Supernatural: A History of Television’s Unearthly Road Trip

With this absorbing text, Giannini (Joss Whedon Versus the Corporation: Big Business Critiqued in the Films and Television Programs) takes a deep dive into Supernatural, an immensely popular horror TV show that—despite a then-unknown cast—defied expectations and garnered legions of fans. The series centered on brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who hunted monsters, consorted with angels and demons, and saved the world. Giannini considers the show’s wide-ranging influences, including Route 66, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Roseanne, and The X-Files. She also looks at the role that each of the show’s four showrunners had in shaping the series and the exploration of the main characters’ arcs. The book discusses the role of religion, politics, and folklore in the series and pays special attention to Supernatural’s numerous metafictional episodes, in which the writers comment on the overall narrative, as well as the activism of the dedicated fanbase. Finally, Giannini explores Supernatural’s evolution as the television landscape changed, its impact on other CW television shows, and the showrunners’ later work. In an appendix, she reveals her selection of must-see episodes.