard of it. But I kept talking about it and now I don’t think there’s a single person who knows me that hasn’t heard of it.
And other people are talking about it too. I remember walking home the supermarket behind a couple of strangers and they were going home to watch more Supernatural. I kinda wanted to tap them on the back and say, ‘hey, I love that show too!’ but then they would have been scared of the crazy lady.
I’m often sceptical of network ratings for this show, because surely DVD sales are a much more accurate way of telling how much a show is loved? I’m in the UK so if I want to watch the show, I’m not gonna wait until it’s shown on a network over here. I watch it online and that doesn’t pull in network ratings. But I buy the DVDs (and a crap load of other merchandise) because I really love this show.
I wish people didn’t underestimate fandoms and have such a negative idea of us. I mean, we do wash and most of us can have a conversation about something other than our chosen show (although we might not want to!). The TV people can make a lot of money out of us. Produce more merchandise. We’ll buy it
Very well said. The PCA’s are in the past, we can only educate, inform & recruit. I try to do the little things to support our fandom & catch the eyes of the marketing world. I keep checking into Get Glue daily to show my support; yes, something that seemingly minuscule makes a difference. I thank sponsors via Twitter for sponsoring Supernatural (yes, they reply). I also donate to charities (SPN Angels, St.Judes). I always participate in voting for the show regardless of award stature.
As a viewer, and loyal fan of SPN, these are the ways I can think to show my support, and it doesn’t go unnoticed as many share a similar philosophy. Thank You for noticing our disappointment, yet enlightening us on an effective way to channel these harboredfeelings.
Hollywood needs to read Seth Godin’s latest book, “We Are All Weird.” GREAT article, Alice.
~Lindsay, SupportSupernatural.com
Thanks, Alice. I too felt the PCAs really slighted the cast & crew & all of us fans too. I didn’t realize until after the broadcast & the uproar among fans that Proctor & Gamble sponsored the PCAs, & I do plan to boycott their products.
I watch a lot of TV shows, but Supernatural is the only one that I have ever been so “obsessive” over. All of my family & friends & coworkers know about this show (whether they want to or not!) & I have made fans out of several of them. I am an over 40 professional with a post-grad degree who is not in the least embarrassed to tell people about my trips to fan conventions & why I don’t go out on Friday nights! There’s still something about watching an episode live, the old fashioned TV way, in addition to DVRing it, of course, for repeated viewings.
I’ve been a Supernatural fan since the very beginning, & always will be!
Dear Ms. Alice,
I think that what you wrote was amazing! i am not so much involved in what happens in “Hollywood” or on the award shows, but I know that from the 1st Season of Supernatural I have been in awe with a show and at first did not understand how! I was in the Army for 6 years, deployed to Iraq, and Honorably discharged, and I would compare the people that i talk to on twitter and facebook (just from talking to them) just about to how close I got to my fellow Army Platoon members! This is a BIG DEAL, not everyone will understand that, but its a closeness that you just do not get often. My platoon members I would trust my life with! These other Supernatural fans are so welcoming that they just accept you from one sentence saying, “I am a fan of Supernatural.” Hollywood NEEDS to recognize this, if not from a Soldier, a Combat Veteran, and a Supernatural Lover, then from all of us! Its so unique the bond, I have nothing else to compare it to, but a family like my military bond that i had: non-related, but family oriented, people understand a Military Bond, why can’t they understand this one as well? Again, thank you for your beautifully written article, and I, as well, was so very upset about the PCA’s, I voted so many times and only watched for that purpose. I hope we can reach out and grabb attention, and not push it away, but I am still waiting on my cahance for a “Con-type” experience to get to, living in PA, it’s almost impossible to get to 1, also have a 7 year old with a deployed father. Oneday, I hope!
Thank you for your time,
Ariel Moody
Okay, I don’t really know anything about this kind of stuff, but with some fandoms they will campaign to the actors interviewed or a show highlighted. Is that something that is feasible?
Thank you Alice. I always appreciate your insights on the industry, and this glimpse of the puzzle that Supernatural presents to those outside the fandom is good to have. You are right that perspective is something we tend to lack. With the abundance of websites discussing and documenting Show, and the well-attended conventions, it is easy to think Supernatural’s following is vast. I am grateful at least that it has earned enough recognition to go on and to grow, and did not go the way of the original Star Trek, which also defied boxes. And I’m glad for the community, and the variety of outlets it provides.
Dear Alice, this was a very interesting article you wrote. Thank you for sharing!
I do get why people don’t get the fandom. Sometimes I don’t even get the fandom myself.
Although I love to be a part of this fandom, I don’t always understand the hype about the awards and the need to be widely accepted and mainstream. When I look on the tv shows that are mainstream, I’m glad Supernatural is not part of it. I watched a couple of shows, mostly the pilot or just a few episodes, out of curiosity, and mostly I don’t like what I see. There are shows that sympathize with a mass murderer, that tell us how cool the high school kids in the designer clothes are, and that it is okay to deceit, gossip and fornicate, and that vampires are good people. Not really good stuff nor appropriate role models for our kids. But these shows get the prime time and the awards and accolades.
I agree that it’s all about the money. As most in life is. The networks, corporate companies, they are like Leviathans – go along or you’ll be eaten alive. And we know how the Winchesters react to that.
Supernatural is just a tv show, the product of somebody’s imagination, created to entertain. It has a brilliant story delivered in a brilliant way. The cast and crew work for a salary, and they deliver a 40-minute-weekly entertainment to us viewers. We, the fans, spend our precious time nailed in front of our tvs and computers, watching a tv show that tells us about how to see what’s right and what’s wrong, about family and friendship, about sacrifice and doing the right thing – about some really good stuff worth the time. We ponder over these themes and over life and death, and talk about them in a respectful manner. We invest our time in this, and I don’t need any company making money on my time. Because that’s what it’s all about, not the recognition but the profit.
There are many people out there who invest their time and skills into helping people and trying to make this world a better place. Many of them never get an award, too many of them never even get recognized. But they are there and they make a difference.
That’s why I say, let’s not waste our time and energy on feeling insulted and on the effort to “make things right”. We know what Supernatural is, and what it means to us. As for me, I’m fine with that.
Thank you Alice, this was wonderfully written.
Despite how disappointed I was with the lack of respect that the PCA showed towards our little show, I was not able to let this dampen the excitement nor the pride I felt in their victory of two awards.
I think we did an amazing thing beating out the top network shows for Best TV Drama, and I have every intention of endlessly voting for them again next year.
I love this show and I am very proud to be a fan of Supernatural.
Cheers!
What an eye-opener!
I have to admit I was upset when watching the PCA’s that Supernatural didn’t get the recognition they deserved but I didn’t end up going after anyone involved in the PCA’s because of this.
You made many valid points as to why Supernatural wasn’t recognized, and some of those I didn’t even think about!
I like the approach that you are asking all us fans to take – it’s the best one yet! Spreading the love of this show is what it should be all about. There are many ‘die-hard’ dedicated fans out there, this I have learned through Twitter, and what better way to express their love than share it with someone new.
I have actually got 3 people on board with Supernatural in the last 6 months. I know it’s only 3 people, but hey, it’s a damn good start! And they LOVE it!
I will be attending my first convention this year and i’m majorly excited. The fandom for Supernatural took me by surprise when I joined Twitter in Oct 2011 – I didn’t expect to become twitter-pals with anyone, but I have met some very kind and interesting people – people I look forward to meeting at the convention.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I hope this gives everyone a new outlook.
Hey, Alice!
This was a very nice article. You’ve made some valid points and as the PCA’s are over for this year, we all need to move on although I’m going to keep bringing this to TPTB’s attention over at CBS & P&G, so that reforms can be made for next year. I would hate for there to be a repeat next year and winners shunned for whatever reason that they deem…
However, you do make a valid point about the CW. I watch re-runs of Supernatural on TNT and I’ve never understood why the CW doesn’t advertise at that time. TNT and the CW are tied together since one is owned by TimeWarner and the other is partly owned by Warner Bros. which is a subsidiary under TimeWarner. I’ve noticed on the USA network which is owned by NBCUniversal that CBS advertises on their network. So, why not the CW on TNT?
Another point is that some cable providers charge for the CW. They’ve put the network in a higher tier away from other regular network channels and charge a premium to receive the network even though it would be a free access network if we could still get signals by TV antenna. I know that ComCast is guilty of this tactic. That definitely affects the show.
I recently connected with an old friend who works for Chevrolet and he had no idea that the show “showcased a ‘cherry’ of a 1967 Chevrolet Impala” and was totally “a blank” as to why his employer and their advertising firm hadn’t “jumped” on all that “free” publicity. After watching the show and noticing that a competitor was advertising, he told me that he was going to talk to his bosses and alert them of this situation. Now, he’s a regional representative for Chevrolet so I don’t know if it will go anywhere, but let’s hope that maybe this leads to Chevrolet and others checking it out and bringing their advertising dollars along.
Anyway, I love this show and share my love with all who will listen. That won’t change. 😀
Very nice article Alice. I’ve been a fan of this show from the get go and have often felt frustrated when trying to turn people on to this gem of a show. I almost hugged the salesgirl at Borders once for looking at the SPN magazine I was buying and saying “great show”. I am very proud to be part of it’s loyal fan base. Some seasons, some episodes are better than others but I, for one, will be watching until the last episode. Jared and Jensen are destined for great things and accolades in the future but they will always be Sam and Deanto me.
What a wonderful article Alice, it hit so many points and it made me love our show & fandom a little more then I did before. Thanks for putting this out there, everyone should read this & share it with someone 🙂
I agree with every word you had to say. They don’t get it at all. The only thing I’m thinking of, is do we want mainstream Hollywood to suddenly wake up and get our fandom to the point where they try and make it into something its not? I mean, the fandom-creator relationship is what it is because our fandom is under the radar and smaller than other shows. If we were to suddenly hit a mainstream status, would that change? I like the fandom how it is. They could get more recognition, ALOT more and God knows that they deserve it. But if Supernatural became an Emmy winner I couldn’t help thinking that things might change. I don’t know. That’s my take on it.
I say this becaise it’s happened with other fandoms I have been in and it annoyed me. Example – Darren Criss. In 2009 A Very Potter Musical was the most amazing online production I had ever seen. Unless you were a HP fan no one knew who Darren was. All of a sudden he is on Glee (which I hate) and the world is fawning over him and tweens are claiming they had first dibs, when he had been around for ages before he appeared on the show and his status has completely changed from humble up and comer to crazy rabid must have. Wow this has turned into quite the rant. Sorry. But these are the things I think about LOL.
I agree.
Alice,
Thanks for a very nice article! Lately I’ve been thinking about how defensive our fandom gets. And while I absolutely love our dedication, I sometimes worry that the more we protest, the less Hollywood takes us seriously. I’ve seen posts on the facebook wall of the PCA that make me cringe a little because of the way some people are acting. I understand the disappointment of the snub as much as the next fan, but we need to reign in the anger and put forth professionalism. I think what you’re suggesting is a wonderful way to get Hollywood’s attention! I have been shoving my season one DVDs in all my friends faces and making them watch so I can finally have people to talk to in real life. I’m hoping they’ll join our ranks as superfans and add to the numbers!
Thank you again for bringing some grade “A” class to our fandom! You go girl!
I personally did not discover Supernatural until mid third season right before winter hellatus. It was love at first sight. Before it came back, I had bought Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD and had watched both all the way through. Then I bought the episodes of Season 3 I had not watched yet from Amazon. So within a month I had caught up and haven’t missed a show since. I have all the seasons except last season (just have not had the funds yet). My teenage niece has been introduced to this show thanks to me . . . as has my nephew . . . and my cousin . . . and my coworkers at my last job would roll their eyes and laugh when they knew that I was counting down days for the next new Supernatural. I have no problem showing my love and recruiting people to this show. And I will continue doing it with nieces and nephews far after it is off the air.
Very nice article Alice.I agree with freebird. Even though i am an indian and came to know about cw through Supernatural I thought CW was a really big channel after seeing the standard of supernatural well i was wrong .
My problem at present is i have to wait two weeks more.
Lovely article, Alice! I was absolutely disheartened and indignant after the PCA snub, but you’re right; anger isn’t the right impression. I think exactly what we need now is to focus on the positive and what brought us to this show in the first place and share [i]that[/i].
I only came on board mid-season 6, but it quickly turned into an obsession. I’ve recently gotten several friends into the show and most people around me even just peripherally are aware of my obsession with the show. I snuck SPN into a couple of my grad school papers last semester as well. I spend my energy telling them what’s so great about the show and that’s what they take seriously–word of mouth is the best recommendation, after all.
Keep loving the show, keep taking part in the community, keep spreading the the Winchester Gospel! Because this is a family and we’re stronger together 🙂
Alice, girl, you’re reading my mind!!!
I got into SPN not so long ago, almost a year now and I became a very dedicated fan at the very beginning of my watching. I was surprised to see that there are so many fans on-line and I tried to join them as much as I could, despite, you may say, a language barrier (I’m not English native speaker). And because I know how the fandom may be closed to outsiders (I am an active SF fan for fifteen years back here in Poland), I was really really surprised when I was welcomed with opened arms… This is incredible, really! I made a couple of friends very fast, and I am so glad about it! SPNers are really good people.
As I say, I am an active fan, doing trivias and lectures on Polish conventions. Most of them were on Star Wars and Deadlands as I am a huge fan, but now I started doing a Supernatural thing. The organizers usually accept one or two things and they are saying “But who the hell watches it? All right, have it your way, you are good at it, so you can have it. But only because of that, you are doing things for couple of years now and we trust you.” And suddenly I have a whole room of participants, dedicated fans and all. On last convention, they accepted a lecture on SPN gods, but when some writer didn’t arrive, they came to me and asked me if I can tell something more for another hour. Of course I could. And I had a real nice bunch of fans right there, despite the panel being announced very last minute. Organizers were pretty shocked, they never thought SPN to be so popular… So now.. I am doing as much as I can to popularize our beloved show in Poland, even if I’m doing it through lectures on conventions. Of course, there are some on-line communities, but they haven’t done anything on conventions, it was easier to complain that there is nothing on SPN threre… It’s all in our hands, and I am really glad to be a nice little addition to that wonderful family.
Interesuj?cy post. Ale mo?e powinna? troch? bardziej rozejrze? si? na domowym podwórku? I pomysle? troch? o realiach? Pozdrawiam. beata101.
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An interresting comment. Maybe you should look around you a bit closer in your country? And think about reality a bit? Greetings. beata101
Alice, great article.
May I share my SPN experience with you? I started watching SPN only last year, by downloading the episodes from the internet, starting with season 01 (it was not being broadcasted in Brazil last year, although Warner used to). Frankly, I didn’t know the show, so, before I started watching, REALLY watching it, I thought the theme was only adventure/terror, starring two (very) good-looking boys, kind of shallow. Nothing to be impressed about, so it never caught my attention before, in all those years. But, man, was I wrong!
So, taking by my personal experience, I think you are right – people doesn’t KNOW the show, and it is not enough to watch one episode to grasp all its nuances, its greatness. It takes commited, and a lot of brain exercise and reflection (which is wonderful).
I never got that much emotionally envolved with a TV show before. I even convinced my husband to watch all the DVDs with me (yes, I bought all the 6 seasons – first time I do that), something he would NEVER do by himself if I hadn’t insisted a lot, because he HATES blood/terror. I had to tell him it is not about that, and now he truly loves the show (and now I have someone to discuss it with – live at least!).
Now, I do what I can to advertise the show to family and friends, and I am really enjoying reading all the reviews from this site – all of them so much well written!! – which makes my experience even more pleasurable. Thank you all!
Ah, Warner will start broadcasting season 7 on february, 1st. Hurray!!!
I absolutely adore this article. I think you’re completely right! We all get mad and volatile when they snub our show like that, but this is just because the show is underappreciated. It shouldn’t have to be like this, but this is the world we live in, a place where people only care about money and ratings, making profit out of sometimes empty stories with nothing new to add. I’m not saying all big shows are like this, but I think we all can think of one or another that seriously shouldn’t be as popular. And deep meaningful stories like Supernatural are simply not worthy enough for them, they don’t even try to look at it.
I think that’s what I like the most about the fandom. We are a group of people from all over the world that managed to see through it all and fall in love with something that mainstream people will never take the time to know. I think it’s good for us, don’t you guys think? I hope we never lose sight of what’s really important, how much we love the show and how much we want the actors to be recognized someday. It’s incomprehensible to us how pure talents like Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins or pretty much anyone that’s ever worked on Supernatural can be unknown to most people. I think we should take the show out there and try to get as many people as we can to give it a shot. I know they will like it, it has a lot of quality.
I love your idea. ^^ I was one of the fans that complained (I was polite, though LOL) and I think it’s important to show them that they cannot cut people off like that, simply because the people choose the show, so it’s gotta mean something for an award that promotes itself over being popular. It should, but unfortunately it doesn’t.
Anyway, I’m not completely satisfied with the storyline. Some people exaggerate, but as a fan I can see that the show is not as it used to be. I think it is clear to everyone, no matter how much we try to stand up for the show. We’ve gotta admit that it’s not the same as the earlier seasons. But it doesn’t mean we should just leave. And, as you said, experiences like seeing 2 thousand messages on their facebook page showing how dissappointed we are for the way they ignored Supernatural, that’s pretty strong. That shows me how I belong here with you guys and how I’ll ever belong here. And I’m very proud of you all for being there for the show. I think it’s remarkable and shows how strong and united we really are, even if we do fight over stupid things some time. This fandom welcomed me in with a smile and arms wide open and I’m completely protective over it. I see many people going and I can only feel sorry for how much they are missing out on. I’ve lost quite some fellow fandom members and I get their point. But times like this make me realize I could never leave. Not ever.
I love the article. Again, it’s perfect and I’m happy to see how much we can do. Bring it on, the fandom will just keep strong and at the end of the day, we will only get stronger and bigger for our efforts!
Kisses from Brazil
I really like what you have to say, and I for one am extremely grateful to the WFB. I have been a fervent fan of SPN from it’s inception, but I am very new to the fandom. I didn’t even know that there were conventions for this! I found the WFB after reading about it when SPN made the cover of TV Guide, and I have been hooked ever since. I am so happy to have found such wonderful writers and bloggers, I can’t spend a day without checking it out. And I do this at work! God help me if my bosses ever decide to check what I’m doing.
In one of Jared’s interviews, he mentioned how much the fans are important to a show like theirs, and that it probably wouldn’t have survived on one of the bigger networks. I’m actually thankful to the CW for that at least. It gives them more leaway. I’ve spoken to friends and family about this show, and their response is always that they’ve never heard of it. I managed to get one of my friends hooked and my niece is as obsessed with it as I am. I even turned a few students from the high-school where I work onto it!
Anyhoo, that was a long convuluted way of telling you Alice that I love, love, love your site and all the hard work you put into it for the love of SPN. This is my go-to for eveything having to do with SPN. I wasn’t going to write to the PCA, but this article has convinced me to do so.
Nicely said Alice. I also agree wholeheartedly with what Freebird had to say.
One thing that makes me feel great is that the cast and crew of Supernatural know just how much we love the show and how much we are willing to work for them. I’m sure it cannot be easy for them putting in long hours working in Vancouver and pouring their hearts and souls into this project week after week. However, knowing how dedicated we all are to the show and them has got to be an amazing feeling.
Yes, it would have been great had the award been presented but…… it doesn’t, nor should it, take away from the fact that we all chose them and they know it! Public recognition is wonderful but it is usually those private “I’m proud of you moments” that mean the most in life. I think the entire cast and crew know how proud of them we are and just how much we appreciate what they do.
Alice, I don’t know if you had mentioned it somewhere else or what, but are there any actual numbers on how many of us voted for SPN?
Remember with the tvGuide cover they were amazed how many of us crazy kids voted?
I personally voted for the PCA everyday at least three times, and I am sure that I was not the only one.
Does SPN really need to be ‘recognized’ by the snobs out there? Jared, Jensen, Jim, Misha, Sera, Eric etc know that we are out there and that we love them, does it really matter what ‘Hollywood’ thinks?????
Alice, I am glad that I watched ‘the Pilot’ , even though I was not a fan of the stars, but was only looking for a replacement for Buffy. I am also glad that I found this wonderful site that allows me to connect with other fans of this show, even though the DeanGirls vs SamGirls stupidness makes me want to slap someone. But keep up the good work Alice, and here’s to them comfirming season Eight.
Your article is absolutely right. The relationship the show has with its fans and even SPN fandom with one another is unique. This uniqueness also makes it very difficult for anyone who isn’t in it to “get it” since I don’t think it has existed quite this way before. “The Snub” in some ways can be a negative turned into a positive. Recently it did seem that our fandom had degenerated into a lot of negativity with Deangirls vs Samgirls and Casgirls vs everybody then the PCA snub occurred and SPN fandom united in righteous fury before it devolved again to boycotting Proctor and Gamble vs not making waves. Fandom I think rediscovered our love for our show and I hope the show’s cast, crew, writers and producers saw how much we love them. This hopefully is some comfort against the knowledge that their excellent work is unappreciated by the industry and what this may mean for future projects.
Thank you Alice for the time and effort you gave for this wonderful article. It gave me some things to think about, namely why our show doesn’t get mainstream recognition. I was among the many others who were disappointed, resentful, and let down by the snub, but I haven’t let that taint the victory. You’re certainly right about one thing: All the fans’ devotion, and appreciation in the world, isn’t going to translate into dollar signs for the network and advertisers. And if those numbers aren’t going up, they have no incentive to get excited, no matter how great the story is. I can understand that from their point of view. It’s just that when this story ends, and the book has been closed, Jared and Jensen and Misha and everyone else are going to be looking for opportunities to advance their careers, and make a move to the next step. I just hate the thought that they might not have more doors open to them just because Hollywood is tossing off a show because it can’t fit into a neat little category.
I’ve tried to get other people to give the show a chance, but I’ve been widely unsuccessful, unfortunately. My family has written me off as crazy, and believe there’s no hope for me. My friends will nod politely if I talk about the show, but there’s a bit of a glazed look when I do. I got one friend interested, and she watches with her son, so that’s something.
Instead, I’ve become more focused on the different charity efforts, the awards and contests the fans can show support for, and maybe, God willing, make it to a convention some day. I’m very hopeful for that. Anyway, thanks again for the article. I know it’s one I will be coming back to and reading again.
Hey Alice,
I loved reading your article. And I have to say that I agree with you when you said
[quote]I’ve seen lots of new fans come in, discovering the show only recently through repeats on TNT or other international channels. It has affirmed for me that love for Supernatural is still really strong. However, it was last week after The People’s Choice Awards that reminded me why I’m still a very proud member of this fandom and why us fans are needed.[/quote]
I’m a new fan. I knew about Supernatural earlier but I just never took the time to watch it. Or perhaps just never had the opportunity to watch it. That is until this past December. Had a couple of hours to waste so streamed the first episode of season 7. Since then, I got totally hooked! I got all the DVDs, season 1 to 6 and finished watching all the episodes in about a month. Now, I can’t imagine how I ever ignored such an amazing show. This is the best show on TV these days. And I super psyched that season 8 is scheduled.
Thanks so very much for keeping up this website. You don’t know just how much it means to a new fan like me. 🙂
Hi Alice, I really enjoyed reading your atricle and all the responses for this super fandom.
I am a relatively new fan myself, and like Alisha I had know of the show previously but never paid it much attention. Last September during the holidays (Australia)I was looking for something to watch and picked up Season 3 at the video store. I was hooked from there on in. I now own all the seasons and my kids even bought me Supernatural merchandise for Christmas. I have never in my life been a fanatical viewer of a TV show and sometimes feel a bit embarrased (as a professional mother of three gown children) by my new obsession.
What keeps me watching is the storylines, the chemistry between the brothers, and the very talented acting of these two great guys.
I am new to this fandom and am enjoying my daily online buzz. What I am saying here is that new watchers are coming on board everyday, this little show that gets little recognition gains fans on a daily basis, awards or not.
Yes Alice, you view is right, lets enjoy the show and just spread the love.