Image Credit: Sergei Bachlakov/The CW; L. Cohen/WireImage.comA new Friday time slot isn’t the only major change facing Supernatural as it heads into its sixth season (beginning Sept. 24). Series creator Eric Kripke—whose five-season-long end-of-days-themed arc came to a close last May—is stepping down as day-to-day showrunner in favor of an advisory role. (Longtime EP Sera Gamble has been tapped to succeed him.) In the following Q&A, Kripke sets the record straight about the reason he relinquished his top-dog status, and previews the “undiscovered country” at the heart of the show’s top secret second act.
Why did you decide to step down as showrunner?
ERIC KRIPKE: We were reaching the end of this five-year story line [so] I thought the timing was right. I knew that we were closing this chapter and opening a new one. It felt like it was the right time to take a step back and focus on new projects, but still keep my grubby little mitts in the show. It was a lot about Sera and her enthusiasm and her ambition. I really think after five years of all of my crap, to have someone who has a fresh perspective and a fresh energy on these characters and this universe is healthy for the show. Supernatural has always been a show about reinvention. We try really hard not to do the same thing. I thought that Sera’s [increased] involvement really helped guarantee that this season is going to feel a little different, a little fresher. She has a different sensibility.
What exactly will your role be?
KRIPKE: I see my job as being a safety net and just making sure that the show falls in the broadest possible parameters…. Sera and Bob [Singer] are pitching episode ideas to me. I’m in the room so far for every episode break. I pitch a couple of episode ideas, pitch a couple issues of how to fix some problems and some breaks. I’m giving some script notes. I’m still in it; I think, frankly, Sera and Bob wish I backed the hell up. [Laughs]
Will you be writing any episodes?
KRIPKE: I think I will certainly be writing an episode this year. I am also slated to direct an episode in February.
What do you say to those fans who felt the show should have ended with season 5?
KRIPKE: My answer to that is time will tell. I have high hopes for this season. I remember the same kind of concerns when we bumped off Yellow Eyes in season 2. We killed their Big Bad and where were we going to go now? We always found a different place to go. People forget that I didn’t [originally] want angels in the show. Then we introduced the angels and then it spun the story line in a way that was really rich for us. This is a show that ends story lines and starts new ones and reinvents itself. I think because it is hardwired into the DNA of the show, it will weather a lot of transition and growth. The question is not should it have ended, the question is, Is the new story line compelling and interesting and is it an arena of this universe that we haven’t explored yet and is it putting Sam and Dean into new situations that we haven’t seen before? I think it does all of the above.
Okay, what is the new story line?
KRIPKE: One of the first things Sera and Bob talked to me about was that the angel thing is rightfully exhausted, so where do you go from there? Not to say that angels and demons won’t be a part of the story line, because they will. Castiel will be there. Crowley will be there. The beloved characters will be threading into the story. But the great undiscovered country of Supernatural is kind of right in front of our face: creatures and monsters. We have had so many creature episodes but we haven’t actually explained where they came from—[similar] to the way we have explored angels and demons. How do they feel about the situations they are in? Are they from here? Where did the first ones come from? How did werewolves and vampires and shape-shifters all begin anyway? I thought that was a really smart notion on [Sera and Bob's] part, just exploring the history of that, because that was something that we never investigated on the show.
How does Grandpa [Mitch Pileggi] fit into this?
KRIPKE: He’s representative of the other side of this exploration, which is that Sam and Dean have a family of hunters that they never knew they had. Their grandfather is the head of that family. Remember, it’s not the Winchesters who are famous hunters, it’s the Campbells. And we are saying that the Campbells are part of a timeline of hunters that have been there since the country’s origins. As Sera put it, they were hacking heads off vampires on the Mayflower. For Sam and Dean to really tap into a family history, which they never knew they had and again never really investigated before, is pretty interesting to us.
Want more scoop on season 6? You should definitely check out the show’s Comic-Con panel on Sunday, July 25, at 11:15 a.m, starring Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, and Jim Beaver, as well as EPs Sera Gamble, Ben Edlund, and Eric Kripke.
That does sound pretty interesting. But the Friday timeslot does worry me a bit. At least it’s not Friday on Fox . . .
friday is the grave yard, but you’re absolutely right. at least it isn’t fox. i’m still upset over what it did to Dollhouse.
Thursday is such a competitive night, I’m so glad they moved them out of there.
I agree with you. Having them move to Friday makes Thursdays much more manageable. Now I don’t need to use my vcr at all.
I love younger men.
I have dated only men at least 10 years younger and as much as 17 years younger than me for many years.
I love the energy and a nice tight bod. Older men just aren’t the same, different mentality.llkh.
I seem to have more in common with younger guys. They’re actually more fun and are usually more interested in me.
I’m flattered. I think younger men like cougars because they have no agenda,
don’t usually want to get married and are usually very independent and don’t need a man to take care of them.
I meet younger men on this website:10Year gap.com
555AAAAA4
u still use a vcr?
I agree. I am gone so much on Friday, that I will miss episodes.
I dont really agree. Sure Thursday is competitive but Friday night is a bad bad night for any show trying to make it. Its done great on Thursdays and even Tuesdays but Friday may be the end of it. For instance, ive been anxious for Supernatural to be on right now for years and now that its on Fridays ive completly forgotten about he move and its my FAVORITE show. Idk, I hope it stays on cause this sounds like a good season
I still use a VCR- I guess I’m poor.
Friday’s is ok by me. Nothing else I watch that day and it’s paired with Smallville again so I have a 2hour block to look forward too.
You still have a VCR?
I’m catching up on summer re-runs b/c Thursday is just too full. I like the move.
I also still have a vcr – two of them. This makes my Friday’s really bad – CBS, Fox (maybe) CW, SYFY – hope nothing else crawls out of the woodwork for Fri pm! Glad that SN is continuing….
I think the move to Friday is great! Finally a good show to watch on the otherwise lame Friday night lineup! Yay!
But… SOMETHING has to air on Friday nights. And since this is a show with a loyal fanbase (not something new like “Dollhouse” or Firefly”) it should probably be ok.
Supernatural is like One Tree Hill and Smallville though in the sense that they have such a loyal fanbase that timeslot changes don’t really affect them.
Dean and Sam have an odd way of communicating with one another now don’t they? I matters little where they are in the time slot wars in this day and age. I want to know if Ben is really Dean’s son and what the heck is Sam doing standing outside the house looking in!
exactly kylie. i’d follow it to 3 am on a sunday morning if i had to.
CJ I couldn’t agree more! That is probably what I have always thought of. Though, I do have another idea – What would sam and dean’s life be if their family wasn’t interrupted by Azazel (Yellow eyes.) After this whole apocalypse story maybe they should focus on their family history, what would happen if yellow eyes wasn’t there, and maybe Dean has something “weird” like Sam and his demon blood. Another thing is that they could also go on with more “monsters” from different religions – they could even turn in the direction where two of the same creatures from two different origins find each other and create a conflict.
Long message, I know.
Sincerely,
Someone with alot of words. (:
I don;t think it will hurt at all being on fri. night. Their’s nothing on t.v. on fri. If supernatural came on at 3:00am i’d get up 2 watch!
In this day of DVR, VHS, Tivo, Hulu, et al….why would anyone complain about what “night” a show is on? If you can’t watch it, tape it, for heaven’s sake…and quit complaining.
I doubt that people have a problem with it, per se, but the TV execs still care about how many people tune into any given show during its timeslot, and could cancel (and they have) shows because of low numbers. Since we all like Supernatural, let’s all watch when it’s on and then go out at 10pm on Fridays.
i still dont get how the dvr doesnt count the same as watching it “live”. one has to be tuned in to the channel in order to record it, at least on the comcast motorola dvr that i have.
I was actually wondering the same thing Chris. Whenever my dvr starts recording it switches over to the channel..doesn’t that count as watching it at it’s time slot? Anyone know? Although I’m super cool with the Friday nights. I had both work AND college classes Thursday, now I can watch it! ;D
Jason: “In this day of DVR…why would anyone complain about what “night” a show is on?”
Ask Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles.
T:TSCC was actually ONE OF THE MOST WATCHED TV SHOW ON AT THE TIME!
DVR’d and internet views are not counted by original advertisers.
It’s the original time-slot airing that the sponsors care aboot.
No sponsors, no show. Irregardless of how many people still watch the show in whatever form.
Interesting….the Nielson box must detect when a show is being recorded with a dvr. If you’re not a Nielson family your own viewing habits don’t affect the ratings one bit.
The execs should check out how many times their episodes are downloaded via torrent as well… gives people the freedom to watch the show whenever they have time, and the numbers for Supernatural are super high. Seriously, if the network only edited in commercials into an HD video file and linked a torrent on their site I would be more than willing to download it that way instead.
I think they do a DVR count and add it to the numbers, but it’s a separate number. That is, they use the Nielsen rating as the live viewing, and then say +DVR numbers. The issue is that the advertisers know very well that everyone FF’s through the commercials, so they still prefer a butt on the couch when the show airs live.
We just finished being a Nielsen family. Your DVR recording counts if you watch it within two weeks but it doesn’t count the same as a live watching. If you go to Wiki and look up the Supernatural numbers you will see numbers posted for both live and DVR.
For all of the people who have commitments on Friday nights and are worried about TV executives cancelling the show as a result of low viewership – why don’t you just leave your TV turned on the the CW while you’re gone? Then the TV Gods will think you were watching!
I love this show and will DVR it anywhere it goes
They don’t count it because they’re making money off the commercials, and when people DVR it and watch it online they aren’t seeing the commercials.
I’m really looking forward to season 6. I love all of Sera’s episodes, she’s going to do awesome.
I’ve been one of those “Loyal fans” who have not missed one episode since Supernatural started, and it’s not the fact that I won’t follow it, it’s the fact that I can’t follow it on Fridays. I have a job that won’t allow me to be there watching it on Friday nights, whereas on Thursday nights I didn’t work and was able to watch it that night all these years.
If it were due to simply just “being there” without committments, Friday would work, but myself, like so many others, have committments on Fridays that interfere, not to mention the many (my relatives) who go places for the weekend, leaving on Friday and not returning til Sunday, that will also take them out of the “watching” scenario.
As I said, I’ve watched from day 1, I don’t have a way to record the show, so I’m one of the many who will not be able to watch the final season after all these years.
That’s very unfortunate for us, who’ve been so dedicated. Guess we have to wait til a DVD comes out to see the show we’ve loved all these years on Thursday nights, because of this change. I’m sorry to be missing it, I loved it, but my job won’t permit me watching it on Fridays anymore.
This is for Sherry, your comment makes no sense because how is it soooo hard to buy a vcr or dvd recorder and record the show or get a friend to record it for you, or even download it since you clearly have internet??????? There are so many options so your comment is just not smart whatsoever.
I haven’t had cable for 3 years and I’ve still never missed an episode. With iTunes and Amazon you can download them the next day. Also, the CW site posts them to watch for free a few days after they air if you can be patient for that long. You have lots of options.
Our kids are watching all 4 old season this summer on TNT. 2 episodes per morning at 10am and 11am. They DVR them and then watch them later in the day! You get through a season every 2.5 weeks!
VCR’s are very cheap these days.
Watch it online? I don’t have HBO, but I’m obsessed with True Blood and watch it online.
Take a day off if it is the series finale.
absolutely – the CW website carries full episodes for at least a couple of weeks after the original showing, so it Is possible to watch it there. However, no matter what pc I use, it stumbles along at about half-speed…..
did anyone else break out a violin and start playing while reading Sherry’s post?
1. Download torrent program
2. Find Supernatural torrent
3. ???
4. Profit!!
Seriously?
To be honest, I don’t have cable or a dvr, yet I still manage to keep up to date with my vcr and the internet.
Plus, there’s this magical thing the tv stations do called reruns…
I really don’t see why you’re complaining.
Although, I do understand, because I too have a job. But that doesn’t prevent me from watching…
Should be good!
What a great interview!!
I’ve always liked Supernatural from the start but I became a hard core fan during season 4 -when I caught Lazarus Rising by chance in mid-season re-runs in my country – and I’ve been obsessed with these guys ever since.
Glad to see Cas will be back, I love him, I found him incredibly funny.
Can’t wait for the show to start again.
I’d still like some info on the Winchester side of the family even if they weren’t the “famous hunters”. They’re still Sam & Dean’s family.
i think its really cool though to concentrate on their mom’s side of the family for a change.
Agreed. I wish their was a way to sort of give us a little more John Winchester. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has always said he’d love to come back, anytime, if they had more to add to the story. I guess it wouldn’t really fit in at this point though.
I miss JDM, maybe they could do a flashback or dream/nightmare with him.
They have brought Sam and Dean back from the dead countless times. Why can’t they bring back their mom and dad?
Ausiello: Since they’re focusing on Dean/Sam’s family, I wonder if we’ll be finding out what happened to Adam? If Sam’s out of hell…
I think Sam has actually saved himself, by virtue of self sacrifice to save Dean and the rest of the world – he as a vessel would’ve been “saved” by God and sent to heaven “had he actually died” – I like that the light also flicked out much as it did when the angels appeared to talk to each other. Anyway that’s my theory as to why Sam isn’t trapped in Hell.
I believe Sam is the Archangel Michael! Since, Sam needed to come back from Hell. Michael probably brought him out & probably sent Adam back to Heaven since he was dead already. But, who knows, those are just my thoughts.
That idea kinda reminds me of Buffy!
Although, my idea is that god saved sam, because at the end, he had said that the whole thing was a test to see how the boys placed family above all else, so it would be reasonable to bring back sam and keep some of the family together.
This show and True Blood make my life complete.
Exactly. Supernatural, True Blood, and what the hell else do you need?
Sons of Anarchy.
Machunny, I second that motion: SoA and SN. What else does a girl need?
I’m there for anything involving Supernatural. I have to say the fifth season was the most perfect season of any tv show ever! I’m going to keep watching and I like the fact that Supernatural & Smallville are back together again.
Interesting,I found season 4 better and am really happy to get a sixth season because I wasn’t too happy with the fifth season. Don’t get me wrong the finale was badass but the story arc of the season could have been better.
Season 3 was my favorite… but they were all good in my opinion.
Yeah, too many deaths of good characters!
OMG me too!! I <3 season 4. IMO it had to be the funniest season evar with Becky and Chuck XD I'll never forget that moment when Chuck runs out "I am the prophet Chuck!" whew good times
Wow, this sounds awesome!
Honestly, I’ll be ok with any plot they throw at us as long as Sam and Dean stay on the same page. I can’t handle them fighting any more.
I’m really excited to get back to monsters and mythology. As much as I love Castiel, I just really missed the old school stuff. Fridays are going to be hard to get used to, but hopefully it’ll help ratings out.
Is it September yet?
…No.. sadly it’s still July…
Nope, it’s August. 51 days left!!!!!
“Honestly, I’ll be ok with any plot they throw at us as long as Sam and Dean stay on the same page. I can’t handle them fighting any more.”
I totally agree!
OMG, so much WORD!
They’ve used the brother vs. brother dynamics often enough by now. It’s time to see Sam and Dean work together as a team again. I was so disappointed about the misleading information Kripke and others gave pre-season5 (that the season was going to focus on mending the brother rift and put the boys back on the same page again). All we got was a whole season focusing on angels, yet again, and in between yet more brother separation. And then, only at the very end of the season, they let the boys back each other up again for real.
And, yeah, I miss the good old monster of the week episodes, too. Back when it was all just about family business and hunting things, and not about angels and demons. Which means I’m more excited about season 6 than I was about season 4 or 5. – If they stick to what they promised this time, that is.
“Castiel will be there!” That’s all I needed to here. Can’t wait!
Yep, I love it when Castiel is either drunk or horn-dogging around! Too funny!
hahahaha yeah, i was so happy to know that Cass will be back. i know he’s in the 1st episode. so thats cool! P.S i hope they have more “AssButt” stuff. =)
yeah.totally castiel rock heaven and earth!
I love Supernatural, but the way they ended Season 5 was a disappointment to me. All that build up to a let down…oh well…on to season 6.
a letdown? the end of s5? omg. i don’t think you were watching the same thing as the rest of us… lol
Love this show and trust the writers to keep it compelling. Thanks for keeping some original writing and programming, and thanks EW for covering the smaller shows. If it wasn’t for Sons of Anarchy and Supernatural I’d be stuck watching the Discovery Channel with the hubby (every single night–pity me).
Is it wrong that I’m more excited for Castiel and Crowley on my TV than Sam and Dean?
No.
The most exciting thing I got of this interview is that Crowley will be back. Love the guy and the actor.
but where is that kid?i rmb?the anti christ kid who is a half demon?where the hell did he went?
It it is wrong, I am right there with you. More Misha and Mark please.
Not at all.
They’re a fantastic pair.
I would love a scene with just the two of them conversing.
I’m sure it would be classic.
Ha ha, it would be very “Good Omens” (novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)
Nope. I was praying they would keep Crowley and Castiel cause those two were fantastic! Love the boys don’t get me wrong but it was good to see them add new characters that didn’t die and weren’t love interests Lol
Lookin forward to it!
Not much to compete with on fridays so should be increased ratings for supernatural.