Supernatural’s Wayward Sisters pilot proves that nice fans can make a difference

Jayne nelson writes: fans can be entitled. i found this out first-hand when Farscape was cancelled in 2002 and i received dozens of emails from viewers begging me to change my mind, mistakenly thinking that i was a bigwig at the (then) Sci-fi channel

(SFX = Sci-fi channel? er, okay…). unfortunately, for every email that was polite, there was one that threatened me or called me names – some of them very bad.

it’s so much worse in the age of twitter, facebook and reddit. Rick And Morty creator Dan Harmon recently announced that he “loathed” some of the show’s fans after they complained that he’d hired female writers; their behaviour was so repugnant he called them “knobs”.

But, sometimes, thankfully, the good fans overwhelm the bad and because of this, the people they’re speaking to pay attention.

Sense8-lovers, for example, managed to nab their beloved series a wrap-up finale next year because they got organised, circulated petitions and didn’t piss anybody off. Hannibal, wonderfully, went from straight horror to a dark, gay romance because Bryan fuller listened to excited fans who saw Hannibal and Will’s relationship as a love story. and, in an even bigger move, the Supernatural showrunners may even commission a series based on viewers’ wishes.

Supernatural fans had been begging for a spin-off involving kick-ass Sheriff Jody Mills (Kim rhodes) for ages; rhodes had even campaigned herself for the show, the phrase “Wayward af” – a riff on “carry on Wayward Son”, Supernatural’s official anthem – becoming a powerful hashtag. fandom was heard; a backdoor pilot is on the way, and the signs look good that it will be picked up.

and how did the fans achieve this? they showed there was a demand, they were polite and they didn’t call people names. there hasn’t been a whiff of entitlement about their campaign.

Here’s to more behaviour like this from fandom – and fewer knobs.

The backdoor pilot for Wayward Sisters will air during Supernatural season 13, in early 2018.

This wasn’t the first time they’d been called in to speak to the headmaster.