We really would like to report on happier things, but who would have thought this was going to happen?
Asking around for possible reasons we have come up with the main ones here, but feel free to chip in your 2 cents in the comment section below.
Reason #1: Castiel
You have crowds of fans demanding a 6th season while ratings are plummeting down to hell. Word on the street has it that Castiel is to blame, but this can’t be right since he has been in season 4, remember? And back then he wasn’t so bad at all.
So if you cannot blame it on Castiel, what other reasons are there?
Reason#2: Conventions
One of the reasons could be Conventions. Yes, seriously, think about it for a moment. TV is all about magic, this wonderful escape from reality at hardly no cost. Then there are these costly gatherings that bring fans together (especially the very crazy ones) and let them get face to face with a dream. – Ask yourself: Does this not spoil the fantasy?
Reason #3: Bad Acting
This is a personal favorite and although some do think season 5 is one of the best ones yet, so far the acting of Jared and Jensen has become generic and stiff. Dean’s comments used to be so fresh and lovable and now both Sam and Dean have just have become so predictable, it has become physically painful for the writer of this post to sometimes sit through the conversation, let alone enjoy an episode to its full potential, which brings us to the next reason
Reason #4: Bad Writing
Not much that can be added, it sometimes is good but it has gotten bad, inconsistent and even illogical plot-wise.
Reason #5: Kim Manners
Since Kim died earlier this year of lung cancer, the show has not been the same. He was known for bringing out the very best in the actors he worked with and Jared and Jensen have confirmed this often in various interviews. Kim had a very special feel for how a TV show should be and look and all the episodes he has worked on were made if win. No need to say more. It’s just not the same without him.
So all in all, why are we saying Fandom is falling apart though? Well, look at the ratings for once. The industry standard is Nielsen, not really a guy as such, but a force to be reckoned with. All made up from statistics that are beyond human comprehension but they do tell what’s going on.
There are a few stupid ones that claim these ratings mean nothing and do not reflect the actual viewer. Well, yes and no. Of course not EVERY viewer is accounted for, how would you even do this technically? But you’d be fooled to think they don’t matter. Numbers are all that matters in business, because the higher the rating the more you can charge for an advertising slot, which in turn makes the network more money. Low ratings, low revenue from ads (which is, should you not know, the MAIN way a network earns the cash to pay the actors and crew and to contract new seasons) and low ratings mean no renewal.
So fans, this is the low-down: THERE WON’T BE NO SEASON 6 and if you don’t watch now, by the time you do, you will have missed all the fun!
It’s nice if you buy the DVD’s years later and all that, but it’s too little too late. There is only ONE Apocalypse and it doesn’t have a replay button.
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This is a crock. The writing is still great. The acting is good. Blame the fans. If they aren’t watching, it is noone’s fault but theirs. The conventions are supposed to be awesome and allow the fans and the stars to meet on neutral territory. I am a fan. I have not missed an episode. I download each from Amazon the next day. I have almost all their movies and tv shows. I have the cards, the books, the magazines. I even have every cd Jensen has ever sung on or been involved in writing songs for.
There are loyal fans out there and we don’t miss. Many DVR the show and watch it later. Check the ratings on that. Also find out what the ratings are for older women. You’d be surprised. Check the ratings for the military. Not all of us, by the way have Nielsen or cable or satellite. We use antennas. We aren’t counted.
There are some fans out there who would rather fight then love the boys. What a shame. Give the show a chance. It has not lost its way yet.
The show has gotten serious but the game got bigger and in reality, if it didn’t go this way it wouldn’t be realistic. I think the fans aren’t posting cause I know I’ve gotten several more ppl watching and addicted. My sons have rings because the song was on a favorite eppy. My daughter is a Dean Girl. Juggalos are getting into the show. How can the ratings be going down?
Insofar as ratings go — yes, they could be better. However, if you look at the analysis on TVbythenumbers.com, you will see that across the board for all networks (except Fox) there is erosion year-to-year in viewers and/or demo numbers. That Supernatural has built in the all-imortant demo #’s, despite losing a bit in the overall viewers (a drop that is nowhere near the percentage loss of Fringe, BTW)is actually showing some ratings strength. Overall viewers had an up-tick this week too. News of the imploding of Supernatural is premature at best and inaccurate at worst.
Disagree totally… Show is doing fine…
Will admit, I am more then a little p’eed off that The show isn’t treated better in the UK… It’s swopped around from channel to channel & is usually on late after 11pm when it is shown with more regularity… S5 is not due to be even screened til end of Jan 2010… and even then, the channel yet has to finish rest of S1 , plus full seasons 2, 3 & 4… before then… I dunno… disappointed in how it is advertised!
Regarding Cons etc… I loved the Con in UK last May, they all worked like troopers, couldn’t fault any of them at all… well except Misha, cause he just would stop talk the P*** the entire time… :D :D :D
Ghostfacers in 2 weeks time… numbers are currently low for it, but then I put that down also to organisation & advertising of it as much as anything else… Travis & AJ, particularly are doing their very best to make this Hellhounds Con fun etc…
Alot of them are more assessible on Twitter & Facebook now too which helps keep them in the fans minds!
Sure the show is missing the Kim Manners touch, however… the eps are still cool and the story brilliant! Respect to all involved for a top effort! The story has been stepped up this season to a more serious one & some are finding that hard to see and follow due to the fact we were really spoiled with light fun standalone eps…
What is there left to say but… Please don’t despair & give up on the show just yet… it’s doing fine… Keep the Faith folks!!!
BTW… My SPN Prediction… Sam=Lucifer Dean=Archangel Michael and…….. Daddy John Winchester = GOD!!!! Huh??? You’ll all see I’m right in time…. Yep…. Hot God Daddy… ;) LOL!!!
Hey there good buckets.
I have to add my 2 dollars (we don’t have 2 cents in Hong Kong) here.
I think season 5 has been refreshing so far – despite everyone expecting an angstfest every single week, they have so far managed to balance what needs to be carried forward with more light-hearted fare. There’s nowt wrong with telling the tale of the end of the world from an amusing perspective.
Acting. I happen to think pretty much everyone on the show has come a long way. Just sit down and watch the pilot to remind yourself where it all started, LOL.
Writing. They have managed to produce 88 episodes (at time of writing) and to be honest, I cannot think of a single time I’ve thought “OMG, this is just jumping the shark”. Sometimes I disagree with the ending (which makes it more interesting for me), sometimes I question whether they really have to make Dean cry so much (if I’d have cried like that I’d have been slapped for it – and I’m a girl), sometimes I wonder if Sam practises with those eyebrows. But overall, the stories every week are pretty original (save a few X-Files transplants, jazzed up and mixed with lore) and they have managed to pull a good story out of the hat every damn time – not easy. Look at other shows and by series three they’re already slip-sliding into plain crazy territory because they don’t have anything left to write about.
Conventions: This is a sore point with me. I have attended LA cons in ’08 and ’09, but cannot afford to do so in 2010. Flights, hotels, convention ticket prices – and I still do not understand why you have to pay for photographs and autographs when you’ve just spent nearly 500 US dollars on a bloody Gold Weekend Pass. But that’s something Creation are blamed for, not the show, obviously. What it boils down to is that I cannot afford to do a convention this year – and I’m especially upset that it’s 2010 because it’ll be the end of the last season, too. Bah!
I do think that letting fans get close to meet the Boys et al is a great thing for everyone – keeps the draw of it all, keeps the need going. :) For this reason, I will be at Dragon*Con 2010 (less than 80 US dollars for the same convention as the 500 US dollar ones, thank you, Creation) to make up for losing my beloved SPN con that year.
Twitter. We had amazing success with the opening weeks, getting good press for the Twitter stunts fans all over the world pulled to get it trending on Twitter. Since then, however, it’s been a disaster. No one person seems to be in charge of the weekly hashtags and as a result, everyone asks everyone else what they’re using and tries to pull together. What you get is perhaps twenty different tags with twenty different spellings (and therefore, not the same in a bot’s eyes) all trying to trend. If everyone used the same single hashtag, it would trend. Oh, and using #Supernatural or even #SPN gets the tweet discounted from the trending race, lest it upset P Diddy again (don’t get me started on that piece of annoyance).
This week, as with every week, I’ll be going with #SamAndDean :)
Phew, think that’s my 20 bucks, not 2. :)
I still love Supernatural as I always have, but there may be a little truth to the predictability of the Sam and Dean dialogues as of late. In a few instances, they sounded less like brothers and more like a couple facing the challenge of recovering from the infidelity of one of them; and Dean was perfectly horrible to Sam, blaming him for the Apocolypse and completely forgetting that it was he himself who broke the first seal in the first place! I really didn’t like Dean’s attitude for most of that episode. The angst was nearly too much! I would like to see a season 6, and I love Castiel…I think he has enhanced the situation. It’s all up to the perception of each individual as to how this is playing out, good or bad, but if there are some constructive criticisms that can be politely presented to the writers, then we as fans have the responsibility to do just that. :)