When it comes to televion based in demons, myths, and magic, fans of the genre have been lucky in the past two decades as a bevy of miniseries and programs have surfaced and grown in popularity. Among the most popular – falling perhaps just behind the Buffy series and spinoff – is the character driven paranormal drama, Supernatural.

“Saving people, hunting things… the family buness.”
The title says it all. Everything frightening and freakish has made an appearance on the series so far, from vampires to wendigo, to shapeshifters to black magic, to angels, demons, and the devil himself. Two brothers, sons of a notorious demon hunter, bound together by blood and the shared trauma of long their mother to a particularly evil demon, traverse the country in search of hellspawn in need of killing. Along the way, they meet up with fellow hunters and old adversaries, all the while finding out that the lines between good and evil aren’t as black and white as they seem.
Starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, the series’ progresve storyline is driven by their need to live up to their family name, as well as protect each other from unnamed evils that have pegged them both for corruption. The series mingles creepy urban legends and folklore with humor and strong characters with undeniable chemistry. Even those who like to root for the bad guys can’t help but cheer on the Winchester brothers and hope for their success. Anyone who has a family or has felt loss can understand the strong bond between the two and ealy get behind their quest.
The series is well known for a strong female fan base, based in no small part in the relative attractiveness of the stars, both men who grew up in the public eye as teen heartthrobs, but don’t let this be a deterrent. Solid storytelling backs up any supposed cheesecake eye-candy in the series, with some seriously creepy tales and fun special effects. For sticklers to detail, Supernatural is also well known for very detailed research into the folklore it presents, portraying some of the best monsters based on real-life mythology.
Another checkmark in the plus column for the series is the fantastic use of muc throughout, featuring the greats of clasc and hard rock, including AC/DC, Bad Company, the Allman Brothers Band, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Seasons 1-6 of Supernatural are presently available for streaming on Netflix. The seventh season will most likely arrive once it hits DVD, with an eighth and posbly final season set to air in the fall of 2012.