“Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.” With this one line in 2005, Dean Winchester (Jenson Ackles) of “Supernatural” immerses audiences into the world of demons, monsters and hunters.
The show follows Dean and his brother, Sam, played by Jared Padalecki, across the Unites States as they hunt down anything even vaguely supernatural — ghosts, demons, angels, witches, werewolves … you name it, they’ve killed it. After all, their motto is “saving people, hunting things, the family business!” Season 1 focuses on the boys’s search for their missing father and the demon that killed their mother decades earlier. As the series progresses, they befriend the angel Castiel (Misha Collins), make unlikely alliances with the witch Rowena (Ruth Connell) and the King of Hell (Crowley) and stop the Apocalypse on multiple occasions.
This world of myth and folklore captivated viewers for 15 seasons, becoming a CW staple and inspiring a cult-following across the globe. Following an Instagram announcement that the upcoming 15th season will be the “big grand finale,” however, fans will have to find a new way to satisfy their supernatural fever.
Keeping in mind fans’s love for the supernatural, the dark, the gritty and, frankly, the depressing, here are six TV series that will get them through these troubling times.
1. Lucifer
Where does the devil go when he retires? Apparently, to the City of Angels. Renewed for its fifth and final season, “Lucifer” tells the tale of the devil in Los Angeles. The show first aired on Fox in 2015 and is loosely based on a DC Entertainment character created by Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith and Mike Drigenberg. The character, Lucifer Morningstar, played by Tom Ellis, spends his days running a nightclub and using his manipulative nature to force humans into revealing their darkest secrets — all for his own personal amusement. This is his reality until he meets LAPD Detective Chloe Decker (Lauren German) who seems immune to his charms. Intrigued by Chole, Lucifer finds himself aiding her in the capture of criminals.
“Supernatural” fans who loved Mark Pellegrino’s sarcastic and sociopathic portrayal of Lucifer will find Ellis’ charismatic retired King of Hell just as enthralling.
2. American Horror Story
Do you want to hear a ghost story? How about the twisted tale of an insane asylum? Or the horrors of a roadside freak show? Welcome to “American Horror Story,” where each season caters to all your nightmarish and supernatural needs.
Each season is self-contained and features a common set of actors portraying different characters in a new setting and with a new plot. Among the reoccurring cast list are stars Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange, Connie Britton, Denis O’Hare and Kathy Bates. Although there are many dedicated fans who watch every season, the anthology style makes it perfectly feasible for audiences to watch the show out of order, or simply to choose the season with the story they find most appealing.
3. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
This show is a classic. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” aired from 1997 to 2003 and stars the talented Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers, a young woman who spends her time doing schoolwork and hunting the supernatural. Like Sam and Dean, Buffy comes from a long line of supernatural hunters. As a “Slayer,” Buffy is endowed with magical abilities that increase her strength, endurance and agility — making her a fierce adversary for the fanged monsters that are wreaking havoc on the world.
In the style of Sam Winchester, Buffy wants to live a normal life as a high school student, but she eventually embraces her true calling as a Slayer. She also comes back to life twice, which, although is unimpressive when compared to the Winchester’s numerous feats of resurrection, is a triumph within itself.
Another perk of Buffy is that, once you have binge-watched all seven seasons, you can immerse yourself into the Buffyverse, which includes magazines, books, games and even another TV series, “Angel.” The show is much darker in style, as it follows the tormented vampire named Angel (David Boreanaz), who is a former love interest of Buffy, as he attempts to redeem himself by fighting the supernatural in Los Angeles.
4. Wynonna Earp
It’s a Western. It’s supernatural. It’s (kind of) historical. What more could you ask for?
Wyatt Earp was a frontiersman in the American West during the 1800s, who lived an eventful but distinctly un-supernatural life. Despite this and his various criminal pursuits, stories of Earp as an honorable lawman surfaced following his death. These stories were eventually immortalized by Hollywood and inspired the “Wynonna Earp” comic books, upon which the SYFY series is based.
Wynonna (Melanie Scrofano), the fictional great-great-granddaughter of Wyatt, returns to her hometown for her uncle’s funeral only to be thrown back into the world of demons and revenants that she thought she escaped. The outlaws that Wyatt killed with Peacemaker, his famous revolver, have clawed their way up from Hell to terrorize Earth — and only an Earp can lay them to rest. With the help of Special Agent Xavier Dolls (Shamier Anderson), Wynonna reluctantly comes to the rescue.
“Supernatural” followers will appreciate the family business of hunting demons, a special gun that demolishes evil and the fact that Wynonna’s hometown is called “Purgatory.” These shows would be the perfect candidates if the CW and SYFY ever wanted to collaborate
5. Penny Dreadful
Leave it to the Brits to put together a horror-drama based on the Penny Dreadful novels “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” “Count Dracula,” “Frankenstein” and “Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”
Described by Showtime as a “psychological thriller … where personal demons from the past can be stronger than vampires, evil spirits and immortal beasts,” “Penny Dreadful” follows the “Supernatural” vein by challenging audiences to see that the terrifying is not always the unnatural. Sometimes, the depths of human depravity, fear, love and pride are far worse than the creatures from Hell and beyond.
Although the initial cast quickly grows, the series begins with medium Vanessa Ives (Eva Green), explorer Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy Dalton) and American marksman Ethan Chandler (Josh Hartnett). The characters attempt to control their own lives while guarding Victorian London from monsters that audiences will recognize from their favorite horror novels.
The show ended after its third season, but a spinoff is set for production in 2019 — “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” takes place in Los Angeles in 1983 and focuses on Mexican-American folklore rather than Victorian literature.
6. The Almighty Johnsons
The brotherly dynamic of “Supernatural” has moved from Lawrence, Kansas to the great country of New Zealand. But instead of two brothers, there are four, and they are reincarnated Norse gods, which was a shock for 21-year-old Axl Johnson (Emmett Skilton) to discover. This was quite the 21st birthday gift for Johnson, especially considering he is supposed to be the all-powerful Odin.
After their parents walk out, Mike Johnson (Tim Balme) raises his younger brothers Axl, Anders (Dean O’Gormon) and Ty (Jared Turner). With each of their incarnations comes a host of powers and abilities, along with an even greater host of troubles. As they are unable to fully control their divine natures, it falls on Axl to restore the mythical family. He must find the reincarnation of Frigg, Odin’s wife, before three rival Norse goddesses find her and prevent the gods from achieving their full powers.
With all the features of a Winchester family drama — melodramatic heart-to-heart talks, divine connections and comic relief only feuding siblings can provide — “The Almighty Johnsons” is the perfect show to settle into after what will likely be a heartbreaking final episode of “Supernatural” next year.
