The CW has spent a lot of time, energy and money to make itself into the premiere network for teen girls. It all started with America's Next Top Model and Gossip Girl, and continues this season with the debut of new shows like 90210, Stylista and Privileged. The network has done everything it can to cater to this particular demographic, but it hasn't exactly paid off in the ratings. The CW can't seem to turn any of its new teen soaps into smash hits.Considering the success of edgier, more male-oriented fare like Smallville and Supernatural, it's a wonder the network doesn't attempt to develop more sci-fi and horror shows. Both series returned last week to big numbers, with Supernatural delivering its highest ratings since it started airing on the CW.
The season 4 premiere of Supernatural, "Lazarus Rising," pulled in 3.96 million viewers. That's a whopping 33 percent surge over the season 3 premiere, and the best numbers the show has ever had on the CW. As far as the demographics go, Supernatural was up 42 percent among 18-49 year-olds compared to the season 3 premiere. That has to make the CW rather happy.The premiere of Smallville, on the other hand, dropped 14 percent from its debut last year, delivering 4.38 million viewers. That's nearly on par with FOX's Hole in the Wall, which aired in the same time slot and was seen by 4.72 million people. Those are great numbers for a smaller network like the CW, but not so great numbers for FOX. I don't think Hole in the Wall is long for this world, and I certainly won't cry when it goes away.It's hard to explain the reasons behind Supernatural's ratings surge, but it's certainly a great thing to see. The episode likely benefited from a lack of competition, since shows like Grey's Anatomy and The Office have yet to return. People may have also been interested to see how Dean Winchester returned from the grave. The show's ratings success is even more impressive when you realize the CW doesn't promote it nearly as much as soaps like Gossip Girl and 90210, both of which would kill for 3.96 million viewers.
All good things must come to an end and Supernatural is no exception. The series has attracted a solid fan following and has performed consistently in the ratings, but sooner or later, fans will have to bid farewell to the good-looking Winchester boys. The question is: when will it end?Supernatural, which stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, is presently in its third season, finishing off the remaining new episodes after the two-month hiatus that was caused by the writers' strike. After that, fans still have 22 new episodes to look forward to, knowing that the series has already been given an early renewal by The CW for a fourth season. While the paranormal series may still come back for another run, the fifth season may also be its last.
Ending Supernatural in the fifth season is something anticipated by show creator Eric Kripke. “Yes, there is certainly more to explore,” Kripke said. “But we sort of have this five-year map. And Jared and Jensen like the idea of a five-year map because we work them so hard. It's possible, but I don't know... But a lot of these issues are beyond my control at the corporate level with ratings, etc. But my personal feeling is that I still want to go out in year five. It's better to go out strong and on top than to be 8 or 9 years into a piece of shit. You want conclusions... you want to end it. It's an epic story and epic stories deserve a good ending.”Of course, only time will tell. Closing the curtains on the series in its fifth season isn't something definite at this point and a lot can still happen in a span of two years.
Supernatural is one of the few shows on television that revolves almost completely around two characters. This is excellent for fans of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, as it guarantees the actors will get plenty of screen time in almost every episode of the series. However, because the show is so reliant on the chemistry between the leads, it can have a tough time introducing new characters to the mix. For every new character that is beloved by the fans, such as Ellen or Jo, there are those like Ruby (Katie Cassidy) and Bela that cause a major uproar.TV Guide has recently announced that fans will be saying goodbye to one major character when Supernatural season 4 launches in the fall. Will the change have a negative affect on the show, or will it help make it better than ever?
It's been announced that due to both budget restrictions and negative fan reaction, the character of Bela (Lauren Cohan) will not be returning in season 4. Series creator Eric Kripke told TV Guide, "I'm sad to see Lauren go. I think she's going to have a huge career, but it became increasingly obvious to the writers that the character as we conceived it simply wasn't working."
