It seems like every year we're forced to sit on the edge of our seats while we wait to find out if Supernatural will be renewed for another season.  Though the CW drama has some of the most loyal fans of any show on television, the network often under promotes it and focuses more attention on shows like Gossip Girl and Smallville.  However, Supernatural fans who are already worrying about the show's shot at a fifth season can breathe a little easier, because Variety is reporting that creator Eric Kripke has signed a new two-year pact with Warner Brothers TV.  Though part of the deal is for Kripke to develop new projects, there's also a stipulation that he'll continue to executive produce and showrun Supernatural for two more seasons.

While this is promising news for fans of the series, I wouldn't take it as a guarantee that Supernatural will see a fifth season.  The network could still cancel the show regardless of Kripke's contract, and there have also been rumors swirling around that the CW may be going under within the next year.  If that happened, who knows what fate would befall its programming.  However, assuming Supernatural keeps drawing in loyal viewers and the network stays stable, the show should live to see five seasons.

Kripke has often said that he has a basic five-year outline for the series, so it'd be great if he's given the opportunity to bring his entire vision to the screen.  It's impossible to say what new projects he'll be creating under the deal, but a Supernatural spin-off isn't out of the question.  In the past, Kripke has mentioned an idea for a possible Samuel Colt spin-off set in the Old West.  Maybe this contract with Warner Brothers will allow him to bring that vision to life.

Aside from his work on Supernatural, Kripke also helped the WB develop its short-lived Tarzan update back in 2003.  Let's hope that whatever he comes up with next is similar to the adventures of the Winchester brothers rather than the antics of a loincloth-wearing hero.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
Source: Variety
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