Supernatural Season 8 Will Reset The Mythology, Says New Showrunner
Show was becoming too bogged down with the past, he reckons, and the Winchesters need to mature
New Supernatural showrunner Jeremy Carver has told TVLine that season eight will cut back on the mythology and show a more mature Sam and Dean Winchester.
Carver wrote for the show for seasons three to five before moving on to launch Syfy’s US version of Being Human , but now he’s back on Supernatural, and in charge. And his main aim seems to be to make the show more accessible to non-fans.
Although Carver says he was “really, really impressed” with the job his predecessor Sera Gamble and Bob Singer have done over the last two seasons (they took over after creator and original showrunner Eric Kripke gave up the day-to-day running of the show) he felt, “The one thing that struck me [while] watching season seven was I felt like the show got a little bit buried under its mythology. It became a little hard to tell exactly what was going on at times. The longtime fans all deserve intricate plot, but it felt a little burdensome.”
In response Carver intends to start season eight with something familiar, “like a flashback that lifelong fans or early fans will hopefully appreciate the magnitude of, but new fans can also grasp onto… Resetting our mythology was one idea that I tried to bring into the show.”
He also thinks Sam and Dean should grow up. “Part of this season is realizing they didn’t just spend several years together; they really matured in different ways. It’s one thing to get in a car with your brother in year one, but eight years later, you’ve both matured and grown. You’re both changing and trying to find out who you are. There’s a lot of that type of exploration for these guys this year.”
Is The CW already planning for season nine ?
Sign up to the SFX Newsletter
Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!
Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.