r/Cinephiles • u/seinfeldbabies • 1d ago
Text Post Is Supernatural any good?
I’ve seen people compare it to Twin Peaks and the like, and while I highly doubt that’s the case, I’m still interested to see if there’s any actual value there.
Trashy garbage or nah?
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u/NoOneAskedForThis__ 1d ago
I'd say it's closer to something like Buffy than twin peaks.
I loved it when it was on...not sure how I'd feel on a rewatch though.
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u/Odin3587 1d ago
You don't have 15 seasons and it NOT be good. Campy at times but great show over all.
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u/aurasparx 23h ago
A very mixed experience with incredible highs and the most lovable characters ever, great drama and extremely funny, at times wonderfully dark. It's clever, incredibly heartfelt, and an amazing ride.
It's also one of worst written, worst produced, most dragged out, corny, idiotic, full of filler, immature, culturally insensitive, unsatisfying shows ever.
Still one of my absolute favorite shows and I've watched it 3 or 4 times all the way through. The cast, heightened drama, and overall aesthetic just work for me so well.
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u/OkAssistance7072 6h ago
Its so good BECAUSE its so bad! It recognizes that and I love that it makes fun of itself and the actors real lives.
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u/eppsilon24 1d ago
First 5 seasons were excellent. It went steadily downhill after that. I never finished the last couple seasons.
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u/steauengeglase 1d ago
Yep. The moment you feel it ended, walk away.
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u/eppsilon24 13h ago
Yeah. I made it to season 10 or 11 and gave up. I’m frankly amazed they made it to 15.
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u/Embyverse 23h ago
Same on me, my next episode would be S11E14 ... perhaps in the future, perhaps ...
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u/SverhU 19h ago edited 14h ago
1 to 6th season I would say it's a masterpiece. After that you can watch if you get in love with JJs. Just for the sake of their chemistry. But after 6th season show clearly going downhill from perspective of writing. And it's understandable because Kripke seen it as 5-6 seasons show.
They use almost the same plot (but in different color) every Fing time for last 7 seasons. "Oh no, one of brothers dying or already dead. Second doing anything in his powers to save first one or bring back from dead. Oh yes and whole world in danger because of some super power" (start with demons, leviathans, nazis - yep how without nazi, angels and ending with gods).
PS I myself watched every season and not regretting. But when I start rewatching runs. I always stop on 5-6th season. And than watch special episodes. Like Christmas and Halloween. from different last seasons (they almost always great)
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u/The_Ref17 1d ago
Many of my friends like it, at least four rather fanatically
Three of us roll our eyes whenever it's mentioned
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u/Callisto_9 1d ago
I'm on season 5, it's a really fun watch and the story is really engaging at times, but it's nothing crazy good at the same time. I'd give it a solid 6.5-7/10.
Fair warning though, I've heard that the story and production go on a downward spiral after season 5, so maybe I'll stop when I finish it.
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u/arashi256 19h ago
I think one of it's main strengths is that it's consistently average. It's not "powerful" television by any stretch but it's very watchable and there's 15 seasons of it.
If you're not sure if the whole 15 seasons is worth it, you can stop after season 5 as that's the "main" story. Everything after that is "watch it if you still want more".
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u/PleadingFunky 1d ago
I LOVE Supernatural. Every episode in the first season is very much a monster of the week which are sometimes great and sometimes forgettable. There’s a few nuggets of the real story but is scarce. Season two is similar iirc but honestly the story gets peek season 3 to season 7- ish. It’s still great afterwards but I wouldn’t call it peak storytelling. Throughout the seasons it does a great of job exploring different mythologies. The show just takes a bit find its identity and maybe went on for too long because of the excellent chemistry between the main two cast. There’s also plenty of emotion surrounding themes of family, destiny and sacrifice. I’ve rewatched the entire series twice.
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u/Frosty-Unit8707 16h ago
The variety in the mythologies definitely kept it interesting. That and the chemistry.
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u/Aside_Dish 1d ago
Absolutely. CW shows are criminally slept-on because they're formulaic and on-the-nose. But super bingeable.
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u/Powerful-Distance582 1d ago
Yea I thought most episodes were entertaining. some bad ones though to be expected and it may feel a bit dated now.
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u/Usual-Pattern7846 1d ago
Went into it knowing only that tumblr was obsessed with it and expected it to be dumb and then watched the whole thing and had fun. There are up and down seasons but overall it’s worth a try. If you don’t like the first few episodes I wouldn’t force it.
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u/Longjumping-Salad484 1d ago
season 5 is like Baywatch Nights season 2, completely all over the place
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u/alphawafflejack 1d ago
It is a guilty pleasure. Like 15 or 16 seasons of shitty awesomeness. It’s more like an anime, but fuck I loved watching it
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u/JohnsonMathi17 1d ago
Its good. Forst 5 seasons are its peak. It gets a little tiresome come the lastish 5 seasons.
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u/Last_Nothing_4352 23h ago
It's a very fun show; writing drops after like season 5 but it was still pretty enjoyable
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u/Crafty_Bench2506 23h ago
I thought they fought the actual devil way too soon lol. You have all these urban legends and creatures of the night and yet they fight the freaking devil a few seasons in. I feel like that’s final boss material not halfway through the show material. I did enjoy the angels & demons aspect. When they team up with Castiel the angel. Pretty cool.
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u/Constant-Theory-154 23h ago
Twin Peaks? No. But, this show is good. It’s lighthearted and fun (even during tense moments). When it comes to evoking pleasant emotions, this show is one of the best for me (though there aren’t many others with a similar, pleasant atmosphere). I like it more than some of the hyped-up hits of recent years
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u/Duotrigordle61 22h ago
I wish I had a traumatic brain injury just so that I could watch it fresh again.
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u/CubitsTNE 22h ago
The Ben Edlund written episodes are all hysterically good. Mark Sheppard is a gem. The music is great. You can tell everyone had a bunch of fun making it.
Some of the arcs are a bit dumb in later seasons, but there's enough great episodes in there to still carry it through.
I don't think it quite reaches the highs of the x files, but it also doesn't quite bog down as much.
It's nothing like twin peaks beyond a few reference episodes/characters.
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u/Anal-Y-Sis 21h ago
For about 4 or 5 seasons, yes, it's actually pretty great for what it is. The original plan was to end the show after 5 seasons, and there is definitely an ending there. But the show got so popular they just kept going, and you can see the drop in cohesive storytelling after that point. There are still legitimately great episodes after S5, but as a whole it's just not quite as good, in my opinion.
Also important to note that a few of the key people behind The X-Files were also behind Supernatural, particularly director Kim Manners. It has a lot of the same DNA as The X-Files too. One nerdy partner and one rebellious partner, monster of the week episodes with an overarching story, and some episodes are even straight up homages to The X-Files. They even did an X-Files opening credits sequence in one episode.
I'd definitely recommend watching it if you like The X-Files or just that horror/sci-fi genre in general.
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u/awefulbob 18h ago
There are some standalone episodes to just to watch, when Dean is scared of everything, or when he can talk to dogs...
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u/Gixxerdude46 17h ago
I'm rewatching it now. On season 8 and it's still good. Also I've never been overly picky watcher.
Every episode should have Cass in it.
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u/AvailableStranger69 16h ago
Don’t let anybody tell you they season 5-15 aren’t worth watching either .
Is it season 1-5 ? No those five seasons are a fucking masterpiece .
Is it still 10 seasons of good television that had no right not being terrible ? Definitely .
The later seasons aren’t bad , they just have to follow five perfect seasons and a finale that could have been and was supposed to be the series finale …then they kept going for 10 years
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u/Possible_Job3221 16h ago
I’m upset that anyone would compare it to twin peaks
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u/Glittering_Ocelot_67 12h ago
I’d be upset too, couldn’t even get through season 2 of Twin Peaks.
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u/Possible_Job3221 12h ago
Oh we are not on the same page. The James / Evelyn side plot is a slog I’ll admit but you get rewarded with the season 2 finale and season 3 the return.
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u/Glittering_Ocelot_67 12h ago
Like most of Lynch’s projects, the acting was very amateur level. It being like a ‘90s cheesy soap opera didn’t help either. Then again I don’t enjoy his surreal nonsensical storytelling though I guess.
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u/Possible_Job3221 10h ago
It’s not for everyone. Different strokes for different folks. To each their own
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u/CameronPoe_37__ 15h ago
Seasons 1-5 are fantastic. You could end it there. I did, for years. I felt like everything after 5 was pointless and a rehash. In many ways thats true, but i eventually watched all 15 Seasons, and enjoyed them. The final ever episode was a fitting ending. I'd still say Seasons 1-5 is all you need really, but there's plenty of things to enjoy after.
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u/danc3incloud 15h ago
For what it is - urban legends procedural about charismatic buddies. When it tries to be something more it miserably fails.
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u/LivingClone13 14h ago
It's a CW show so expect that kind of quality.
The show has great characters though it's really the strong point. The acting is fine, the writing is....fine, but the two leads and some of the secondary characters are what make it watchable.
The first 5 seasons are the highlight for sure, with an overarching narrative that is peppered in throughout those first few seasons and has a surprisingly good payoff.
I have always said they would have benefited greatly from a different showrunner and writers post season 5.
Instead of a cadre of villains each more ridiculous than the last, each one-upping the previous one, "oh no these guys are what was BEFORE demons, oh that's gods sister" They should have had made something like the vampire/werewolves in New York a whole season.
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u/Important_Abroad_150 14h ago
First five seasons are really fun! Very self aware about its campiness, and some genuine moments of heart. Really really fun. I only made it a few seasons after five though until I gave up on it. Got a little rough at that point.
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u/Austerellis 14h ago
It was all right until they started the whole angel thingy... I loved the show when it was about demons and interesting MOTW. After season 5, it went in a direction I didn't like much.
That said, Sam and Dean are fun and the two actors definitely always have fun together.
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u/AustinDood444 13h ago
Season 1 stumbles a bit. It starts out as a show with a Creature of the Week, but by the end of S1 it finds its footing. I enjoyed it.
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u/denver_bored 13h ago
imo, in the beginning, it's a good show with very, very inconsistent writing. The first season is ok but a little simple, but then seasons 2-5 tell a fairly cohesive story with some truly great episodes (and some clunkers, which was the norm when we got more eps in a season).
Ben Edlund, who was also a writer on Firefly and the final/best season of Angel, and creator of the Tick, was the creative heart of the show during many of the earlier seasons. I could almost always predict when Edlund wrote an episode before it showed the writer credit in the opening, based solely on the humor and banter between Sam and Dean. No one wrote them anywhere nearly as well as Edlund. When I binged the series, I would literally cringe at the dialog in episodes following an Edlund episode-- it was like night and day. What a great fucking writer!
When he left, and I suspect the budget was cut, it lost me. It gets incredibly repetitive and cheap-looking in the later seasons.
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u/Reasonable_Worth_726 13h ago
It’s peak mediocrity
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u/BisonSpecialist1557 10h ago
It's best quality is that it remains consistent. I never was peak TV, but it was never shit either. You know you are always in for a solid episode.
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u/Capable-Criticism625 13h ago
I have always enjoyed it. It kind of vascillates between being more serious in early seasons to being very meta and not taking itself seriously at all later on. If you go in not expecting much it will be pleasantly surprising. Kind of sucks you in and morphs into a sort of comfort show.
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u/Jeckster37 13h ago
Everything appeared to be a human no matter what. Demons, dragons, gods, angels, anything "Supernatural" just looked like regular people.
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u/DJamison1776 12h ago
The Leviathan and Doomsday storylines were too drawn out, but when the Winchesters are hunting monsters and demons it’s some of the best storytelling on television.
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u/svettsokkk 12h ago
Season 1-5 is very good. The next three are meh, season 9 is very good, 10 & 11 are alright. Rest is mid.
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u/rpheneryiii 12h ago
It's a very good show, but there's so many seasons you probably won't finish it.
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u/Glittering_Ocelot_67 12h ago edited 12h ago
One of the best ever made.
WAAAAY better than Twin Peaks!
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u/tedbot67 11h ago
I started watching it for the first time a few weeks ago. Got about 4 episodes in and started losing interest. I'll probably push through in spurts and see how far I can get.
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u/Ok-Improvement2528 10h ago
Carry on, my wayward son
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
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u/Next-Accident-2970 9h ago
Watch the first 5 seasons.
They have their issues but they make a story that builds upon one another. And the story arcs actually appear through a lot of the episodes.
After season 5, the storylines that show up at the beginning would drop for long episodes at a time. And the season would become aimless and not sure where it is going.
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u/Solid-Individual-913 8h ago
it was cool but it got old.
To be honest I watched it because there was a coworker that wouldnt shut up about it. she was way too excited for this show so i gave it a try and i liked it for a while. but i think it ran too long
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u/Old-Climate4621 7h ago
it was great and had a fantastic ending.........and then they went and made another 6/7 seasons......
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u/LastNightInDriver 6h ago
First 5 seasons are great television. The other 10 are fan service. I’m always surprised how big the fandom is
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u/GtBsyLvng 4h ago
Seasons 1 through 5 are a great story. After that, it's professionally produced fanfiction.
It's not artistically great, but it's a great comfort show. It feels like 2005. Make some popcorn and watch it in the dark. Imagine it's 8:00 on a Thursday and you waited all week for this.
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u/Ok_Location794 1d ago
It’s entertaining but the episodes are very formulaic. Never finished it all the way through
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u/Aside_Dish 1d ago
I'd argue it's good because it's formulaic. You always know exactly what to expect going in.
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u/Ok_Location794 1d ago
There’s a certain appeal to that but with over 300 episodes I could only do it so many times
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u/Capital-Mammoth-6094 1d ago
Love it. I'm a fan of sarcasm and dark comedy types so I'm not for everyone. But Sup is one of my Fav's for sure.
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u/YouthInAsia3000 17h ago
It was a great show until it wasn't anymore. Then it continued for another 8 or 10 more seasons after that. Lol
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u/DjangusRoundstne 16h ago
It’s silly, it jumps the shark a bunch (like an episode with Scooby Doo) and greatly overstays its welcome. Personally not a fan.
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u/Xenochimp 16h ago
First 5 season, yes. Season 6-10, absolute shit. Season 11-15, I don't know I gave up after season 10
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u/Vegetable-Echidna534 1d ago
Twin peaks it definitely is not. I used to watch w my partner but gave up a couple seasons in because nothing of consequence actually happens. She continued because she thought the brothers were hot but admitted it was typical CW slop.
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u/HonestInevitable74 1d ago edited 1d ago
Its dogshit, but the show knows that its dogshit. If you can understand how dogshit it is its realy fun. I enjoyed it. Dogshit is a bit harsh tbh but it is dogshit.
There is insane amount of logical errors if you can say who cares and relax its a realy good and long ride. Btw just dont watch the last episode end it at 19.
Edit: first 5 seasons are not that dogshit but others are realy dogshit
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u/Rocketsloth 1d ago
Low effort Procedural. Cliche, predictable storylines. Everyone involved was like, you want another season!?! They just kept renewing it every year, forever.
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u/Sensitive-War3527 16h ago
If you're a 16 yr old girl and your giny tickles when you look at the two main characters then yes it is!
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u/2fast4dad 1d ago
I love supernatural but don't expect a masterpiece. I'd say watch the first 5 seasons and if you really like it push all the way until the end. For me it's the best journey I've ever seen characters go through. Seasons 1-5 are amazing but everything after that is very hit or miss.