Why did Supernatural opt for 20 episodes and not 13 episodes?
Jensen Ackles recently shared that he would have liked 13 episodes for Supernatural Season 14. So why did they opt for 20 instead?
During a recent interview with Digital Spy, Jensen Ackles admitted that he’d love Supernatural to have 13 episodes a season. It would be more like the cable shows, such as Wynonna Earp, Game of Thrones, Outlander, and The Magicians. However, in the end, Supernatural Season 14 got 20 episodes to the season. Just why is that?
As a fan, I’d actually personally love it. The 13-episode shows are much more focused on the overall story. When you look at the likes of The Magicians and Outlander, there isn’t much time to go off track. There’s little need for filler episodes.
Well, Ackles admits that 13 episodes per season is unlikely to happen. After all, it’s not a good financial option for the network, right? They’d lose out on 10 episodes (based on the 23 episode seasons) to make money from through advertising. They’d have to hope they could switch a show in that could garner the same attention.
More: Jared Padalecki hints at Supernatural Season 15
According to TV Series Finale, Supernatural Season 13 ended third in the demographic out of all the fall-midseason shows on the network. Out of the total audience figures, it ended fourth. None of the summer shows managed to overtake it. The CW may be concerned there isn’t a show to bring in the same amount of viewers right now, although it will be interesting to see what happens with the 2018-2019 lineup.
Ackles shares that the cast, showrunners, studio, and network all talked about how short they could go to offer the actors the time off, make sure the story was sustainable, and ensure monetary value for the network. A 20-episode season was viewed as the lowest at the time.
Maybe that could be shortened next season. Maybe 20 becomes the magic number for a couple of years. But right now, as much as the stars would like to see cable-length seasons, that’s not going to happen for now.
Next. 15 guest stars on Supernatural before they were famous. dark
Would you watch 13-episode seasons of the show? Do you think 20 episodes will be enough to tell the story? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Supernatural Season 14 premieres on Oct. 11 at 8/7c on The CW.