Tag Archives: Supernatural

supernatural-shirtless

Train like a hunter: Original Supernatural workout

With our handsome Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, returning for the 10th season of Supernatural beginning last night, binge watching the first nine seasons of the monster-killing brothers jumped fairly high on my list of priorities. However, this impulse comes with a downside: sitting for hours makes me feel lazy. And when I don’t accomplish anything, I start beating myself up … then I feel sad, so then I binge watch … and around and around I go.

And as I was sitting there watching Dean Winchester in his tight, bright-red gym teacher shorts, I had an idea — and no, it’s not that kind of idea (well, that idea, too). Why not kick some ass while watching the Winchesters kick some ass? I mean, let’s give my fellow Supernatural fans a reason to move instead of just sitting there, letting Sloth take over their lives. (Although, the Winchesters did take him out, so we should be safe.) So I reflected on the moments that have led the brothers to where they are now and picked out some of the most repeated actions, phrases, and themes and decided to put exercises to them. I wanted to do a body weight workout so that I wouldn’t have to go through finding weights and equipment. Plus, then you can do the workout anytime you have access to Netflix and enough space to move. Without further adieu, here is the Supernatural workout (easily adaptable into a drinking game, if you’re so inclined):

supernatural-workout

While I may not be able to fight monsters and evil every day to stay in shape, I can find my own way to build some muscle and tone while watching the boys take on the real bad guys. When I did my trial run of one episode, “Everybody Loves a Clown,” from season 2, I immediately regretted my decision. Not because the workout was a flop, but because I could hardly move when the episode was over. My legs and arms burning, and I chugged 4 bottles of water. Then I turned to my screen and said, “Let’s do this.” (To no one in particular, really, because I frequently motivate myself out loud. Yes, it’s normal. No judging.)

The workout was worth every second of agony, though — much like the show itself. (ALL THE FEELS!) It was taxing and left me winded, but I just kept reminding myself that the Winchesters aren’t in fangirl-ogling form because they sit on a sofa watching TV all day. They’re killing monsters and fighting to make sure they stay alive and help people. And if that isn’t enough motivation, then there’s always the chance that being incredibly fit will impress Jared and Jensen enough to look your way if they end up single at some point in the future.

Enjoy!

demon-dean

Supernatural returns for a 10th year: The road so far

“… saving people, hunting things. The family business.”

Looking back on nine seasons of Sam and Dean Winchester’s bad-assery and trying to sum up everything the boys have been through on Supernatural is daunting. The fresh-faced youths from season 1 grew into the hardened men who have died (many times each), bled, and lost much in order to save lives over and over again. And, of course, there’s also the fact that Sam’s hair gets longer with each season. (Seriously, did he stop believing in getting a haircut?) But with the 10th (and final?) season premiering on The CW in just a few hours, I need to look back on the series I’ve loved, even as it dashed salt and lighter fluid on my soul and threw a Zippo on top of it.

Spoilers ahead!

Something that I’ve loved throughout the series, in addition to the brotherly moments and bad-assery, has been that the series builds on itself. Of course, there’s also the gorgeous lead actors, impressive acting, comedic timing, and emotional connection to the characters. And we can’t forget “Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas! Every time I hear that song now, I’m filled with dread, because my fellow Supernatural fans and I know that nothing good comes from hearing it.

The “Then/Now” and “The Road So Far” beginnings of each episode give us a glimpse at a moment from the boys’ past that will play a part in the forthcoming days. We’ve been shown monsters and demons they’ve encountered, as well as some dear friends, and we then get to see how they play a part in this new episode. Unfortunately, most of the friends the Winchesters have had are dead (R.I.P. Bobby, Jo, Ellen, and Ash) — except for Sheriff Jody Mills! you go girl! — and the road the boys have traveled has gotten stranger, with higher stakes every day.

Supernatural was originally written as a five-season show, and everything in those first five years built up to the fifth season finale, “Swan Song.” Looking at those first five seasons, the boys faced multitudes of demons and avenged their mother’s and father’s deaths by defeating the Yellow-Eyed Demon, Azazel, who had broken into their home when Sam was a baby and fed Sam demon blood. In their hunt for Azazel for the next two decades, the Winchesters grew into the most formidable and dangerous hunters among the demon-fighting ranks, all according to the big plan of the supernatural world.

Sam was among the children chosen specifically by Azazel to fight it out in a battle to the death that would determine who was worthy of leading the demon army that would pour out of the Devil’s Gate that Azazel opened. Azazel said Sam was always his favorite because of his leadership and experience as a hunter and that the demon blood Azazel fed him was a gift, making Sam stronger than he would have been without it.

In season 2, all hell breaks loose. Sam dies in the destined fight with Azazel, and Dean makes a deal with a Crossroad Demon to bring his brother back: Sam will be restored to life, but Dean will only have one year to live. Dean then kills Azazel with the mystical Colt revolver, but not before the Yellow-Eyed Demon opens Hell’s Gate and releases scores of demons, many that are much more deadly than what the boys had ever faced.

In season 3, the boys are charged with tracking down all the demons that were set free, as well as fighting the Seven Deadly Sins and a Santa Claus who kills people, all while trying to find a way to save Dean’s soul from an eternity in hell. The boys also begin hiding things from each other and lying instead of talking to each other — which gives them so many problems for the remaining seasons that you just want to punch those perfect faces over and over again until they stop being douchebags to each other. They team up with a demon named Ruby, who seems to be fighting on the good side against a more powerful demon, Lilith, who usually chooses to possess little girls, which makes her 1,000 times creepier.

Also in season 3, we see more of The Trickster. He lures the boys to “The Mystery Spot,” where it’s perpetually Tuesday, in order to teach Sam a lesson by killing Dean over and over again; it’s a kind of demented Groundhog Day in which, no matter how hard Sam tries, he will never be able to save Dean. And The Trickster’s lesson proves true. Lilith catches up with the boys, takes over Ruby’s body, and sends her Hellhounds after Dean, who dies, and his soul is transported to Hell. However, when Lilith attacks Sam, her powers are ineffective. He’s stronger than her powers because of the demon blood in his body, and Lilith retreats.

Season 4 opens with Dean being rescued from Hell by an angel, Castiel (because if you’re going to have demons, you have to have angels). We find out that Ruby has returned and has been coaching Sam, telling him to drink demon blood in order to be more powerful so he can defeat Lilith. The angels visit the boys, telling them that Lilith is working to break the seals to Lucifer’s Cage, and if she breaks 66 of them, the Devil walks free. By this point, you can see how it goes: the seals are broken — the first by Dean when he was in Hell, the last by Sam after Ruby betrayed him; Ruby had been working for Lilith all along, and the last seal to be broken was Lilith herself. (Ruby dies, too, which is good, because she was a bitch.)

Once Lucifer goes free, the boys find out their real purpose in life. They were born to be the human embodiments, or vessels, of Lucifer and Michael, so that the two brothers, the devoted and the rebellious, would have their final battle: The Apocalypse. A lot of archangels make appearances in this fifth season, with the best reveal being that The Trickster is actually Archangel Gabriel. Even though Lucifer allegedly kills him (I refuse to accept that he’s actually dead), he was awesome from the start.

Anyway, in order to stop the Apocalypse from occurring, the boys collect the rings of the Four Horsemen (no easy task) in order to recreate Lucifer’s Cage and throw the Devil back into it, which can only happen if Sam allows Lucifer to be his vessel. Sam says “yes” in “Swan Song” and throws himself into the pit, ending season 5.

(Sidenote: The Winchesters have a half-brother, Adam, who is chosen to be Michael’s vessel after Dean takes too long to accept. Everyone forgets about him though. But if we think about it, he’s still in that cage … Yikes.)

After that, Supernatural didn’t have much else to build to. That’s not to say the last four seasons haven’t been good, but the creator of the show, Eric Kripke, left after season 5 and had pretty much wrapped everything up nicely. So the new heads of the show had to find a new end goal.

In the subsequent seasons, the demon Crowley, who is now King of Hell with Lucifer gone, brings Sam back without his soul because it’s too damaged from the Michael-versus-Lucifer cage match. Death returns Sam’s soul but puts up a wall in order to protect Sam, blocking his memories of Hell, and tells him, “Don’t scratch the wall.” (Yes, he scratches it and ends up in a psych ward with hallucinations of Lucifer tormenting him; Sam pretty much loses his mind.)

Castiel and the other angels are at war for control of Heaven. Cas looks like he may lose to Archangel Raphael (who is a huge dick but, then again, all the angels are), so he teams up with Crowley and taps into the souls in Purgatory. It’s a seemingly win-win situation: Cas gets control of the souls to win the war and becomes incredibly powerful, and then Crowley gets control of the souls and Purgatory, so he cements his place on top.

Things are never that simple, though. Cas fashions himself the new God, but the souls tear him apart. And he doesn’t just let loose souls from Purgatory; he lets out the Leviathan, an ancient species of monsters. Basically, season 7 is about Leviathan eating people, and that’s what they want: to eat everyone — not overly ambitious considering the Winchesters’ previous battles, but oh well. The Leviathan are pretty much impossible to kill, and their leader’s name is Dick Roman. The boys’ eventually find out how to kill the Leviathan with the help of a prophet, Kevin, who can read The Word of God, which is written on stone tablets that had been discovered by Dick (and, eventually, Crowley and Cas). Dean kills Dick in the season 7 finale with the Bone of a Righteous Mortal Washed in the Three Bloods of the Fallen (yes, those were really the instructions), and he and Cas get sent straight to Purgatory.

Dean escapes from Purgatory in the next season with a vampire pal, Benny, who’s not like the other vampires. They have a cute bromance, so, of course, Benny has to die a few episodes later. Cas is rescued by other angels, including Naomi, who is using prophets to try to seal off Hell so demons can never return. Castiel is controlled by Naomi, and he nearly beats Dean to death, but the De-stiel love keeps them strong, and when Cas touches the angel tablet in Dean’s possession, he’s back to his normal self. Cas teams up with Metatron, the Scribe of God, who then betrays Cas (big surprise) and throws all the angels out of Heaven. (I’ll say it again: angels are dicks.)

Things with Sam and Dean are rough in the later seasons, mostly because they always lie to each other and are growing into different people. Sam thinks about himself most of the time and doesn’t act like much of a brother to Dean. Dean is more vicious after his time in Purgatory. Dean just wants to get things done so he can and Sam can be a happy family again, especially after his time-traveling grandfather, Henry Winchester, makes an unexpected appearance in the present day.

Henry wasn’t a hunter like his grandsons, but one of the Men of Letters, an order devoted to the study of anything supernatural and magical, allowing them to use magic to fight demons — like the one who followed Henry into the present day: Abaddon, a Knight of Hell. The Winchesters defeat Abaddon (momentarily, because they don’t have the equipment to kill a Knight of Hell yet) but at the cost of their grandfather’s life. In the process, however, the boys find a new home: the “Bat Cave” of the Men of Letters, home to stores of knowledge and, now, the Winchester boys.

The boys try to shut Hell off forever in season 8 by having Sam undergo three trials from the demon tablet, the last of which is curing a demon — that is, making him human again. They choose Crowley, but the final trial would cost Sam his life. Dean doesn’t want to let his brother go, so he stops Sam before he can complete the trail, right before the angels fall. However, it’s not in time to stop Sam from dying (again), so in the season 9, Dean allows an angel to possess Sam in order to heal him. Dean thinks it’s the angel Ezekiel, supposedly a good angel. However, we find out later that Ezekiel died in the fall, and it was really Gadreel, the angel who let the snake into the Garden of Eden, who possessed Sam.

The boys fight each other all throughout pretty much the entirety of season 9, while trying to figure out how to get the angels back in heaven and also fight Abaddon, who has come back from the “dead.” Dean and Crowley find the First Blade, the only known weapon that can kill a King of Hell. Dean takes possession of it and the power that comes with it by receiving the Mark of Cain (from the First Demon himself, Cain). However, the Mark is slowly killing Dean and changing him into something angry and violent. Dean kills Abaddon and then moves on to try to take out Metatron, but Sam, who’s been pulling away for the past few seasons — and saying that he would be OK if Dean died, because he has dealt with it before — nonetheless fears for his brother’s life.

Dean is killed in the fight with Metatron, and Sam is a wreck. (I’m actually tearing up right now as I think back on this story arc, so I need to end this quickly.) Sam gathers what he needs to summon Crowley to make a deal and get his brother back. You see, Sam lied: he’s not okay, he needs his brother. But Crowley knows something everyone else doesn’t (per usual). Crowley speaks to the “dead” Dean on the bed at the end the season 9 finale, and we see what the last few seasons have been building to. Both brothers have died many times and have seen Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. They’ve been possessed, by both angels and demons, but this is a new frontier for the boys, and now we’ll see how their story ends.

Crowley: “Your brother, bless his soul, is summoning me, as I speak. Make a deal. Bring you back. It’s exactly what I was talking about, isn’t it? It’s all become so … expected. You have to believe me. When I suggested you take on the Mark of Cain, I didn’t know that this was going to happen. Not really. I mean, I might not have told you the entire truth. But I never lied. I never lied, Dean. That’s important. It’s fundamental. But … there is one story about Cain that I might have … forgotten to tell you. Apparently, he, too, was willing to accept death rather than become the killer the Mark wanted him to be. So he took his own life with the Blade. He died. Except, as rumor has it, the Mark never quite let go. You can understand why I never spoke of this. Why set hearts aflutter at mere speculation? It wasn’t until you summoned me … no it wasn’t truly until you left that cheeseburger uneaten, that I began to let myself believe maybe miracles do come true. Listen to me, Dean Winchester. What you’re feeling right now — it’s not death. It’s life — a new kind of life. Open your eyes, Dean. See what I see. Feel what I feel. And let’s go take a howl at that moon.”

(Dean’s eyes open, and they’re black.)

It’s all been building up to this. The mighty Winchesters are now split by more than growing apart. One is now demon, one human. Can family really triumph over distances that great? We’ll have to find out if the brothers can truly bring each other back from any hell they face.

Now let’s see what Demon Dean and the next chapter of Supernatural have in store for us! Make sure you watch the season 10 premiere at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT, tonight on The CW.

once-frozen

Favorite shows return to lineup in new fall TV season

If you are a Binge Watcher and are lagging behind on Sleepy Hollow, The Vampire Diaries, Arrow, Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, or Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you should probably skip this season preview until you’re all caught up.

It’s that time of year again. The weather is turning colder, days are getting shorter, and pumpkin spiced everything is available anywhere you go. This is my favorite season — the time of year for hoodies or warm sweaters, bonfires, and hot apple cider.

It is also when fan*s start counting down to the start of the fall television season. In the next two weeks, our favorites will return and an interesting new lineup will begin. I thought I would take some time this week to look at the returning shows I’m most looking forward to, then next week discuss some of the new shows I’m planning to check out.

As you know if you’ve been reading this column, I am a huge fan of television, and I watch quite a wide range of shows. There are some that I continue to watch simply out of habit or because other members of my household still enjoy them: NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, Blue Bloods, etc. I like the characters and continue to watch, though I’m not as invested in those shows as I am in some others. The majority of my favorite shows have some sort of science-fiction or fantasy aspect to them, but there are a few straight dramas I enjoy. (Not coincidentally, most of them star actors I first discovered on genre shows.) Bones and Castle are probably my favorite crime dramas currently on television.

There are quite a few more genre shows that I’m excited about, starting with Sleepy Hollow. When I added this show to my to-watch list last fall, I thought it looked interesting, but I really didn’t know how the premise was going to hold up. Based on prior experiences with genre TV on Fox, I also didn’t have a lot of hope for it to stick around. Then the show surprised everyone with the quality of the scripts and a brilliant cast. I was pretty sure I would like it, but I never expected it to receive the response it did. Fox rarely makes decisions I agree with when it comes to programming, but I think it made a good choice in keeping the first season short; one thing I’ve learned from British television is that shorter seasons can really add to the quality of a season since writers don’t have to spread out the storyline so far and fill in the gaps.

The first season finale reveal that sin-eater Henry Parrish was not only Ichabod’s son but also one of the Four Horsemen took me completely by surprise, which is something few shows manage to accomplish. With Katrina now in the present and Abbie stuck in limbo, I am anxious to see how they resolve the cliffhanger from season 1 and carry on the second season. I’m also extremely excited about John Noble being added as a regular this year. He is an incredible actor, and the fact that he was never nominated for an Emmy for Fringe is nothing short of criminal.

I’m also looking forward to the return of my CW shows — Arrow and Supernatural much more so than The Vampire Diaries and The Originals. The first season of The Originals was vastly more compelling than anything that’s happened on The Vampire Diaries in the last couple years, though I am very excited that Alaric is returning as a VD regular; I’ve really missed Matthew Davis on the show and have been hoping for his return ever since the CW cancelled Cult (which I just could not get into).

Arrow really stepped up its game last season, especially in the episodes leading up to the finale. I’m a little disappointed that the end of the Slade storyline means we likely won’t see more of Manu Bennett any time soon — and he’ll be unrecognizable in The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. Still, I’m curious about the direction they’re headed this season, as it seems the flashbacks are moving off of the island. It will also be interesting to see Roy make the transition into a regular member of Team Arrow as he dons the Arsenal costume. I only wish the writers would do something about Laurel. I don’t know whether it’s the writing or Katie Cassidy herself, but I struggle with the fact that I couldn’t care less about her character, which is difficult when I love everything else about the show.

Supernatural will be starting its 10th season this fall, which seems like a miracle to those of us who were waiting on pins and needles back in 2006 to see if it would even get a second run. The show kind of lost its way in seasons 6 and 7 after creator Eric Kripke stepped back from running the show. However, another change in leadership after season 7 has set it back on track, with seasons 8 and 9 being a huge improvement on the previous two.

This season, Supernatural is adding a fourth season regular for the first time, as Mark Sheppard joins the cast. Sheppard’s Crowley is one of those villains everyone loves to hate, and Sheppard himself is well-loved in the genre community. When last we looked in on the Winchester brothers, Sam was mourning and Dean was resurrected as a demon. I have no idea what this coming season has in store for us — aside from the rumors of a “musical” 200th episode — but I’m hoping they let the demon Dean storyline play out. I’m really curious to see what Dean is like as a demon and feel like this is a storyline that would feel rushed if they try to wrap it up and make him human again within the first couple episodes of the season.

One of the returning shows I’m possibly most excited about is Once Upon a Time. When the season ended with a glimpse of Elsa from Frozen, I wasn’t sure what to think. At first, I was a little disappointed because Frozen, though a lovely movie, is everywhere you look, and this felt like the writers were just jumping on the bandwagon. However, I’ve since read numerous interviews in which the creators have stated that Disney had absolutely nothing to do with this decision; the show runners are fans of Frozen and thought the characters would fit well into the series. I’m now willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and see how the Frozen storyline turns out.

Aside from Frozen, I’m really looking forward to seeing all my favorite Once Upon a Time characters again. I am still a little sad they killed Neal last year, but Hook and Emma have such great chemistry, I can’t wait to see what’s next. Then there is the question of how Regina will react now that Robin Hood’s wife is alive and in Storybrooke. Regina is such an easy character to hate, but in so many ways, her character’s arc is the most interesting. I just hope she doesn’t fall back to season 1 Regina. Lastly, I’m really excited about Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘s Michael Socha joining the cast as a series regular. Socha’s Knave of Hearts was by far the best character of the spin-off series, and the reveal that he’s also Will Scarlet means he has a lot of history with Robin Hood and should fit in well with the Storybrooke residents.

The other returning show I’m most excited about would, of course, be Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The show had such a slow start, but it hit its stride around episode 6, then really went into high gear with the release of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The end of the season left Coulson tasked with picking up the pieces of the shattered S.H.I.E.L.D. after Director Fury handed over the reigns. I cannot wait to see where the show goes from here. From the casting announcements I’ve been hearing, we’ll be seeing a lot more Marvel characters this season and getting some glimpses of Agent Carter in flashbacks — possibly as a sneak peak of what to expect from the Agent Carter series set to premiere mid-season.

S.H.I.E.L.D.’s second year will also be picking up with a team that is already unified and already knows each other, so they can jump right into the mission. I’m curious to see what role Agent Grant Ward will be playing now that we know he’s a Hydra agent. Will his character have a redemption arc? Is he capable (or deserving) of redemption? I can’t wait to find out.

These are just some of the shows I’m looking forward to having return in a few weeks. I also can’t wait for the new seasons of The Walking Dead and Grimm, plus Haven‘s final, double-sized season begins tonight.

What returning shows are you looking forward to? Share them in the comments! And tune in next week when I share which new series I’m most interested in checking out.

Bloodlines

Spinoffs: The often unneeded TV sequels

When a film does well at the box office, Hollywood has a habit of feeling the need to create sequels, regardless of whether the story calls for one or not. If the producers can’t think up a sequel, they turn to backstories and make prequels, which are often worse. Television attempts the same thing; when a series is doing well, a network will try to take advantage of its popularity through the TV equivalent of a sequel: the spinoff.

Television executives started pondering early on that when a series is doing well or has been on the air for a significant period of time, surely another edition with a similar premise will be just as well-received, right? Way back in 1960, a fictional sheriff from Mayberry, N.C., arrested Danny Williams on The Danny Thomas Show, and that fall, The Andy Griffith Show began its eight-year run as one of television’s most iconic series. That series gave rise to its own spinoffs: Gomer Pyle: USMC and Mayberry R.F.D.

Some of the highest rated and acclaimed series of all-time have been spinoffs, including The Jeffersons, Laverne & Shirley, The Facts of Life, A Different World, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Family Matters, The Simpsons, and Frasier. In fact, the most watched series on television right now is a spinoff, though many have long-since forgotten this fact. CBS powerhouse NCIS got its start within the late seasons of the series JAG, which, ironically, premiered on NBC. Then, in the tradition of Andy Griffith and All In The Family before it, viewers’ embracing of NCIS led to the spinoff spawning a spinoff, NCIS: Los Angeles, which I personally find more interesting than the original. Another well-known crime procedural, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, has had similar good fortune.

Of course, while our TV sets have been full of successful spinoffs lately, there have been others that make you wonder why the producers made the effort. Even NCIS has had its spinoff missteps. CBS attempted a spinoff-of-a-spinoff when it aired a planted pilot of what would have become NCIS: Red, starring John Corbett, as an episode of NCIS: Los Angeles last year, but ultimately decided not to move forward with the series.

Undaunted by the lack of a pick-up for NCIS: Red, NCIS aired a two-part backdoor pilot to yet another anticipated spinoff, NCIS: New Orleans, just a few weeks ago. While I enjoy seeing Scott Bakula back onscreen, and I like the New Orleans atmosphere, I can’t help but wonder: is yet another spinoff really necessary (really, is any spinoff necessary)? And why so soon after the previous spinoff attempt failed to make it off the ground?

The CW has recently been getting into the spinoff game in a big way. One of its strongest freshman dramas this season was a spinoff, and next season could possibly see two more added to the schedule. The network did moderately well with the debut of The Originals this year. The series is spun-off from the network’s runaway hit drama The Vampire Diaries and follows the Original Vampires, who have been antagonists on the parent series for the last couple seasons.

I believe part of why The Originals works is that the main characters were already well-established on The Vampire Diaries. Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah are characters that fans of The Vampire Diaries have grown to love, even if they have created nothing but trouble for the protagonists of the show. Even though these were the kind of bad guys we loved to hate, their stories on The Vampire Diaries could only last so long before the characters would become stale, and I have a feeling they were getting close to that point.

By creating the spinoff centered around the Mikaelson vampires, the writers were able to start telling new stories and even take steps toward possible redemption. I’ve been watching The Originals all season and, I have to admit, I’m finding it much more compelling than The Vampire Diaries at the moment. Either Klaus and Elijah were the best part of the original series or I’ve finally had enough of Elena being Elena (possibly both).

Following the good showing put up by The Originals, the CW is now planning two more spinoffs for next season from two other dramas: Arrow and Supernatural. I am actually excited about one of those series, but I have some reservations about the other — and, surprisingly, the one I’m worried about is the spinoff from a series that’s been at the top of my list of favorite shows for years.

Earlier this season, Arrow introduced us to Barry Allen, the young man destined to become the Flash. At the end of the two-part episode, Barry was injured when a particle accelerator exploded. Next season, the series The Flash will show us how he becomes the comic book superhero. Writers had originally intended for Barry to make another appearance on Arrow before the end of the season; however, the network decided it would rather have the Flash’s origin explained in his own series, not on Arrow.

I admit when the producers first announced Grant Gustin had been cast in the role of Barry Allen, I had my doubts — maybe in part because I was still a little bitter about that slushie he threw in Blaine’s face on Glee. I just wasn’t sure Gustin had the charisma to play lead in his own series. However, I really liked the character when he appeared on Arrow. I’m still not sure if he will be able to carry a series, but with a good supporting cast, this show could be great. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

On Tuesday, the CW’s longest running drama, Supernatural, will air a backdoor pilot for proposed spinoff Supernatural: Bloodlines, renamed from Supernatural: Tribes. (I have to say, I wish they would just drop the colon title entirely. I prefer series with original titles for spinoffs, such as The Originals or Angel. Fans are smart enough to figure out which series the new show is connected to.) Supernatural: Bloodlines will be set completely in Chicago and focus on mafia-style monster families within the city, and a new, young hunter who goes up against them.

This is the series I have some reservations about. I love Supernatural — so much so that I traveled all the way to Vancouver for a fan convention back in 2009. However, I’m just not sure how this series will work out. One of the things that makes Supernatural unique is the road trip nature of the show; the ’67 Impala they drive around in is as much a character in the show as Sam and Dean. What will a version of the series set in a single city be like? How will they maintain the tone of the original? It’ll also be interesting to see how they distinguish this series from other shows with a similar premise, such as The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, or True Blood.

I don’t want to put the show down before it has even aired — I’ll give it a chance based on my appreciation of the original — I just can’t help but be skeptical. I also feel introducing new characters into a series for the sole purpose of creating a spinoff makes the entire situation feel contrived. It didn’t work so well for NCIS: Red, or for the Bones spinoff, The Finder, a few years ago (though I actually enjoyed The Finder).

As I stated earlier, part of The Originals‘ appeal was the fact that these were already established characters that fans loved, much like when Angel was created as a spinoff from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Fans already knew and loved Angel and Cordelia, so they were willing to follow them to another series. Angel was another case where the spinoff almost felt necessary to keep the characters and stories seeming fresh and not going in circles.

The Angel spinoff occurred at an organic point in the storyline, where characters were graduating and moving on, so it made sense that some would be making a fresh start far from Sunnydale. Not all spinoffs have a natural starting place; the CSI spinoffs did fairly well coming from planted pilots, but I believe using familiar characters at a natural point in the story gives a spinoff a better chance of standing on its own. The Flash isn’t using this technique, but the character of Barry Allen is already familiar to many of the fans who are currently watching Arrow.

And then there’s the spinoff that has almost no real connection to the original series. Next year, we’ll likely see the premiere of How I Met Your Dad, from the creators of How I Met Your Mother but, aside from having a similar structure, the series has no other relationship with its predecessor. This type of spinoff is really just hoping fans of the parent series will give it a chance, as they have no more reason to watch this than any other new sitcom premiering next year. In fact, this particular series may actually suffer from the backlash created by the How I Met Your Mother finale a few weeks ago.

So are spinoffs really necessary? No, most of the time, I don’t believe they are. They’re just a way for a network to attempt to capitalize on the popularity of a series — just like Hollywood tries to attempt to capitalize on a film’s popularity in any way possible. They’re also a way to connect a concept for a new series to an already established one in order to draw in fans of the original in an attempt to take advantage of an existing audience.

However, once in a while, a spinoff could be the answer to continuing a character’s journey in new and interesting ways. It worked for Angel, and so far it has worked for The Originals. Next season, we’ll see which of the new series are able to find the formula for spinoff success.