Interview de Kripke

Q. I'm interested in the cult following "Supernatural" has earned, and I've read you're well aware of it. How did you first come to realize you had a group of fanatics? I would say the first inkling I had that there was a cult following came online. I was checking out message boards and Web sites that were discussing the shows. I'd say that, if "Supernatural" has a core base of fans, it's within the online community. It's interesting how we have a fan community that probably would be impossible for a show to have even five years ago. With technology what it is today, the fans are able to talk with each other about the show, what they liked and didn't like. They create fan videos, coordinate their responses and really organize in a way that was unprecedented until this Internet age. "Lost" and "Heroes" also have a massive fan base online, but our small little community has ended up with a louder voice than it would have had other wise, which has helped.

We have all of this stuff that a show of our size usually doesn't have, a comic book, novels and such. The reason we have it is the online community is so vocal and so passionate.

Q. How would you describe the show's fans? One of the things I noticed early on is how much attention they pay to the shows. I knew we were responding to an intelligent group of people, a group that enjoys genre shows and are of a high intelligence level. They are very literate. Online, we read them referencing classic novels and foreign films. They range in age from teens to the 40s. It's a diverse group.

Q. I'd assume it's flattering, but can it also be a burden? I have a sort of a big-picture view of it. It can drive you nuts if you let it, because people have torn opinions on the show. They really demand excellence and when you don't deliver, they are just as vocal with their ire as are with their praise, if not moreso. So sometimes, you feel a little embattled. You feel a little besieged. You're like `God, I can't ever make these fans happy whatever I do.' We do this show under terrific limitations, with not much time and not much money. It's impossible to nail perfection 22 times a year. Sometimes you wish that they'd go a little easier on you.

Q. Are there moments when you have let it get to you? I was on vacation with my wife in Europe, and I checked the Web sites after the season finale and three people really hated it. So I'm walking around Rome with my wife not talking, and she asks: `Why are you in a bad mood?' She told me: `That's crazy that you are letting this zap one iota of fun form this trip,' and she whacked me upside the head. It's true. I'm guilty of brooding a bit too much every so often, but as I've gotten more experience and wiser with running of show, I've come to appreciate it. A friend describes it as a `white-collar problem to have,' and I think it's a great problem to have fans that are obsessed, and keep pushing you to be better.

Q. Does the CW network have an appreciation for the show's cult following? I think they do. There's an issue out there among fans about the amount of promotion we receive. The reality is, the network doesn't have a lot of money for promotion and we aren't the only ones on the CW who are kicking and screaming for more promotion. The "Smallville" guys, the "Reaper" guys, they're also screaming. It's a network wide issue. I don't believe in my heart that it's because the network is playing favorites. It truly is the case of this being a smaller network and it's just getting started and doesn't have the money to promote all its shows. Now, they are trying to push their new shows and the older shows just aren't getting the same amount of marketing. I remember when we first came out, we got an insane amount of marketing for our launch and it continued that year at the expense of every show on the network. I'm philosophical about it.

Q. If the show has such a following, why does it still get such low ratings? We are doing solid in the ratings. We are not burning the house down, but we are doing enough to hold our own. We are second only to "Smallville" among the network's scripted shows. We have three million fans, and they are loyal to a fault. No matter what competition we are up against, no matter what time we're on, these three million people just show up. We are Steady Eddy with ratings year round. But again, it is a unique phenomenon that has only recently developed -- that a small community of three million can be so vocal online. If you go onto YouTube, they have a thousand videos they've made on "Supernatural." I don't know why certain things connect with people. But there's something about "Supernatural" that connects creatively and emotionally and makes them latch on. They want to use it as an expression to make videos and tell stories.

Q. So what is the hook that grabs this diverse group? The heart of the show is family drama, and maybe that's another way people connect. I've had people approach me and say they've been through stuff we've dealt with or lost family members, or someone they know is sick, and "Supernatural" provided comfort. At its heart, it's a show about family, and a family sticking together in adversity.

Q. Have you ever logged onto the Web sites and communicated with fans? I've never communicated with them, even under an alias. But I've been on the board for hours. The only time I go on is immediately after an episode airs. It's interesting to hear what they say. They are intelligent and have a lot of insights about the show. An hour a week is a good, healthy amount. I was spending three to four hours weekly reading, and that's not healthy.

Q. You won't know for sure until May about a fourth season, right? Yes, I'm fairly confident there will be one. I'm never 100 percent confident. We are a bubble show. We've never gotten the kind of ratings that would knock us out of park and guarantee our return. At the end of every year, we've had to fight for our return a little bit. But this year, I think we've been doing solid in an impossible time slot. Plus, I think the network is really interested in the show for business reasons. We're nearing the kind of (episode) numbers you need for syndication, which we would hit next year. And we do well internationally for them, so there's a good chance for those reasons we'd be back.