Last year’s Creation Supernatural con in Austin was very memorable – for a few reasons. One was the Radio Company concert at Sagebrush, and the other was the fact that everyone there almost melted thanks to it being the most absurd temperature I’ve ever experienced.
Of course, I returned to Austin for yet another Supernatural con in the same month. Luckily it wasn’t quite as absurdly hot – and not so luckily, there was no Radio Company concert.
There was, however, a mini Radio Company “show” when Jensen Ackles and Steve Carlson and the Scott sisters joined Louden Swain at the Saturday Night Special, and a Radio Company panel with Steve and Jensen, so at least we got our Radio Company fix – without melting!
The flight there was uneventful but an entire box of books hadn’t made it to the con unfortunately. That meant I sold out of books by Saturday – my apologies to anyone who came by to purchase a copy of Family Don’t End With Blood or There’ll Be Peace When You AreDone and I didn’t have any left. Thanks to everyone who did come by – it was lovely to meet everyone!
I did a few more panels than I usually get to do since I wasn’t needed in the vendor room the entire time, so that was the silver lining. One of the best things about a con in Austin is that I love the city. My son used to live in Houston and we’d pop over to Austin for the day, and I fell in love with its weirdness – and its delicious food. Thursday I had tacos and queso with my friend Sadie, and some good conversation to go with it. Another night after dark when it cooled off, I joined a friend at the hotel’s rooftop pool (best part about the con hotel!) to lounge poolside and catch up (though the lounge chairs were out to get both of us by periodically collapsing…)
Friday I caught most of Chad Lindberg’s panel because I just love Chad. I’ve known him since way back in 2008, when he was starring in a film called “My Big Break”. He introduced me and Kathy (my Fangasm co-author) to the filmmakers, Tony and Elizabeth, and we became fast friends. When they took ‘My Big Break’ on the road, we came along for some of the screenings along with Chad – which is how we ended up on Bourbon Street in the middle of the night for Chad’s first trip to New Orleans, and several other memorable adventures.
I also adore his character of Ash on Supernatural. Chad wrote a chapter for There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done all about portraying Ash, with lots of priceless behind the scenes insights.
Every year I worry about the same thing – will this be the year that no one remembers it’s the anniversary of the premiere of my favorite TV show of all time? Will this be the year that I’m celebrating alone and missing it as much as ever, without the validation of my fellow fans?
Every year it turns out I didn’t have to worry – and this year it feels like I have more company than ever.
Happy 20th anniversary, Supernatural!!
Twenty years ago today, the pilot episode premiered on what was then The WB network.
I didn’t see it live, but I saw it soon after thanks to a good friend who had fallen in love with the new series after seeing it promoted at Comic Con that year. She recorded the episodes on VCR tapes and when we all got together, we’d watch them together, sometimes squeeing over “the boys” and their badass black Impala, sometimes covering our eyes and screaming when it was too scary. It wasn’t long before I fell down the rabbit hole of loving Sam and Dean and Supernatural, and I’ve never looked back.
It’s hard to believe that was two decades ago – the world has changed so much and so have I, but all those years somehow haven’t changed how I feel about the show. In fact, I think I’m more emotional than ever when I rewatch episodes that have become even more beloved for their familiarity, like a worn-soft comfy blanket that keeps me warm emotionally when the world is cold.
I am so grateful that Supernatural has continued to air for so long, from TNT marathons to Hulu to every other platform that has hosted it over the years. I am so grateful that the show’s cast has continued to attend fan conventions all over the world, many of them devoted to Supernatural. How many shows that premiered in 2005 can say that in 2025, twenty years later?? Every time I’m at a convention and Jared Padalecki asks, “who’s first time” and a third of the audience raises their hands, I’m in awe of the staying power of the Little Show That Could.
I remember when we didn’t dare count on even one more season, let alone fifteen. When we were a fandom that was tiny in size but disproportionately large (and loud) in our passion for our Show. I remember sending postcards to the studio, first The WB and then The CW, pleading for more. The first time I was invited to the set, the office was plastered with them, a constant reminder to the hardworking cast and crew of just how much fan support was out there.
That support is still there.
It was obvious when the show aired its finale episode five years ago, so many fans posting to show their gratitude and to share how special the journey has been for so many of us.
It’s obvious at every fan convention, in the cheers of the crowd and the eagerness to ask questions about the show even though it’s been over for five years now.
The fans have followed the talented Supernatural cast on to many other projects, supporting them in all sorts of roles and helping those projects succeed too. At the same time, for many of us, we haven’t moved “on” from the fictional characters who so inspired us. Sure, the relationships may be “parasocial”, but that doesn’t make them trivial – we find meaning and inspiration and a sense of belonging from the fictional worlds we love revisiting.
Supernatural may not be airing, but it is far from forgotten.
This year, that’s especially obvious. TV Insider camped out at a Supernatural convention for two days to see for themselves that the passion for the show is very much alive, publishing a 20th anniversary Supernatural special magazine and releasing priceless videos of Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins reminiscing about the show they too continue to love.
Entertainment Weekly posted their video of Jared, Jensen and Misha today, buying some gorgeous boots in Austin and reminiscing about their time on Supernatural by answering 20 questions for the 20th anniversary (see full video at end)
Also, I mean, LOOK at them!
The “official” Supernatural Instagram and YouTube accounts were quiet for a while, but they’ve been active recently, posting content to help us all reminisce as we celebrate #SPN20. Richard Speight, Jr. and Rob Benedict host the SPNThenAndNow podcast that’s doing a complete rewatch of the show, and there are countless other podcasts and Youtube channels still conjecturing about everything and anything related to Supernatural.
I had a chance to chat with both Jared and Jensen about the 20th anniversary happening today just a week ago, and their mix of incredulity and fondness and gratitude felt similar to my own. It seems impossible that it’s been so long, but at the same time I am SO very grateful that I am in such good company in still loving it.
Supernatural changed my life. I met some of my best friends in this fandom. I’ve traveled places I never would have gone otherwise. I’ve laughed, cried, hugged and been hugged, and been understood in a way that’s rare to find in this world. I’ve written six books on the show, two of them with the Supernatural actors, an experience I cherish.
I just signed a contract to write another, celebrating how much, after 20 years, the show matters.
Thank you, Eric Kripke, for creating such a special story. Thank you, Jared and Jensen and Misha and all the many talented actors, writers, directors and crew who brought that story to life so vividly. And thank you, SPNFamily, for every warm hug, shared adventure, impassioned debate about my favorite topic of conversation, and most of all for still being here celebrating with me, twenty years on.
Here’s to many more! (And perhaps, someday, to more Supernatural)
Happy 20th Anniversary, Supernatural.
With love.
Here’s the video from EW – it will make you laugh, maybe tear up a little, and most of all make you very grateful that they have so many fond memories of Supernatural.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE COUNTDOWN SEASON FINALE!
You never know what to hope for with a season finale when you don’t know if you’ll get another season. Do you want the threads left dangling so there could be a possibility of more, or would you rather they get mostly tied up neatly just in case?
There are up sides to either, but there’s a lot I’ll be left wondering about if there’s no season 2. So I guess we cross our fingers?
Will They or Won’t They?
Many fans got invested in Mark Meachum and Amber Oliveras’ relationship, which has been a tease throughout the series. I would be fine with them being partners and friends and demonstrating real care for each other, and that might make the most sense if they’re going to keep being on the same task force together. On the other hand, there are undoubtedly some romantic feelings there between the characters, so I could see it going that way too.
The two do a lot more dancing around each other in this episode, with everyone watching seeing clearly that they both care about each other and are into each other, and possibly yelling at their screens when they are both with someone else. For Oliveras that’s Julio, who seems like a really great guy – but she just doesn’t seem that into him. For Meachum, there’s a new person, a fellow officer he reconnects with.
She was surprised he called; he was surprised she answered. They clearly have some history, but she says she was “between things” and her mom didn’t like the last guy, so why not?
Mark: What does she think about me?
Hannah: She can’t stand you.
He doesn’t seem either surprised or too bothered by this and neither does she, judging by their immediate makeout session in the doorway.
Oliveras texts him to hit her up about the case, but the (understandably) eager woman reminds Meachum “clock’s ticking”.
What an appropriate thing to say for a show called ‘Countdown’! Also, who can blame her?
Oliveras doesn’t look very happy about it the next morning when she sees that Meachum didn’t respond to her at all. She confronts him about it over coffee at HQ and Meachum is studiously casual.
Oliveras: Hey, you didn’t text be back.
Meachum: Oh, I didn’t…what did you want?
He claims he didn’t want to interrupt her and the doc’s romantic dinner by “inserting himself”. When she retorts that she was the one who texted him, he defensively says that maybe HE was having a romantic dinner.
Oliveras: Oh, where’d you take her, Pink’s Hotdogs?
Meachum: Don’t ever denigrate Pink’s.
I mean, he’s right. That was one of the first places we went on our first trip to LA. And they were good!
Oliveras and Meachum continue to snark at each other as they go after Todd. She says Julio is reliable and stable. Mark snarks that’s what every girl wants. (Gotta say, since we’re in a fictional media world, Mark is 100% right. The girl never stays with Mr. Reliable and Stable. Of course, she doesn’t know she’s in a TV show…)
Oliveras: Julio is not boring.
Meachum: Nah, he’s… steady… stable…
Oliveras: You’re exhausting.
Meachum isn’t giving up easily though. He reminds her that opposites don’t really attract, so when they try to be with someone from the ‘normal world’ it’s a disaster because they don’t get it and they never will.
Mark: So we push it down and we fake that we’re normal.
Oliveras: So, what? Break up with Julio and be with you? Because you’ve just been waiting for me, pining, all by your lonesome…
He says maybe he has.
She says he’s full of shit.
Meachum: You helped me through a tough time, okay? That means something to me. Whatever this is, it doesn’t require extra work. This is magic you can’t fake, and you know it. And I know it.
