Supernatural Bloodlines – Not A Sure Thing For CW Fall Schedule
This time last year, The CW executives were pretty excited about the new spinoff to their hit show “The Vampire Diaries.” They had every reason to be, the original family, aka The Mikaelsons, had a huge impact on the landscape for that show and were more than ready to venture out on their own. The network was so sure about this spinoff that it was picked up for series just one day after the planted pilot aired. It has been a big hit for The CW this season and has already been renewed for a second.
This year, given the success of “The Originals,” The CW sought out planted pilots for two of it’s other hit shows, “Arrow” and “Supernatural.” “Arrow” ran with a concept that couldn’t lose, a series around a popular DC character The Flash. Everyone at The CW, Warner Brothers, and DC Comics are so excited about “The Flash” that they decided to shoot it’s pilot as a standalone rather than a planted pilot for “Arrow.” The show is considered to be a lock for the CW fall schedule already.
As for “Supernatural” the idea was different. Extend the “Supernatural” universe to the underworld of Chicago, where monsters run the show. The story would focus on the struggles between the various monster families over control. It would involve a whole new set of characters and none from the existing series. Reception about the idea among the Supernatural fans has been lukewarm at best. The spinoff’s planted pilot is scheduled to air April 29th and will be episode 9.20 for “Supernatural.”
Just like with “The Originals” planted pilot last season, “Supernatural: Bloodlines” has been delivered to the network first this pilot season. They’ve already seen it and the rumor mill is buzzing about it. However, it’s not what was hoped. “Not a sure thing.” That’s quite a polar shift from those that thought that a spinoff from “Supernatural” couldn’t lose. This doesn’t mean the project is doomed, but very few are anticipating the next day pickup that “The Originals” got, and the possibility of no pickup is suddenly very real.
As a matter of fact, two other CW pilots, “iZombie” and “The Messengers,” are getting far more postive reactions than “Bloodlines.” Add those on top of “The Flash” and the question is, how many pilots will The CW pick up this year? There are only six pilots this year and fewer slots available, so who knows what will happen.
What do you think “Supernatural” fans? Any excitement about “Supernatural: Bloodlines?” Are you reserving judgment until the pilot airs next week or does the premise alone spike your curiosity? What do you like or dislike about the idea? Can anything with a “Supernatural” franchise tag thrive without Sam and Dean Winchester? Do you really, really want to see this spinoff succeed or are you indifferent?
Again, none of this news means that the pilot is dead, just that the limited audience that’s seen it so far isn’t sure. Fan reaction will no doubt cement a decision, and that can’t happen until at least April 29th.
(Read more about CW pilot buzz and other networks at Deadline.com: http://www.deadline.com/2014/04/pilots-2014-more-early-buzz/)
Monsters run the show, fighting for control in the underground world etc. That sounds very much like that Cal Leandros series of books.
It could work out fine. If the writers can tell fresh stories around a similar concept to SPN then why not?
I love SPN and honestly this spin off looks pathetic. It seems to crumble the world and universe SPN created in so many years.
Monsters running a city wtf???
The club in last season Mans Best Friend with Benefits was far enough
It sounds like another TO/TVD melodrama. The concept that set SPN apart was two regular (well one regular and one ?) guys on the road fighting monsters. It depends on who the POV character is. If he/she is relatable to the audience, has the charisma that Jared and Jensen had, has a great stable of writers to give it a great start, uh maybe it will have a chance. Right now it sounds like something I wouldn’t be interested. SPN grabbed you from the first scene. It was a fantastic concept with two of the most charismatic actors on the planet. If fans try to compare the two I can’t imagine that Bloodlines will hold up. But I will definitely watch. Right now I think the 100 has just the right mix. It’s my favorite of the new shows.
If there are no characters from SPN on it and it takes place in Chicago I am having a hard time seeing how it’s a spin-off. Does one (crossover) episode of Supernatural a spin-off make? Are there even hunters? I will check it out but I am not feeling too much anticipation.
Hey Cheryl, I am enjoying The 100 too. It is one of only a few series that have interested me this season. The other two are Resurrection and Believe.:)
I never found the actual concept of monsters all that compelling to be honest; it was about the brothers and family and struggle that got me interested in Supernatural. A show that is actually about monsters being monsters and delving into all their soap opera like monster problems? Yawn. If the actors that were cast are even half as good, talented and compelling as J and J, then MAYBE the show will have a chance. I probably will only watch it if I come here or go on over to TVFTROU and everyone is raving about how great it is. Otherwise I’ll probably pass.
I love the Winchesters, so I’m not really that interested in the spinoff. I’d watch it to see how it goes, but it won’t
hook me like the boys have, I know that.
I love the Winchesters, so I’m not really that interested in the spinoff. I’d watch it to see how it goes, but it won’t
hook me like the boys have, I know that.
I’m excited about the show. Mostly because I’m a fan of Nate Buzolic and I’m glad the main cast includes a POC and two women.
My problem with the new show is the nature of the SPN universe itself. It has never been all that definitive. The rules don’t apply to a given monster two episodes in a row it seems like. And if one supernatural creature of a particular type is different from all the others then it is never explained why. So Castiel is sort of a robot, other angels can blend in and be reasonably normal. Reapers are ethereal, but maybe corporeal and sometimes drive taxis … or not… Werewolves, em have rules maybe but I can’t remember what they are right now. All shapeshifters appear to be loner humans with special abilities and also to be complete homicidal maniacs who kill because they are crazy. But now we are going to have families of these creatures, um, ok then, but are the writers going to make any effort to explain why this is? Why are these people different? If they aren’t different what is the reason for the mindset of the types of monsters?
The show has literally just finished telling us last week that they will mess with the rules as much as they like to fit with their story (If I understand the point of the Meta-episode at all, which I possibly don’t) and now they are looking to bring in a new audience to a new show.
If they decide to formalize the rules in the new show and make the world coherent (even if it contradicts what has happened in SPN) AND the show has compelling, well-drawn characters then I think it has potential to succeed. However if they think that they can coast on SPN’s success then I don’t think it will because honestly it would get too confusing for new viewers too quickly. ‘Heroes’ suffered from this, it had poor internal story logic and one too powerful bad-guy that they couldn’t bear to kill off.
The new series has potential to be great (why not?) but it probably isn’t going to get the SPN audience, it might however get the audience that SPN was aiming for back in season 1 before they realized they had lighting in a bottle in the form of J2 and an audience makeup they never expected.
I will give it a shot anyway, I might even give it more of a shot than Revolution 😀
I’ll give it a watch because it’s a Supernatural episode; hopefully it won’t turn out to be like most shows on the CW, with “actors” preening and mugging to the camera. Supernatural was a unique case of finding the right actors for the right story and it’s very difficult to recreate that success.
I agree. I’ll watch the Pilot but I’m indifferent to whether or not the show succeeds. I’ve said before that it sounds like The Originals, but set in Chicago and the idea sounds intriguing but I hate The Originals and am in no mood to watch mediocre actors in a Prime Time soap opera. If it turns out to be a retread of that show, I wll happily skip it. However, it may get more than a passing glance if it comes on directly after SPN because I may be too lazy to pick up the remote or have the flu or something.
All i can think is…will all the fantastic charectors Supernatural has spawned why couldn’t any of them be spun off from the sshow? Why did they have to create all new charectors? Spin Misha Collins and Castiel into a show about thye angel war. Spin Meg the demon into a show as she searches for redemption and her own lost humanity. Garth and his werewolf family. Bobby Singer, Sherriff Mills, Charlie, Samual Colt, Elliot Ness, Benny and purgatory, early Men of Letters….all fan favorites of some level who would have Supernatural fans salivatating to watch a spin off.
While it might be a problem to spin off one of their really popular characters and not have them available for “Supernatural: TOS” as much, you’re right that brand new characters might not be the best way to go. Sam and Dean and their supporting characters have been building viewer loyalty for almost a decade. Can the Bloodlines characters really be expected to catch up by Fall? Then too the premise sort of sounds like it would be best as an RPG.
Yes Samuel Colt what a series that would be.
Ahh, man! I would totally watch that and there’s not much else like it on TV, right now. It would be the ultimate Joe Lansdale Weird Western show.
i would have preferred the original spin-off of Samuel Colt and the other hunters set in the past which they originally thought of… they could somehow have a planted pilot for that… it would keep up with the concept of the show as well as focus on concept of hunters, which is one of the main focuses of supernatural
Just saw the promo photos for Bloodline. Yea pretty underwhelming. Definitely skewed to a very young audience. However there is an awesome shot of Baby in Chicago. And I guess that wasn’t even Baby but a fans impala.:(
Here’s the preview for “Bloodlines.” We’ll post it in Spoilers too but I thought you might want to give your impression. I’m not digging the “Godfather with Fangs” tagline at all.
[video]http://youtu.be/rkcYBksABAU[/video]
In all honesty, I have no intention of watching Bloodlines with the same attention and connection that I have developed for Supernatural. I’ll watch the pilot next week and if it looks interesting I might add it to my regular tv schedule, but SPN did not seem to begin about monsters, it began about brothers and I think the destructin of the relationship between them has really damaged the show. I miss the days when the would call each other “Bitch” and “Jerk” in the car, say the same sentence at the same time, and work in sync. It’s truly not a show about monsters, and that’s why it stands out.
It seems as if almost every show the CW has now is about some kind of monster or mythological creature. We have fairy tales such as Beauty and the Beast and Reign, we have aliens with Star Crossed and The 100 (sort of), and we have an over abundance of vampires. Oh yeah – and the comic book characters. Can’t forget Arrow and the future Flash.
Granted, we have relationships to balance things out with Hart of Dixie and I don’t know what to call America’s Top Model, but historically the WB hasn’t had incredibly long-running, successful shows.
So now, we have two brothers, very different yet really a lot alike, dealing with all kinds of monsters and on-going story lines as we have watched them grow from skinny little guys to big, killing, mean dudes. The new show doesn’t have that. It doesn’t have Sam and Dean, or a history to build on. I can’t help but think that in order for this show to succeed the writers need to plan to have a few of the SPN regulars visiting Chicago once in a while.
I like the idea of more Supernatural in the universe, but hey we already have Season 10 to look forward to. Having a whole new cast does not make me sign up for any new websites yet, I’ll have to see how I like next week’s episode. There are always some pilots or new series that really make you scratch your head as to how them made it to television in the first place. My question is who would be Showrunner(s), and would there be a sharing of the writing staff from Supernatural? To have TPTB at SPN stretched thinner, I don’t like that for SPN.