Posted:
Eternal Life, Thanks to Angels and
Abs Secrets to the Long Life of
Supernatural' via New York Times
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/arts/television/secrets-to-the-long-life-of-supernatural.html?_r=1&referrer=
Jensen Ackles, left, as Dean
Winchester and Jared Padalecki as
his brother, Sam, in "Supernatural,"
the CW drama now in its ninth
season and gaining new viewers.
SURREY, British Columbia " The first
episode of the scary-monster show
"Supernatural ," in which a college
student came home and found his
girlfriend on the ceiling, roasting like
a blond marshmallow, was shown by
the WB network on Sept. 13, 2005.
Since then quite a few shows have
come and gone " "Breaking Bad,"
"Friday Night Lights," "30 Rock,"
"Dexter," to name a few " but
"Supernatural" is still here, now on
CW on Tuesday nights. Midway
through its ninth demon-stabbing,
vampire-decapitating, angel-ganking
season, it's the sixth-longest-
running drama currently in prime
time " and it's already been renewed
for another season.
How does a show that gets relatively
little attention and even less credit in
the age of the prime-time drama find
itself on a short list with series like
"Law & Order: SVU" and "Grey's
Anatomy"? We went to the suburbs of
Vancouver, where the 190th episode
was being shot, to ask. Here are
some possibilities.
It's about the hair.
Between takes at the seedy-motel
location " an actual seedy motel
here, about 40 minutes south of
Vancouver, just above the American
border " several young women trot
out and run their fingers through the
hair of the stars, Jensen Ackles and
Jared Padalecki.
"The way my hair is, if I get out of
the shower and put a beanie on or
something, it just kind of lays," said
Mr. Padalecki, whose leonine tresses
are one of the show's trademarks.
"But it doesn't lay well for the
camera, because it'll cover" " he
gestures to his face " "the thing."
Mr. Ackles, whose laugh is like the
crack of the show's magic Colt
revolver, said, "I'm fairly certain that
that mop is solely responsible for the
10th-season pickup."
It's about the brothers.
Mr. Ackles and Mr. Padalecki play
Dean and Sam Winchester, brothers
with a family tradition of demon
hunting. Mr. Ackles was 26 and Mr.
Padalecki 22 when the show began,
and they are "Supernatural" "
conversations with co-stars, show
runners and network and studio
presidents always come around to
Jensen and Jared, Jared and Jensen.
In the motel parking lot, through
endless takes in the February chill,
they set the tone, joking with the
crew, then discussing with the
director how to block a scene in
which they're thrown against their
black 1967 Impala by the flick of an
angel's finger.
"At the end of the day we have a very
good understanding that a lot of it
comes down to he and I, and how we
relate to each other on- and off-
screen," Mr. Ackles said. "That was
impressed upon us very early on by
Eric Kripke," the show's creator. "He
sat us down the first episode and
said, Listen, guys, this begins and
ends with you.' "
It's about Joseph Campbell. And
masculinity.
Misha Collins plays the nave but
deadly angel Castiel, the
Winchesters' mascot and fellow
warrior. He studied social theory at
the University of Chicago and worked
in the Clinton White House and he's
a very smart man, so we should
probably listen: "The show deals with
universally appealing mythology story
lines, the kind of stuff that Joseph
Campbell would be proud to see on
television," he said, "but grounds it
in personal relationships."
"It's really a show about boys
becoming men," he added. "It's
about manhood and these guys who
vacillate between testosterone-
infused knife fights and gun battles
and then crying on one another's
shoulders, having their intimate
brotherhood-of-men moments. And I
think that's something you don't see
that much of on television."
and angels
"It used to be about guys on the road
hunting urban legends," Mr.
Padalecki said, referring to the first
four or five seasons sketched out by
Mr. Kripke, who pitched the show as
"Route 66" meets "The X-Files." "And
then angels came in," he added, and
that annoyed them. "We're like: We
didn't sign up for a religious show. I
don't want to make a statement on
angels. I came to do "X-Files." ' But
it's kept on finding new ground."
Robert Singer, the series's longtime
show runner, said: "The biggest
tipping point was the introduction of
angels. It seemed to be a natural
place to go once we'd gone so far
into demon stories."
It's about Netflix.
As with many other shows these
days, everyone involved credits
online streaming of past seasons for
increasing current viewership. "We've
had a real jump in teenagers who are
watching the show," Mr. Singer said.
"They were 5 or 6 when it started,
and they didn't know the show from
Adam. The fact that they can go back
and see it from the beginning and get
themselves invested to watch it now
is a big thing."
It's about beefcake.
Mr. Padalecki is 6-foot-5, Mr. Ackles
is 6 feet, and together they are, as
Mr. Padalecki puts it, "400 pounds of
dude." Misha Collins said, "Yeah, I
think we would be lying to ourselves
if we weren't admitting that that's an
aspect of this dynamic."
The Winchesters politely demur. Mr.
Padalecki: "As flattering as that is,
out of 190 episodes I think I've taken
my shirt off less than 10 times." Mr.
Ackles: "We probably keep our
clothes on more than any other show
on this network."
But what the heck. "If people watch
because Jensen's handsome or they
like my hair, and then they say, This
is a really cool show, they really put
their heart and soul into this and I'll
tune in again,' fine," Mr. Padalecki
said. "Whatever gets them in the
seats, right?"
its about the fans
Whether it's angels, abs or both, the
cast members spend part of every
summer break traveling around the
world to "Supernatural" fan
conventions.
"When we go to So Paulo for a
convention and there are 50 people
camped out on the hotel doorstep
just waiting to get a glimpse of us,"
Mr. Collins said, "and when we go
into the halls and there are 1,500 or
2,000 people and the screaming will
be so deafening we have to cover our
ears " it's like we have this one
moment where you can feel like
you're a Beatle. And then you get to
go about your normal life the rest of
the year."
Not all fans are content simply to
attend conventions. Some of them
want to take a hand in the story, and
their fan fiction can explore areas
mostly untouched on the show, like
the latent homoerotic suggestiveness
of the Winchesters' intense
relationship. Asked if he reads any of
this material, Mr. Ackles said: "I
don't. I know it's out there, and I'm,
I'm " the people that have asked me
about it are well aware that I would
rather not know about that."
its about humility
The Winchesters " that is, Mr. Ackles
and Mr. Padalecki " are enthusiastic
and accommodating interview
subjects, seeking out a reporter at
every break to talk up their underdog
show, finishing each other's
sentences, always agreeing. They
reflect their characters, or vice versa:
Mr. Ackles is the quiet, watchful
older brother, keeping an eye on the
eagerly talkative Mr. Padalecki.
Jensen: "We both had strong fathers
who instilled a good work ethic in
us."
Jared: "And I think a gratitude for the
work. And there's certainly times " "
Jensen: "A respect " "
Jared: "A respect for everybody " "
Jensen: "And humble."
Jared: "There have been times when
I've let myself get overwhelmed with,
Oh, I feel so overworked.' And
Ackles has been like: Dude.
Remember.' And I'm like, Oh yeah.' "
its about the future
"Supernatural" is projected to hit the
200-episode milestone next season;
a pilot for a spinoff series ,
"Supernatural: Bloodlines," will be
shown April 29. How long can the
magic last?
"As long as these numbers keep up,
and as long as these guys want to
do it, Supernatural' will stay on the
air," said Mark Pedowitz, president of
CW. If he doesn't keep the promise,
there's a 12-inch angel dagger with
his name on it.
Abs Secrets to the Long Life of
Supernatural' via New York Times
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/arts/television/secrets-to-the-long-life-of-supernatural.html?_r=1&referrer=
Jensen Ackles, left, as Dean
Winchester and Jared Padalecki as
his brother, Sam, in "Supernatural,"
the CW drama now in its ninth
season and gaining new viewers.
SURREY, British Columbia " The first
episode of the scary-monster show
"Supernatural ," in which a college
student came home and found his
girlfriend on the ceiling, roasting like
a blond marshmallow, was shown by
the WB network on Sept. 13, 2005.
Since then quite a few shows have
come and gone " "Breaking Bad,"
"Friday Night Lights," "30 Rock,"
"Dexter," to name a few " but
"Supernatural" is still here, now on
CW on Tuesday nights. Midway
through its ninth demon-stabbing,
vampire-decapitating, angel-ganking
season, it's the sixth-longest-
running drama currently in prime
time " and it's already been renewed
for another season.
How does a show that gets relatively
little attention and even less credit in
the age of the prime-time drama find
itself on a short list with series like
"Law & Order: SVU" and "Grey's
Anatomy"? We went to the suburbs of
Vancouver, where the 190th episode
was being shot, to ask. Here are
some possibilities.
It's about the hair.
Between takes at the seedy-motel
location " an actual seedy motel
here, about 40 minutes south of
Vancouver, just above the American
border " several young women trot
out and run their fingers through the
hair of the stars, Jensen Ackles and
Jared Padalecki.
"The way my hair is, if I get out of
the shower and put a beanie on or
something, it just kind of lays," said
Mr. Padalecki, whose leonine tresses
are one of the show's trademarks.
"But it doesn't lay well for the
camera, because it'll cover" " he
gestures to his face " "the thing."
Mr. Ackles, whose laugh is like the
crack of the show's magic Colt
revolver, said, "I'm fairly certain that
that mop is solely responsible for the
10th-season pickup."
It's about the brothers.
Mr. Ackles and Mr. Padalecki play
Dean and Sam Winchester, brothers
with a family tradition of demon
hunting. Mr. Ackles was 26 and Mr.
Padalecki 22 when the show began,
and they are "Supernatural" "
conversations with co-stars, show
runners and network and studio
presidents always come around to
Jensen and Jared, Jared and Jensen.
In the motel parking lot, through
endless takes in the February chill,
they set the tone, joking with the
crew, then discussing with the
director how to block a scene in
which they're thrown against their
black 1967 Impala by the flick of an
angel's finger.
"At the end of the day we have a very
good understanding that a lot of it
comes down to he and I, and how we
relate to each other on- and off-
screen," Mr. Ackles said. "That was
impressed upon us very early on by
Eric Kripke," the show's creator. "He
sat us down the first episode and
said, Listen, guys, this begins and
ends with you.' "
It's about Joseph Campbell. And
masculinity.
Misha Collins plays the nave but
deadly angel Castiel, the
Winchesters' mascot and fellow
warrior. He studied social theory at
the University of Chicago and worked
in the Clinton White House and he's
a very smart man, so we should
probably listen: "The show deals with
universally appealing mythology story
lines, the kind of stuff that Joseph
Campbell would be proud to see on
television," he said, "but grounds it
in personal relationships."
"It's really a show about boys
becoming men," he added. "It's
about manhood and these guys who
vacillate between testosterone-
infused knife fights and gun battles
and then crying on one another's
shoulders, having their intimate
brotherhood-of-men moments. And I
think that's something you don't see
that much of on television."
and angels
"It used to be about guys on the road
hunting urban legends," Mr.
Padalecki said, referring to the first
four or five seasons sketched out by
Mr. Kripke, who pitched the show as
"Route 66" meets "The X-Files." "And
then angels came in," he added, and
that annoyed them. "We're like: We
didn't sign up for a religious show. I
don't want to make a statement on
angels. I came to do "X-Files." ' But
it's kept on finding new ground."
Robert Singer, the series's longtime
show runner, said: "The biggest
tipping point was the introduction of
angels. It seemed to be a natural
place to go once we'd gone so far
into demon stories."
It's about Netflix.
As with many other shows these
days, everyone involved credits
online streaming of past seasons for
increasing current viewership. "We've
had a real jump in teenagers who are
watching the show," Mr. Singer said.
"They were 5 or 6 when it started,
and they didn't know the show from
Adam. The fact that they can go back
and see it from the beginning and get
themselves invested to watch it now
is a big thing."
It's about beefcake.
Mr. Padalecki is 6-foot-5, Mr. Ackles
is 6 feet, and together they are, as
Mr. Padalecki puts it, "400 pounds of
dude." Misha Collins said, "Yeah, I
think we would be lying to ourselves
if we weren't admitting that that's an
aspect of this dynamic."
The Winchesters politely demur. Mr.
Padalecki: "As flattering as that is,
out of 190 episodes I think I've taken
my shirt off less than 10 times." Mr.
Ackles: "We probably keep our
clothes on more than any other show
on this network."
But what the heck. "If people watch
because Jensen's handsome or they
like my hair, and then they say, This
is a really cool show, they really put
their heart and soul into this and I'll
tune in again,' fine," Mr. Padalecki
said. "Whatever gets them in the
seats, right?"
its about the fans
Whether it's angels, abs or both, the
cast members spend part of every
summer break traveling around the
world to "Supernatural" fan
conventions.
"When we go to So Paulo for a
convention and there are 50 people
camped out on the hotel doorstep
just waiting to get a glimpse of us,"
Mr. Collins said, "and when we go
into the halls and there are 1,500 or
2,000 people and the screaming will
be so deafening we have to cover our
ears " it's like we have this one
moment where you can feel like
you're a Beatle. And then you get to
go about your normal life the rest of
the year."
Not all fans are content simply to
attend conventions. Some of them
want to take a hand in the story, and
their fan fiction can explore areas
mostly untouched on the show, like
the latent homoerotic suggestiveness
of the Winchesters' intense
relationship. Asked if he reads any of
this material, Mr. Ackles said: "I
don't. I know it's out there, and I'm,
I'm " the people that have asked me
about it are well aware that I would
rather not know about that."
its about humility
The Winchesters " that is, Mr. Ackles
and Mr. Padalecki " are enthusiastic
and accommodating interview
subjects, seeking out a reporter at
every break to talk up their underdog
show, finishing each other's
sentences, always agreeing. They
reflect their characters, or vice versa:
Mr. Ackles is the quiet, watchful
older brother, keeping an eye on the
eagerly talkative Mr. Padalecki.
Jensen: "We both had strong fathers
who instilled a good work ethic in
us."
Jared: "And I think a gratitude for the
work. And there's certainly times " "
Jensen: "A respect " "
Jared: "A respect for everybody " "
Jensen: "And humble."
Jared: "There have been times when
I've let myself get overwhelmed with,
Oh, I feel so overworked.' And
Ackles has been like: Dude.
Remember.' And I'm like, Oh yeah.' "
its about the future
"Supernatural" is projected to hit the
200-episode milestone next season;
a pilot for a spinoff series ,
"Supernatural: Bloodlines," will be
shown April 29. How long can the
magic last?
"As long as these numbers keep up,
and as long as these guys want to
do it, Supernatural' will stay on the
air," said Mark Pedowitz, president of
CW. If he doesn't keep the promise,
there's a 12-inch angel dagger with
his name on it.
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