Hold onto your hats SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE fans, because from now until May, it’s going to be one helluva bumpy ride. And by that we mean, while Sam, Dean, Clark and Lois busy themselves with that whole pesky business of saving the world from evildoers on a weekly basis, far more sinister villains in the form of network executives (Yup, still bitter about EVERWOOD’s cancellation!) are busy plotting the real future of some of your favorite small screen heroes. Is this season truly the end of the road for SUPERNATURAL and SMALLVILLE? We cornered CW head honcho Dawn Ostroff at yesterday’s Television Critics Press Tour in Pasadena to find out.
Is this going to be the last season of SUPERNATURAL
Dawn Ostroff: I had lunch with Eric [Kripke] and I think he’s still really enthusiastic and excited. Creatively I think it’s the best season they’ve had to date and it’s been a great companion piece this year with THE VAMPIRE DIARIES. Again, we still have along way until we make a decision, but we’ve been very happy with what we’ve seen and I think Eric remains excited about the show and feels enthusiastic about being involved.
Enthusiastic enough to stick around for another season considering from the beginning he’s gone on record as stating that his SUPERNATURAL story arc is five seasons?
It’s funny. I think a lot of writers, actors and producers feel that way when they’re starting off or when they’re in the thick of season three, really tired, at the end of twenty-two episodes and can’t wait for a break. But then when the end is upon them, I think everybody kind of reconsiders. I think that what Eric enjoys about the show is that they [the writers] come up with these ideas that are really out there — my personal favorite being the one where the boys were trapped in TV land — and we encourage them to jump in and go for it. I think it’s made for a really good partnership where they don’t feel stifled creatively and so it’s really worked.
When do you think a decision will be made about a 10th season for SMALLVILLE?
It’s too soon to know. Creatively we’ve been happy with the show and the ratings, men 18-34 have improved greatly. That said, SMALLVILLE is a show where a decision probably won’t come down until May.
Does that mean the writers will be treating the season finale like a series finale, just in case SMALLVILLE doesn’t get picked up?
Typically in this situation we try and make the ending satisfying just in case. But we haven’t gotten to that point with the producers where we are plotting out the end of the season just yet. 