BREAKING NEWS: Sera Gamble Stepping Down as Supernatural Showrunner, Will Be Replaced By Jeremy Carver (Yes, Really!)
This is breaking news out of Hollywood, but Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Sera Gamble is stepping down as “Supernatural” showrunner at the end of the season. Robert Singer will continue to be co-showrunner, but he will be joined by a VERY familar face. Jeremy Carver is coming back to the show! He will return in the position of Executive Producer/Co-Showrunner. He will still remain Executive Producer of his SyFy show “Being Human”, leaving the show running solely to his wife Anna Fricke.
This is a breaking story, stay tuned for updates!!!
Update #1 (8:21 ET): This story has been confirmed by both “Deadline Hollywood” and “Zap2It.”
Sera Gamble’s contract was up for renewal, and she opted not to renew to focus on development. Sera has stepped into the background more this season, passing the Producer’s Previews and other press opportunities onto Robert Singer. Her role as showrunner changed this season to focus more on the creative side, and so far the reviews have been mixed.
Whatever the reason for her choosing to step down, seven years is a long time to be with one show. It’s unclear whether she will remain as a writer for Supernatural.
Sera Gamble has been a big friend to us here at The Winchester Family Business. She’s given us many interviews and always has been gracious with our questions. We wish her nothing but the best!
I AM SURE MOST OF U R HAPPY. THIS WOMAN IS A GREAT, GREAT WRITER. SOULFULL, FUNNY, CAN BRING PATHOS & HUMANITY TO SPN.
SOME OF THE BOYS BEST LINES EVER, HAVE COME FROM THE PEN OF SERA GAMBLE.
GOD OR POSITIVE FORCE BE WITH YOU, SERA. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER QUIT WRITING. PROMISE ME THAT.
TAKE CARE, LOVE WILMA :))))
Sera is a great writer. Without a doubt. Her mark on this show has been crucial and her contributions invaluable. I think we wouldn’t have had anywhere near the show we did without her touch.
Sadly, she hasn’t been a strong showrunner. It’s been rumored she went over budget last season and those duties were handed to Robert Singer. She has been in charge of the creative vision and control. While her individual work remained strong (as well as Ben Edlund’s), she clearly wasn’t able to guide the creative vision and get the new writers to deliver in a way that best complimented this show.
That’s now going to be Jeremy Carver’s challenge. Considering he’s coming from a successful series he launched, he’s coming well experienced.
[quote]While her individual work remained strong (as well as Ben Edlund’s), she clearly wasn’t able to guide the creative vision and get the new writers to deliver in a way that best complimented this show.
That’s now going to be Jeremy Carver’s challenge. Considering he’s coming from a successful series he launched, he’s coming well experienced.[/quote]
This. Gamble has written some of my favorite episodes, but I feel the show has declined so much under her stewardship.
The overall pacing has been abysmal and the plot has driven the characters, resulting in a Sam and Dean I barely recognize. The treatment of Sam’s post-Cage trauma has been laughable, Dean yet again seems to have little function outside of “being the big brother,” and the villains have been a) boring and b) apparently completely forgotten. I think writing out Castiel was a [i]massive [/i]error in judgment that drove away a lot of fans – and as a cult show Supernatural needs those fans to generate a buzz – and also forced the show back onto sibling rivalry as the default for generating tension. At no point this season have I gotten any sense that the brothers [i]want[/i] to be together in this, and I think the Js have at times seemed bored to tears with the constant rinse-repeat of ideas that were done better the first time.
I think Jeremy Carver could help bring the show back to what it used to be – he writes great brother episodes and great Cas episodes (and after hearing this news I’m more and more hopeful Misha will be back).
I think it’s a shame Gamble can’t stay on as a writer though – despite my feeling that she has been a fail as showrunner, I have more faith in her to turn out a good episode than some of the other writers.
There is no evidence to suggest Castiel’s departure this season had any affect on the ratings or the overall vievership. The ratings ahve remained steady since his departure in episode 7.02 and he made no impact when he returned in 7.17.
The first thing Carver and Singer need to do after setting out the seasons storyline is get rid of Castiel once and for all. They have promised resolution therefore I expect them to deliver it, same for Bobby.
After that they need to let loose some of the writers-Adam Glass being the first one who should go.
The show should also think about adding new recurring characters, not just bringing people bacle from the dead.
Jared and Jensen need to also be included in the writing of their characters and be consulted on the direction the season long arcs should take.
[quote]There is no evidence to suggest Castiel’s departure this season had any affect on the ratings or the overall vievership. The ratings ahve remained steady since his departure in episode 7.02 and he made no impact when he returned in 7.17.
The first thing Carver and Singer need to do after setting out the seasons storyline is get rid of Castiel once and for all. They have promised resolution therefore I expect them to deliver it, same for Bobby.
After that they need to let loose some of the writers-Adam Glass being the first one who should go.
The show should also think about adding new recurring characters, not just bringing people bacle from the dead.
Jared and Jensen need to also be included in the writing of their characters and be consulted on the direction the season long arcs should take.[/quote]
I agree very very much with what you said about Castiels character. IMO it was a huge mistake to depend on this side character to hope for some ratings.
Get the brothers relationship back on track, let them be human beings, personal developement of both brothers, bring guest stars as supporting characters please please please for BOTH brothers, let them react to each other and add recurring characters like Ellen, Rufus were or the guest stars who raised once the show to a high level! That’s all the show needs. Bring back the heart of the show and that’s the Winchesters WITH their personal individual experiences!
They only need one person who is dedicated to the brothers relationship and pays attention to both of the brothers. That’s what guided me through the deepest darkest hours of Sam and Dean and that’s what I (still) hold on to! That’s for me even the crucial part, to bring back someone who is attatched to the heart (the brothers relationship) and pays attention to both!
Edited by Alice – This is being disrespectful to another poster. A violation of our rules.
Don’t erase this comment this time. If this is open then leave it. If its a Sara Gamble fan site then let it be known.
She was pushed, and did not “step down” as this says. She blew it. I wish she didn’t but she did.
Okay, not sure why you think comments are getting erased. Look through the entire comment thread. They are here in different places. You have to check what comments you are replying to. If they aren’t replies, they go to the bottom.
I’ll allow this comment, but we really don’t like acid attitudes here. Please tone down all your future comments to something constructive. I will be going through your other comments and editing the ones that violate our rules.
I’m still checking around and will definitely ask, but chances are she will not be on staff with the show. Not renewing means not taking on a role at all usually. If she remains with Warner Brothers though (the development aspect makes that likely), she might be able to contribute some scripts.
Also, you’ve got to keep in mind, Supernatural hasn’t even received a “formal” renewal from The CW. This piece of news tells us they have (just not for public knowledge) and Warner Brothers has their license fee negotiated. So now they’re trying to get all the staff in place.
As sad as it is to be losing Sera (although she did struggle in this position), this is very good news for those wanting news on season 8.
I love Sera’s writing. She is a fine storyteller, particularly on individual episodes and character growth. I also quietly do so like a woman’s voice on the show. So I am sad on both those counts. I would love to see her still able to contribute some writing. On the other hand – Robert Singer and Jeremy Carver!!! Joyous anticipation is the best way to describe how I am feeling!!
Best news EVER! I loved SO many more of Carver’s episodes than Gambles and I’ve HATED the direction this show had gone in for the two seasons that Gamble has been in charged. I couldn’t be more ecstatic with this news and will actually be looking forward to season 8 instead of dreading it.
I think she made a wise decision. I’m sure she wants to pursue other endeavors and Jeremy Carver is an EXCELLENT choice. He is one of the finest creative writers around and I am so looking forward to his stories again!
YEA!!!!!
Best wishes Sera, and thank you.
I AM NOT TALKINT ABOUT CARVER. YES HE IS AS GOOD AS SCI-FI CAN GET. sorry if u have done other things, I do not know of them.
THIS IS ABOUT A WOMAN BEING MAYBE TOLD TO GO. A STRONG AND POWERFUL WOMAN GONE. YAL MAY NOT CARE BUT I DO, AND YES I AM STRAIGHT & NOT A ‘FEMINAZI’. OLD AND SOUTHERN!!
PLEASE BE KIND WHEN U SPEAK OF SERA. ALL I NEED TO KNOW IS SHE WILL CONTINUE WRITING!!!! DONE.
Regardless of the reason Sera is stepping down, she is a terrific writer. I hope she stays with the show, if not, I wish her the very best.
I am walking on clouds right now. I’m so pleased Jeremy is coming back to the show. This totally renews my interest in the show. He knows and ‘gets’ the Winchesters.
I really pulled for SG when she was announced as showrunner, but I couldn’t be more disappointed in the product she has delivered under her tenure. Frankly, I’ve totally lost interest in any of the plots or stories that are trying to be told this season and am only watching to fangirl a certain actor. In fact, I couldn’t tell you what the story is frankly.
That said, I do wish her the best of luck in all future endeavors.
I have to say I feel the same except I’m not even a fangirl now -more often than not I forget that the show is on. Maybe the show will be interesting again and the boys will finally start winning again. One can hope…
I’d pretty much made up my mind to finish this season off and give it up. I had high hopes for SG, because she was a female, and higher doubts when she was announced as showrunner. I am 100% convinced that a man needs to be running this show. I want the grit, the crude humor, and the male dialogue back, and I want the feelings, the kids, dogs, sock puppets, up-scale bars, fancy suits, and practicing karate gone.
I agree with much of what you are saying, Ginger. Sera Gamble is an excellent writer but, since she has been a showrunner, I have not liked the direction the show as taken. At times, it seems like a soap opera. I’m all for showing feelings, when the situation calls for it, but it seemed all too often we were having “chick flick moments” shoved down our throats. I also want the show to go back to being gritty. Dean Winchester does not belong in up-scale bars or fancy coffee houses, and the faster they get rid of Garth, the better. The sock puppet scene was embarrassing. I’m so happy Jeremy Carver is coming back and hope he will allow the Winchesters to act like men again.
Ok name all the “chick flick” moments from 6 and 7 and then pick any other 2 seasons and compare. I will guarantee there were more on the earlier seasons. Sam was freaking Soulless for half the season last season. He wasn’t having a lot of touchy feelly moments.
The problem I have had with the emotional scenes this year is that they seem forced. For instance, the scene at the end of Adv. in Babysitting where Dean is forcing a smile. I like emotional scenes when they are well written and feel natural but many of this season’s scenes don’t feel that way. The constant angst also have made the show feel more like a soap opera to me. I guess what I resent the most is how the show, for me anyway, has gone from being like a fun roller coaster ride to being a depressing mess. I’m not blaming it all on Sera Gamble. She has been one of the most consistently entertaining writers on the show. I’m just happy that the ball has been passed to someone who, hopefully, will be able to guide the show back in a more positive direction.
They don’t feel that way to me. But I think the pattern I see here is not the overabundance of feelings(because that hasn’t been the case IMO) But not wanting a depressed Dean, I personally think that storyline fits perfectly considering everything they’ve gone through but can also understand that in wouldn’t be to everyone’s taste.
Although I will point out that the depressed Dean has only been prominent in a few scenes. One person I know who watches didn’t even realize he was supposed to be overly depressed.
Regardless I think that that arc will be dealt this year anyway.
Oh Ginger, as a woman working in television I find this comment about needing a man to run the show both professionally and personally offensive. It’s that kind of attitude that sees the bulk of high level positions in my industry held by men. Believe me when I say that women have the grit and balls to do the job that men can. Maybe you don’t like Sera’s development of the show, but please do not blame her sex.
You stated how I feel. I really wanted Sera to be great at show running, but I think she is better at writing single episodes. She isn’t so good at seeing the whole “big picture” needed to show run. I wish her the best. She is talented.
I love her writing. And I really enjoyed last season and most of this one so far, but maybe a switch up will be good.
Because Jeremy Carver IS a fantastic writer as well. And maybe it would be good to have both someone new but who also knows the show so well. I hope she stays on as writer, but wish her well either way. And I also would like thank her for some truly fabulous shows.
Actors often sign for multiple years even though that doesn’t mean the show has been renewed. I think that at the beginning of a show the actors often sign for several years. That means that if the show is a success the production company doesn’t have to worry about renegotiating a contract. That may be true of writers as well, but the schedule may be different or they may do it one year at at time. I know that the J’s are signed through season 8. Obviously Sera was only signed through season 7 and decided to move on. I wish her luck.
Really mixed emotions. It was great to see a woman rise to the position of showrunner. It’s a rare feat in Hollywood. I also admire the fact she was willing to take some creative risks. It’s unfortunate that sometimes the idea was better than the execution. But then again it’s hard to know what pressures she was under behind the scenes- budget? new staff? difficulties getting people to see her as the boss? It must be a huge learning curve. (It’s possible even she felt hemmed in by the Soulless Sam & The Wall arc, which was suggested by Robert Singer. A fact I have always found quite interesting)
If this is also the end of Gamble’s script contributions, that will be really sad. She is a fabulously talented writer and really knew how to make Sam & Dean come alive in all their flesh & blood complexity. She has certainly created some masterpieces which stand the test of repeated viewing.
I thank her for the huge role she’s played in making Supernatural such a success (and into the show I love!) I wish her all the best in whatever she does next, and really hope she still gets the chance to write a script or two.
Also a big welcome back to Jeremy Carver. In his first era with the show, he created some lasting masterpieces. His knowledge of, and affinity for the brothers is evident in his writing. He must have some skills as a showrunner too, since Being Human has been renewed. However he will have to deal with the same pressures too (budget, staff etc).
But the exciting, comforting thing is that he must really believe in the show, and the potential for new storylines since he decided to come back. That’s really hopeful.
I’m sorry to see Sera go, and really excited to see what Jeremy brings back. (Plus I`m thrilled that this all but confirms Season 8).
Pragmatic Dreamer
Soulless Sam was Gamble’s idea, according to interviews given by Eric Kripke.
Then there are conflicting stories. Every one I have seen says that Bob Singer came up with Soulless Sam and that he intended for Sam to remain soulless for the entirety of season six.
From [url]http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/supernatural-cast-producers-shed-light-167354[/url] Hollywood Reporter 3/14/2011
[quote]A full house of Supernatural’s famously rabid and enthusiastic fans packed Saban Theater on Sunday afternoon as the show’s creative team and stars answered questions from moderator and AOL’s TV critic Maureen Ryan.
The PaleyFest panel was marked both by fun banter and anecdotes from the panelists and by serious talk about the show’s epic myth-arc.[/quote]
[quote]4. Soulless Sam was Robert Singer’s idea. “When Bob pitched Sam coming back from hell without his soul, that was really helpful,†Gamble said of first developing Season 6 with executive producer Robert Singer. She explained that bringing Sam back without a soul and having Dean settle down with Lisa and Ben for a year was “certainly a weird, uncomfortable place to put both of them to start with, and when you do that to characters, it’s like pulling a rubber band back. You get a lot of sling-shot.â€[/quote]
[quote]4. Soulless Sam was Robert Singer’s idea. “When Bob pitched Sam coming back from hell without his soul, that was really helpful,†Gamble said of first developing Season 6 with executive producer Robert Singer. She explained that bringing Sam back without a soul and having Dean settle down with Lisa and Ben for a year was “certainly a weird, uncomfortable place to put both of them to start with, and when you do that to characters, it’s like pulling a rubber band back. You get a lot of sling-shot.â€[/quote]
Yes, that’s what Sera Gamble said but only [i]after[/i] it was apparent that the Soulless Sam story line was a disaster and the show course corrected in the second half, which, of course, smacks of shifting blame to someone else. Eric Kripke, well before Season 6 started, indicated that he was turning the show over to Gamble because she was the one who came to him with the idea for Season 6.
In other words, she because showrunner in the first place because Soulless Sam and Sam-of-the-worstest-Hell-ever was her plan for the continuation of the series (which also suggests that what happened to the story in “Swan Song” was also the result of what she wanted to do in Season 6).
Honestly? I give more credence to what Kripke said at a point in time when it would be seen as a compliment, than what Gamble said at a point in time when the ship had already hit the iceberg.
I, for one, will not miss her at all. I think she has done tremendous damage to the show, to the fandom (which is more polarized–and smaller–than ever), to the ratings and to the characters, including her favorite character, Sam (which was acknowledged by both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles a few years back at a convention). I have always found Carver to be more even-handed and I really think that’s something we need now.
As for Castiel, I can’t wait to see more of him (no, I didn’t mean it that way! 😉 ).
So at Paley Fest, with Eric Kripke and Bob Singer right there, SG lied and no one corrected the statement? That seems unlikely to me. I personally haven’t seen the interview with Eric Kripke that you are referring to, could you point me to it? I would like to read the entire interview. I also want to note that I see Kripke as many things but a weak leader with no sense of where he wants his story to go so he bows to the whims of some underling isn’t my view of him. Plus, in every version of how Soulless Sam came to be, Eric Kripke liked the idea. I think it was something that sounded good and then didn’t work the way any of the writers thought it would.
As for Sam of the-worstest-Hell-ever, that is on Kripke. It was set up in his last season. HE wrote the ending and any show runner would have had to deal with the fallout from that decision. I felt Swan Song was a very personal goodbye from Kripke. He said many times that he planned for Sam to release Lucifer and deal with the consequences. Kripke pulled back on Dean the vessel to stop Lucifer in Sam. Kripke sent Sam to the cage. I don’t think it is fair to blame SG for that.
I realize you dislike how SG handled the show and apparently you did not like her as a writer either. Although I don’t dislike her, I realize that your view of her as a show runner is common in fandom. I do think that you are blaming her more than she deserves. Fandom has shrunk, but the move the Friday and the loss of the strong lead in from Smallville practically guaranteed that there would be a downward turn in ratings. All in all Supernatural has held up better than other shows on the CW. I saw fan polarization truly starting in season four. It may have gotten worse, but I think season four was the place where true polarization happened.
I’m one who doesn’t want Castiel to return. Since neither one of us is writing the show, we will have to leave it to Jeremy Carver and Bob Singer to see how they want to handle that situation.
I will miss Sera’s episodes. I will miss her characterizations of both boys. I will miss the insights she gave to the characters. I actually enjoyed season six although I am less enamored with season seven. I do think that this season is hardly irredeemable and could come together better it currently is for me.
In any case, we are getting a new show runner and we will see what changes that will bring.
I agree 100% Percy. We’ve known for a long while that Robert Singer was behind the soulless idea, and that he wanted it to continue throughout the whole season. I won’t go into the reasons that I believe he did so, because it’s over and done with.
As you said, we are getting a new show runner, and the most we can do is all just hope for the best.
Don’t you think it’s possible that the idea for season 6 Kripke was talking about was the noir mystery with Cas becoming corrupted post-apocalpse, with not knowing what to do with free-will, and that the Sam idea came later? In the end, Sam’s story really wasn’t directly connected with the main arc.
It must be that “cheekbone” comment of SG that makes you think she is favoring Sam! 😮 When someone is saying something little positive about Sam/Jared, people are accusing the showrunner of favoring him. 😕 I have no evidence of that what you write about Sam is her favorite, it was more the contrary what I saw onscreen, because since Sam has his soul back the guy has almost no exploration on screen and is cut out from all emotional scenes and relationships! 😥
And I agree to[b] Percy [/b] and[b] Rick [/b] it was Robert Singers idea of a whole season Sam without soul. If they would have paid more attention to how it affects Sam and how viewers could maybe relate to what he is going through, then I would have gone with that idea longer than I did. Soulless Sam was worth for more exploration than he got, sadly. But I won’t keep quiet about how much I missed Sam with soul. How soulless Sam was executed did almost cut my heart into pieces, but not in a good way. I was at the point to give up on the show, I wouldn’t watch this disaster any longer, I need the connection between the brother and I needed specially insight in Sam. That is what carried me through 5 seasons Sam and Dean and their heart wrenching story.
What you are saying, [b]gadfly[/b], seems very speculative on your part. I also would like to have some evidence from your perspective.
About the polarization of the fandom, that was already in season 4, when I joined the forums I found the most hateful comments about Sam being mean to Dean and deserves to dÃe, not to forget about Jared (god bless him) himself, it was disgusting. I had back then already to ditch sides, forums, because that was to much to read! So, no Sera Gamble didn’t part the fandom IMO! 8)
And about the trenchcoat, that being inside the trenchcoat should go back to heaven land and let Jimmy Novak rest in peace..finally after that being manipulated him to let him in for the savety of his daughter! :-*
I so hope the angels leave our SPN universe, all of them, only the trickster can come back and mess with the boys, but in a more lighthearted way when it was back then in “Mystery Spot” one of the highlights in this series! 😮
I always get a fit of the giggles when I read that Sam is Sera Gambles favourite character. I really don’t see why it’s relevant to any discussion because guaranteed every writer/producer has a favourite character. Add to that, the idea that being partial to one character means you are impartial to the other went out with the dinosaurs and to be honest, I see little evidence in seasons 6 and 7 of Sera Gambles being a Sam fan swaying her direction of the show.
Surely if Gambles was such a big Sam fan, we’d have seen him portrayed in a positive light and as the main focus of the seasons. Yet, for much of season 6 Sam was shown as a heinous character, doing such questionable things that even today, fans use them as a stick to beat him with. She then puts a wall around his hell to ensure that it really won’t be dealt with for another few months and the storyline is then put on the back burner for most of the season 7. We see him disappearing time and again and Dean beating the snot out of him more than once so, I’m sorry, but I see little evidence of the Sam favouritism evident in Gamble’s work.
Though, gadfly, if what you’re saying [i]is[/i] true, I’m kinda hoping Caver is a Dean fan because if Sam gets the 13 episode storyline, character exploration and sole POV that Dean got during Sera ‘Sam fan’ Gambles tenure, I’ll already be thrilled with season 8.
Jeremy Carver will surely bring a different flavour to the show but to be honest, all this talk about him being a sort of bright new dawn after the long dark night of Gamble I find hugely speculative, and a little mean-spirited. Ratings had dropped long before Gamble took over and the fanbase has been firmly polarised for years. I also don’t think we can say that Carver will be more even-handed when (a) to suggest that Gamble wasn’t even-handed is a viewers [i]opinion[/i] and (b) we have absolutely no idea what direction Carver is going to bring the show.
Looking at the episodes he has written he does seem keen on the angst ([i]Point of No Return[/i]) and while he has written some excellent brotherly episodes ([i]A Very Supernatural Christmas[/i]), he does seem rather keen on splitting the boys up for much, if not all, of an episode ([i]Mystery Spot, In the Beginning, The End,[/i]). He also places much focus on secondary characters ([i]The Rapture, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid[/i]). So while it’s possible (and I am hopeful) that he will bring the show to a place where viewers are more satisfied with it, it’s also possible that he might not. This fandom is extremely divided so it’s also highly possible that, if fans don’t get what they want, in 12 months time we could be reading the same complaints about Carver as we did about Gamble, and Kripke before her.
Actually, Soulless Sam was Robert Singer’s idea. Sera said so in the interview we did with her, published on this site!
https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/archive-articles/69-interviews/15580-interview-with-supernatural-showrunnerexecutive-producer-sera-gamble.html
WFB: How did the idea of soulless Sam come up?
SG: Bob Singer pitched the idea. It was one of the first big ideas pitched for Season Six. Eric and I flipped out as soon as we heard it—we love it. It’s such a rich concept. And so different both from Dean’s experience returning from Hell and also from some of the previous dark alleys we’ve taken Sam down.
Soulless Sam was the thing I enjoyed most about season 6 so kudos to the person that came up with the idea. I think it was a mistake to change course mid-season. Soulless Sam interviewing people was hilarious.
I really don’t know how to feel abt it…. I did not LOVE Sera but she IS a fantastic writer and she’s been there 7 seasons.. she gave us faith fresh blood.. and tons more.. I do like season7 but at the same time I’m so very very happy to have Jeremy back… he’s just awesome and I’m dying to see what season 8 looks already. best wishes for sera.. she did great and I do would LOVE to have one or two epis written by her next season.. she’s just a great writer and she understands the boys.
I can’t wait to see what jeremy does as a show runner 🙂
I have such mixed feelings about this, but the net winds up being positive.
I have always loved Sera as a writer and as a visionary. Some of her episodes as a writer remain absolute favorites of mine for the series as a whole, and that is saying a very great deal.
I do think she struggled as showrunner, but I also can’t imagine a harder job to do or a tougher situation to do it in. [i]Supernatural [/i]is a very, VERY hard show to pull off, given the inherent cost of all the things that make the production look so good and be so irresistible: lots of stunts, myriad locations and minimal standing sets, special effects, the best lighting on the planet (thanks, Serge!), guest stars worth their weight in gold, kick-ass directors, and music. And characters and a universe truly unique in television.
Whatever she chooses to do next, I wish her the absolute best, and hope she’ll feel less chewed up and spat out than she doubtless did in this showrunner job. It’s really hard to be at the helm when everyone watching the ship has a different opinion of how she should be sailed and what tack the skipper should take. Here’s hoping she gets some peaceful sleep before the next chapter of her career begins!
I am ecstatic to see Jeremy Carver return. I mourned his loss when he left to bring about the American version of [i]Being Human[/i], and while I have really been enjoying that show – which definitely found its own voice this season! – I eagerly await the return of his deft writing touch to Supernatural. He’s a keeper!
Our show has always been about growth and change in the midst of choice. I have every confidence we’ll see all of that and more in chapter eight.
‘Kay just slightly sexist there. Women are fully capable of being crude and funny. Have you seen Bridemaids?
I actually like the Dick jokes. C’mon “More anime or are you strictly into Dick now?” That’s hilarious. And Dean look GOOD in that zoot suit.
And I swear I spent the last few weeks hearing about how the heart’s gone from the show yada yada and NOW your saying you want the feelings gone. They had extremely emotional episodes since one. So I’ll assume you mean you don’t want a depressed Dean. We have no I idea who came with that if it was Gamble, Singer or Edlund or maybe even Kripke, he says he still consults. Stop blaming your every woe on her. If she was Co-head than we can assume that Singer had some say.
She’s going to be leaving. Be NICE. She is a terrific writer and a BIG part of the show that you say you love.
You are so right Kelly, I think people are being a little too mean about this. Sera Gamble is and will remain my favourite writer on the show. I always look forward to one of her scripts. I’m hoping she will remain as writer for that very reason. Has the show derailed since she’s been show-runner? Yes, a little, I don’t see it as badly as all that. I still love the show very much. Am I glad Jeremy Carver is coming back? Oh, Hell yeah! But one person does not a kingdom make, so I don’t think we can lay all the blame of what has gone wrong (like I said I don’t really see it that way) on her back. And you know what? I’m one of those women who happens to like crude jokes, always have, and those scripts were mostly written by men anyway.
So before anyone attacks me, just remember that I do think everyone is entitled to their own opinion. As much the ones that are really upset at the turn of the show and those (me included) that don’t think it was all that bad.
Whatever happens, I wish her luck, she is a very talented human being. I’m sorry for making this so long.
I second everything you say Kelly!
I also want the grit, crude humour and male dialogue, but NEVER at the expense of the ‘feelings’ and emotional episodes.
Come on, we’ve had emotional episodes since the get go and if I wanted unemotional stuff I’d be watching one of the thousand CSI shows. The emotional feelings I get from this show are what makes this my most favourite show ever!
I’ve loved Sera’s writing for the show and I also loved Jeremy Carver’s. He and she both wrote some of my favourite episodess.
I wish her all the best in her career and hope she can contribute a few more scripts.
And WELCOME BACK, JEREMY! I was upset when you left and am delighted you are back! 😛
Mixed feelings here too. I have struggled with the last two seasons (then again I struggled with Seasons 4 and 5 too) but I absolutely love Sera’s writing. I really wish she was staying on as a writer. I wish her all the very best in the future.
On the other hand I am beyond delighted that Jeremy Carver is coming back. He ‘gets’ the brothers and he writes for them incredibly well. Mystery Spot and AVSNC are two of my favourite episodes of television ever. I’m looking forward to seeing where he takes the show and the boys.
[quote]Mixed feelings here too. I have struggled with the last two seasons but then I absolutely love Sera’s writing. I really wish she was staying on as a writer. I wish her all the very best in the future.
On the other hand I am beyond delighted that Jeremy Carver is coming back. He ‘gets’ the brothers and he writes for them incredibly well. Mystery Spot and AVSNC are two of my favourite episodes of television ever. I’m looking forward to seeing where he takes the show and the boys.[/quote]
This is ditto for me .
I do wish Sera the best in her future .
[quote]Mixed feelings here too. I have struggled with the last two seasons (then again I struggled with Seasons 4 and 5 too) but I absolutely love Sera’s writing. I really wish she was staying on as a writer. I wish her all the very best in the future. [/quote]
Agreed. Now while I haven’t always agreed with some of the decisions made regarding storyline and such I had mad respect for Sera Gamble trying to take up Kripke’s mantle. It had to be a frustrating job given this fandoms propensity for bitching. What ever she did, there was always some segment of the fandom griping about it.
As soon as I saw the first reports I knew the haters would be out in full force and sure enough they were. You know if I had to deal with people saying about me what I’ve seen people saying about Sera the last 24 hrs I would want to walk away as well.
Personally I wish her the best. I hope she stays on in some capacity but if she chooses to cut ties totally I will respect that.
As far as Jeremy Carver coming back goes, I am thrilled to hear the news. Loved his writing and look forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
I do hope Sera will continue to write for the show, as I have always loved her work. I can’t imagine being a show runner was an easy task and I give her credit for taking on such a big responsibility. What ever she ends up doing I wish Sera well in her future endeavours.
I’m also excited to have Jeremy Carver back and look forward to see what he brings to the plate.
Wow. Big news! I second pretty much everything Pragmatic Dreamer said and what sn_chills said about respecting Sera for following Kripke. An almost impossible feat given that everyone knew it was a five year story and people were going to be looking at her and her era with great suspicion. Bravo Sera for your courage and for your successes!
And Jeremy Carver. I have not seen Being Human, so I looked him up to remind myself what he had done on Supernatural: Sin City, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Mystery Spot, Long Distance Call, In the Beginning, Family Remains, Death Takes a Holiday, The Rapture, Free to be you and me, Changing Channels, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and Point of No Return. Holy crap. If he can translate his writing genius into showrunning genius as well we are in for a ride!
Please please please confirm Season 8 soon!
This makes me very sad. Sera is one of my favorite writers on the show, and I personally think she has done a good job as showrunner. It certainly couldn’t have been easy turning around the show after the mess of S4 & S5, and we were just getting back to the HIGH NOTES of BAI and POG- it felt like the MAGIC was back, and now I hear we are switching magicians. (sigh)
I will reserve judgement on Carver’s leadership until I see how S8 goes- but looking at his previous episodes does not inspire confidence in me. Except for the Christmas episode, all his seem to feature separating the brothers- something I do NOT care for, and had hope was finally over.
My first response to this was ‘Idjits, April Fools was days ago’. Then I got to realising it was actually true and I was like ‘Damn’. I have to be honest, I’m relatively clueless as to what a showrunner does. I’ve gathered from here that he/she is in charge of budgets, advertising, direction of the show etc (what a thankless job). I don’t know if Sera Gamble is finished with the show full stop or just finished as showrunner but I really hope it’s the latter because, as a writer, she’s definitely one of the best ones there.
I know there was a lot of discontent about season 6 (not from me, I lurved it) but Kripke really left Gamble with a hell of a mess to ‘clean up’, as it were, after season 5. He’s the one who put Sam in the worst hell ever and Dean in suburbia. He brought back Castiel and introduced the idea of the Braeden’s being Dean’s dream. When Gamble came in she had to start deconstructing those and rebuilding new stories based on those left behind. This was no easy task but given the hand she was dealt I think she did a pretty good job.
I haven’t been thrilled with Season 7 but it kind of reminds me of my first year of ‘real’ teaching (ie outside teacher training). So enthusiastic was I to be given free rein in the classroom that I tried a load of different methodologies at the same time. Course it didn’t work and I later realised I should focus on reinforcing the basics and then getting one or two things right at a time.
However, none of my issues with Season 7 take away from the quality writer Sera Gamble is and the admirable (and damn difficult) job she did as showrunner. I’m certainly hoping that for season 8 she will still be seated at the writers table pitching her ideas. If not, I wish her the very best of luck in whatever she decides to pursue next and I want to thank her for giving us some of the best moments and episodes in SPN history. I’m also hoping that, despite some of the hugely disrespectful comments floating around outside of here, she realises that there is a huge section of the fandom that appreciate all she given to the show. I also hope that Jeremy Carver has balls of steel because I think to try to satisfy all of this fandom, he will definitely need them.
I thought Dean’s domestic storyline was Gamble’s idea? I know that Ben and Lisa were characters she created. I think Kripke set up the stories Gamble pitched for the following season. He even said Gamble was named showrunner on the strength of her ideas for season 6. They were interesting ideas, but it feels like Gamble and the other writers never completely followed through on any of the stories they set up in season 6 and 7. I don’t know how much of that is Gamble’s fault, but she is the showrunner at the end of the day.
I wish the best for Sera and Supernatural. Hopefully this parting of ways will end up being mutually beneficial.
Don’t cry. She can always wreck another show. And another, and another…..
Supernatural was something my oldest daughter and I shared. We watched the episodes together. Sadly she lost interest during season 7, she loved Castiel. I think Jared and Jensen have carried this season the best they can. We need some meat to sink our teeth into. There are so many hanging ends out there. I think ending Bobby was a mistake.
So for those of you who have every single show, title, writer(s), director memorized, can you list at least some of the shows Sera wrote so I can look at it as a group and decide what I think about her work? Thanks to whomever takes that on!
Fortunately one of the boards I visit is doing a which SG episodes are your favorite poll. Here’s the list
Dead In The Water (w/ Raelle Tucker)
Faith (w/ Raelle Tucker)
Nightmare (w/ Raelle Tucker)
Salvation (w/Raelle Tucker)
Bloodlust
Crossroad Blues
Houses Of The Holy
Heart
All Hell Breaks Loose (Part I)
The Kids are All Right
Fresh Blood
Dream A Little Dream Of Me (w/ Cathryn Humphries)
Jus In Bello
Time Is On My Side
Are You There God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester (w/ Lou Bollo)
I Know What You Did Last Summer
It’s A Terrible Life
When The Levee Breaks
Good God, Y’All
The Curious Case Of Dean Winchester (w/ Jenny Klein)
The Song Remains The Same (w/ Nancy Weiner)
Two Minutes To Midnight
Appointment in Samarra (w/ Robert Singer))
Exile On Main Street
Let It Bleed
Meet The New Boss
Death’s Door
The Born-Again Identity
Yay! Thanks, Percy!
Hmmm. It’s interesting that It’s a Terrible Life is the only one of these full episodes that is on my favorites list. This list, however, is one I would generate if I had to tell you where to find some of my favorite scenes/moments/family drama. Like Sam taking care of Dean in Faith; Sam and Madison getting together in Heart (ahhh! I LOVE LOVE LOVE that side of Sam!); Dean confronting himself in DaLDoM; and all that stuff with John in Salvation.
Cool. OK. That was very helpful. Thanks again, Percy. I can better see the loss now because she gets the family dynamic thing, that’s for sure. Lots of beautiful stuff here.
I think listing your favorite episodes of hers is a great idea. If I whittle down the list (it started a lot longer) mine would be: Faith, Heart, Fresh Blood, Jus In Bello, I Know What You Did Last Summer, It’s a Terrible Life, When the Levee Breaks, Song Remains the Same,Appointment in Samarra, Meet the New Boss, Death’s Door AND probably The Born-Again Identity.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (along with EK’s Heaven & Hell and Carver’s The Rapture) are very low on my list. I mean really, really low. On the other hand, Faith, Heart, Jus In Bello, It’s aTerrible Life are way, way up there at the top.
Born Again Identity with all the psychotic flipping back and forth left me kind of cold.
There is only 1 on her list that I wasn’t fond of. When the Levee Breaks was just too darn depressing for me. But ALL the rest are in my top five! 😛
I know I know, they won’t all fit, but there it is! 😮 and the number one for me is “Faith”.
Actually, my favorite on the list is “When The Levee Breaks.” I know it was tough for people to watch, but season four was the very slow and perfect plotting of the brotherly relationship unraveling. If you look at it from an analytical perspective, no season has been plotted better.
It all came to a head in “When The Levee Breaks” and it was perfect. Sera outdid herself in that one and made all that build up worth it. I get why some didn’t like that, but for me, season four is still the best season of the series. The brothers came out of it the other side, so it was all good.
Yeah I think you’re right about 4 having the best pace for the arc. I thought 5 was Great, except at felt a little rushed between Point Of No Return and Swan Song (Both these episodes are perfect IMO). Pacing wasn’t horrible but I felt Hammer of the Gods(HotG was pretty bad) could be left out and spread out the events of Two Minutes and The Devil You Know. But still maybe my favorite season.
When the Levee Breaks is heart-breaking and incredible. Definitely one of my favorites.
See, I liked Hammer of the Gods! 🙂 But it may be more of the moments again for me. I adore Trickster/Gabriel and just seeing him in his own sibling relationship is just oddly sweet to me. And I enjoyed thinking about this SPN world where all these gods have managed to live in some sort of harmony, unlike the real world. It was just a fun little romp to me. Nothing serious. A one-night stand maybe. 😉
I like Gabriel too and my favorite part of that episode was when he floored Lucifer. The issue I had with Hammer of the Gods was with the lines. The writers had Gabriel saying things that a 13 year old boy might say and the childish statements diminished the character in my eyes.
Season four wasn’t my favorite season but I second your statement about the plotting being the best–almost perfect. Some of the episodes were so hard to watch though.
[quote]I’d pretty much made up my mind to finish this season off and give it up. I had high hopes for SG, because she was a female, and higher doubts when she was announced as showrunner. I am 100% convinced that a man needs to be running this show. I want the grit, the crude humor, and the male dialogue back, and I want the feelings, the kids, dogs, sock puppets, up-scale bars, fancy suits, and practicing karate gone.[/quote]
Most of the writers…if not all under Gamble are male. There’s too much little boy/geeky humor going on in my opinion. I hope they had some female writers to the staff.
I agree that the 8-year old boy humor is dumb and that the showrunner should expect a higher level of male humor and had the scripts revised when that sort of thing showed up. I’d be ecstatic if Catherine Humphries or Marti Noxon would write for the show.
I also think gender has nothing to do with whether the job is done well or not. For instance, I would never want Adam Glass to run this show. His heart is to much into kids and the modern American family to suit my tastes.
But I think I’m done with experimenting in this show. Tried and true, and that’s what I think Jeremy will be after a short time of getting his feet on the ground.
Does anyone know where Raelle Tucker went? I would love to see her writing for the show again.
She’s a writer on and the producer of True Blood, so I think getting her back is very unlikely. I liked her work as well.
True Blood is porn trash.. Perfect for her.
I think this is awful. If she is completely out of the show, I don’t think it can go on so much longer. Maybe not even to 8.(maybe it means 8th is not coming) The last season might have lacked some consistency…but I think it needs Sera’s energy. Losing someone who has been so invested ..think it’s a bad sign. Good luck to her anyways….hope she didn’t get pushed of.
Edited by Alice. Violation of our rules. Be respectful.
Regardless of who is in charge, this kind of assumes that there will be a season eight.
‘Smiles everyone’ (did I just quote Mr. Roarke). Everything doesn’t have to be a battle of one person against another. Sometimes that is what a review or a story becomes and the main point gets lost in all the hostility. It isn’t about Sam vs Dean or Sera vs Eric or now Sera vs Jeremy.
So let us bask in the knowledge that the powers that be are thinking about season eight of our favorite show and 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 .
Whether or not Ms. Gamble inherited a mess and was left to clean up previous incomplete story lines, (and I agree, she did) she certainly helped create the previous two seasons. Duties of a showrunner will forever remain a mystery to me. I simply don’t care enough to find out what all the job entails.
What concerns me, is the story I watch every week. I want to be entertained and enthralled, sitting on the edge of my seat entranced and I haven’t been. Yes, I have found something to enjoy in every season, if only an episode, but I will admit, the last two seasons have not been easy for me to like overall.
Like most of you, I loved her writing, in fact, I find little to dislike about her ability to suck me into one of her episodes.
Perhaps she was entirely responsible for killing off favorite, recurring or supporting cast members, the soulless Sam story, the downward spiral of Dean’s character and the complete senseless direction of emotional turmoil, perhaps she wasn’t. It doesn’t matter, we all wanted someone to blame for the reason we each decided we were no longer happy with the direction of the characters and the show and she became the obvious target.
I don’t want to see Dean sit down at the dinner table with Betty Crocker unless she’s right beside him in the next scene blowing up a building.
I don’t want to see Sam pull a pout and run off unless the next scene shows him blasting his way through a wall to get back to Dean.
I for one, will not be sorry if the show turns towards telling a story filled with action and suspense by two ass kicking hunters. One full of sarcasm and charming wit with a wise-cracking attitude and the other full of compassion, patience and tolerance.
I would take Supernatural with Ms. Gamble until the series ended. There are no guarantees anything will change, things could get worse, but I will admit to hoping the momentum of the show will swing in a direction that will make me excited to watch the show again!!
She just sucks. No excuses. When your customers scream for your head, its on you. She should have known her place as a writer, where she could be supervised appropriately. Kripkie left her gold and she crapped all over it.
I’m giving you a warning here Hunters. We don’t stir up crap here, especially when this is a months old thread. This is ancient history now. No need for lingering bitterness.
Did he say anything wrong though?
I don’t know who’s idea it was to tear the foundations away from the brother’s commitment to one another. Leaving them to flounder in the wake of soul-crushing events in their lives seemed the cruelest of jokes. Having them go their separate ways, being distracted by those who were using them for their own purposes, dragging the brothers further and further apart was so painful to watch and contemplate.
Where it all started, following their dad’s legacy, as misdirected as it may have been, created a relationship that knew no bounds and it was so painful to watch that relationship disintegrate.
I guess I will always love Supernatural because of Sam and his big brother, Dean. I have high hopes that, with Jeremy Carver at the helm, we may once again have that relationship repaired. One can only hope. To me, it’s all about the vision, the big picture of two brothers and the lengths they will go through to keep one another and their legacy alive. Show very nearly lost sight of that. All I ask is that we get that back. Hope springs eternal. 🙂
[quote]One can only hope. To me, it’s all about the vision, the big picture of two brothers and the lengths they will go through to keep one another and their legacy alive. Show very nearly lost sight of that. All I ask is that we get that back. Hope springs eternal. :-)[/quote]
That’s what I hope for too, gunznammo2. I want them to care for each other as in seasons 1-3. It was that relationship, unhealthy connection that it was, that “I’d die for you” attitude that sucked me in and has never let me go. I want to see the love again. I want to see how each one cares for and needs the other.
There have been little snippets of that in the last few seasons but not nearly enough for me. It was completely gone in season 4. Well put together plots and arcs and all, but missing that one most important element, it was a disappointing season to try and enjoy.
Spot on to your words, gunznammo2!
I hope that too, I think there needs to be someone at the helm, someone who is on the pulse of the brothers, their tangible relationship was gripping and fascinating to watch, to feel in 5 seasons. That was the heart of the show and it is almost destroyed now IMO! It could be a change, a challenge for this final season 8 to finally give it back to us viewers.
Jeremy Carver wrote “A VerySupernatural Christmas”, a very brother centric episode I still watch regular but also “In The Beginning”, a very Sam light episode, but it was still something that had to do with Sam and I still felt the brothers in there, even without showing Sam in that episode.
I love Sera Gambles episodes they are the most heart breaking episodes in SPN, and I hope she will stay for writing. I wish her the best whether she stays or goes!
Now they need to get back John Shiban and say that SG stays as a writer and I would be more hopeful for a last brother centric season of my favorite series and favorite brothers!
So I am hoping right there with you. And what John Winchester gave those boys as much as it was hard for them to grow up like that, he set their relationship on the path of an incredible intertwining, and even when this bond almost was destroyed by the forces of heaven, hell and their own choices and personality, in the end they succeed with a high price.
I want to see that again with the brothers, rebuilt that tangible relationship (stone by stone) that guided me through SPN! Even in the aftermath of the apocalypse and the repercussions of hell the relationship should stay the core IMO! I had high hopes after “Hello Cruel World” but that was crushed to dust almost immediately after the next episode “The Girl Next Door”.
I may build on that little sentence from you “Hope springs eternal”
Sorry for some mistakes, I am from Germany!
I would love John Shiban to come back one of my favourite writers .I dont think it would happen but one can dream.
I’d love to see John Shiban back too. Not that it’s likely ever to happen but, like you say, we can but dream.
[quote]I guess I will always love Supernatural because of Sam and his big brother, Dean. I have high hopes that, with Jeremy Carver at the helm, we may once again have that relationship repaired. One can only hope. To me, it’s all about the vision, the big picture of two brothers and the lengths they will go through to keep one another and their legacy alive. Show very nearly lost sight of that. All I ask is that we get that back. [/quote]
Amen to this,[b] gunznammo2[/b]. And, yes, hope springs eternal. 🙂
Reading that list above of Sera Gamble’s episodes makes me realise just how much I am going to miss her as a writer on this show. Houses Of The Holy, Heart, Fresh Blood, Nightmare, Salvation, I Know What You did Last Summer and WTLB are some of my very favourite episodes.
Edited by Alice. Violation of our rules. Be respectful. Criticism here is done constructively.
Supernatural has never been the same since they lost Kim Manners, Seasons 1-3 were the best!
The show has fallen into the “Smallville” rut since they made syndication…hope they can return to what made the show original and unique!..even the music sucks now…really no Bobby no Impala!..c’mon!
btw Sam needs a haircut.
Ever notice that Christ is missing from the show. Sara Gamble even replaced him with Cas in the stained glass and then killed him off. Why is she so anti christian?
Don’t sweep this under the carpet. Let it get discussed.