|
Post by saltgunempty on Apr 12, 2017 22:14:01 GMT -5
Not surprising in the least, it's just crazy that that was something Singer thought was a good idea and no one stopped. Singer is very old school. He's stated outright that he doesn't like long, serialized storylines and he's always itchy about any changes to the franchise--which includes giving Dean the mytharc instead of Sam. In Singer's mind, Sam has always had the long storylines while Dean has basically acted as backup for Sam and fielded the MOTWs. Never mind that Dean's mytharcs in recent years have coincided with the show not only *not* declining in ratings like other shows, but actually going *up*. You are talking about a guy who is in his sixties, nearing retirement, and basically not going to change at this point. I would be completely unsurprised if Supernatural turned out to be his last industry project. He's been an EP for 12 seasons. I doubt he needs the money at this point. I'm a lot more annoyed at his wife being on staff, what with the fact that she and her writing partner suck at their jobs, because that isn't a function of age. It's just straight-up nepotism. I don't mind nepotism too much when it brings in people with talent (for example, I wouldn't have minded in the least if Carver's wife had come on over after Being Human was canceled), but I hate it when it props up incompetence. Singer is a special kind of dinosaur in how he's resisted utilizing a popular character. There's being old school and there's shooting yourself in the foot by refusing to adapt to something that's not a new phenomenon. Maximizing Dean should have been an easy and obvious decision for anyone, especially given that JA was employed as a lead from the start. There's something fascinating about how they've handled it. The nepotism duo reflects horribly on Singer and the show. Nepotism is what it is but those two can't even be average and they keep getting hired. If they were passable I think everyone could largely ignore the nepotism at play even if it wasn't bringing in any great talent, but they're comically bad and drag everything down. It's a self destructive ship being run.
|
|
|
Post by thesnowleopard on Apr 12, 2017 23:28:17 GMT -5
Unfortunately, showrunners make dumb decisions like that all the time. It's just that such decisions usually kill a show. SPN (and Dean), fortunately, is tougher than that. But it's still annoying.
|
|
|
Post by saltgunempty on Apr 13, 2017 7:48:20 GMT -5
I'd call it a pretty weird decision, idk. It's been an insanely long lasting show by any standard.
|
|
|
Post by thesnowleopard on Apr 13, 2017 11:39:06 GMT -5
From his point of view, the show has to do well in syndication. Serial shows don't do as well in syndication, generally because the episodes are often shown out of order. So, he leans much more heavily toward the MOTWs.
More in the speculative range of things, he's no writer and doesn't think like one, either. But, like every other producer that ever lived, he likes to think he knows more than the writers. So...he meddles. And since he isn't a writer and doesn't know what he's doing in that area, the results are very mixed. The fact that he got his wife and her long-time writing partner on board, and they're incompetent, only magnifies his influence.
|
|
|
Post by saltgunempty on Apr 13, 2017 15:25:48 GMT -5
From his point of view, the show has to do well in syndication. Serial shows don't do as well in syndication, generally because the episodes are often shown out of order. So, he leans much more heavily toward the MOTWs. More in the speculative range of things, he's no writer and doesn't think like one, either. But, like every other producer that ever lived, he likes to think he knows more than the writers. So...he meddles. And since he isn't a writer and doesn't know what he's doing in that area, the results are very mixed. The fact that he got his wife and her long-time writing partner on board, and they're incompetent, only magnifies his influence. As much as the serialization has grated at times and they've still dragged out weaker plots, I get that part of it. It makes sense for a show like Supernatural on the WB/CW in the era it was started to be serialized. My issue is the resistance to maximizing a popular character. That should have been an easy decision.... and the MOTW should have been better throughout, those really dropped in quality and got downright lazily done. honestly, meddling can be a good thing sometimes and better quality meddling could have really benefitted the show. Singer just has an imperfect record with it and brought his incompetent wife and partner into it. To speculate, I suspect Supernatural has a dysfunctional history behind the scenes with Singer, the showrunners and the writers; probably rooted in poor communication and struggling with cohesive ideas.
|
|
|
Post by thesnowleopard on Apr 13, 2017 20:16:00 GMT -5
Every show is dysfunctional behind the scenes. If anything, Supernatural is, by most accounts, much better than most.
But part of that universal dysfunction is that executive producers have more power than the writers and more power than the leads, and that they meddle in ways that often...well, suck.
That's what killed Sleepy Hollow and Grimm.
|
|
|
Post by saltgunempty on Apr 14, 2017 8:19:50 GMT -5
Oh man, poor Sleepy Hollow. Such a waste.
|
|
|
Post by Mystique on Apr 14, 2017 20:01:45 GMT -5
More in the speculative range of things, he's no writer and doesn't think like one, either. But, like every other producer that ever lived, he likes to think he knows more than the writers. So...he meddles. And since he isn't a writer and doesn't know what he's doing in that area, the results are very mixed. And boy, does it show.
|
|