Jeremy Carver To Step In As Co-Showrunner At ‘Supernatural

[x5vale]

Thanks to daisychain1957for the news.

Jeremy Carver To Step In As Co-Showrunner At ‘Supernatural’
Posted about 6 hours ago by Jason Bowles0

Sera Gamble, one of the showrunners on the program ‘Supernatural‘ has opted not to renew her contract and has instead chosen to focus her energy on development. Gamble has been with the CW show since its beginning, running the show for the last two seasons along with fellow showrunner Robert Singer, who will remain with the program.

Stepping into her role will be Jeremy Carver (right), of Syfy’s ‘Being Human,’ which he co-executive produced and developed along with his wife Anna Fricke. Fricke will remain at ‘Being Human’ and will run the show solo.

Carver does have a history with ‘Supernatural’ having served as a co-producer, writer and story editor during the 2009-10 season, before departing for ‘Being Human,’ which he developed along with Fricke, based on the British original series. He will maintain his “Executive Producer” credit on that show.

Previously, ‘Supernatural’ was run by its creator, Eric Kripke, who stepped down from the position in 2010, which was when Gamble and Singer took over day-to-day duties. He remains an “Executive Consultant.”

For those unsure of what all this means, a showrunner generally outranks a director. While a director crafts individual episodes of a television program, the show runner is tasked with running the overall, day-to-day aspects of a series. The showrunner is in charge of managing and guiding the entire series.

‘Being Human’ has been growing in its popularity and Carver already has a history with ‘Supernatural’, so by all accounts this should be a smooth transition. What do you all think of this staffing change?

source

I have to say, I am happy. I like Gamble as a writer, but as a showrunner she has completely failed imo. She had two seasons and most likely even a third one and instead of planning a storyline which could have been well developed in three years, she just got by.

Comments

[rubyb.livejournal.com]

I've never minded her, she's always been a great writer. But like you said, her showrunning left a lot to be desired. I look forward to seeing what Jeremy can bring to the table. Could inject a whole lot of new life into the show.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

Let's hope he does have the energy to do it and not just trying to survive for another season.

[rubyb.livejournal.com]

*nods* We can only hope! I'm sure time will tell.

[leelust.livejournal.com]

The best news! It made my day!
She was awful as showrunner and her bias ruined the show and repulsed a lot of fans.
I'm happy she's gone!

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I do think she has not ruined Dean. On the contrary I think she is really good at writing Dean, but as a showrunner she failed.

[leelust.livejournal.com]

I don't think so. First she always write Dean as a hand holder for precious sammeh. Second she didn't ruin Dean only cause Jensen was caring to play against the writing. Third i think her gone will make Jensen happy. It makes it at least 3 good reasons to be happy :)

[vella-amor-dm.livejournal.com]

i'm interested but not amazingly hopeful. there's a lot fo damage to be undone here! :/

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I don't think it can't be undone, I am not too hopeful too, but you know there's a possibility...

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

WOW! This news is truly unexpected. I've had my problems with Gamble but I do believe she's a good writer. I think as showrunner she's had a few shortcomings (we've discussed about this a lot, like the way she hasn't tries to set story) but the work on the characters, especially Dean, has been good for me. Although the lack of payoff has been a continuous source of frustration. Ironically, I think she's kinda ruined Sam, making him a cosmic victim and too passive in all his storylines.

I love Carver, though, and if someone should have taken her place, he is a good choice. I wasn't expecting his return. LOL may I make some writerly wish and hope for Raelle Tucker to come back as well?

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

Point is most of the viewevers don't see things like that. They see the hero and the sidekick. If weren't so invested and broke down every sinle scene, maybe I'll tag along with them...but I agree with you. She has ruined Sam more. Let's just see how she closed his awful storyline shifting his crazyness.

I do think she is a good writer and I like what she has done with Dean (although the lack of payoff is getting heavier to be dealt with), but I don't change my mind. Since S6 I haven't liked SPN in the long houl, so I am ok with her leaving.

Carver might be a good choice, but I am not sure the damage can be undone.

[ann-tara.livejournal.com]

Point is most of the viewevers don't see things like that. They see the hero and the sidekick.

Because that's exactly what Gamble's agenda has been all about, demoting Dean to sidekick, thus her refusal to break a story line for Dean for two years in a row, not to mention her S6 "vision" influence that got Dean yanked out of the 5-year mytharc and tossed under the bus at the end.

As a showrunner/EP, her personal fangirly bias was far more important to her than telling a good story or even maintaining viewers. That's a person who has no business being involved in upper level management.

And I personally think her writing was better when she wasn't in charge, when someone else was calling the shots (looking over her shoulder). I haven't loved a single thing she's written since she was promoted.

That Show actually reached out to bring in one of their stronger writers from years past - and that he even agreed to come back - is very telling, IMO. Sounds like the network/studio is more aware than I thought they were that there have been real problems the last two seasons.

I'm not willing to call it a definitive win yet, but I can tell you this is the first time in 2-1/2 years that I've been moderately excited about Supernatural again. My fondness for what it once was has me still wanting the series to go out on a high note, displaying the potential it has but has squandered for far too long. *fingers crossed*

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I agree about S6. The whole Sam storyline was awful but anyway I don't think they ruined Dean's integrity as a character. I think Gamble as ruined Sam way more than Dean turning him into a passive woobie, victim of all the victims. Useless. To be a Sam-girl she didn't make a great job.

I also agree that Gamble as a writer was better way back in S1-S4.

I think you are right about the network decision to bring in Carver. I have hated one episode he wrote, but loved episodes like Changing Channels or In the beginning. So hopefully he will bring back some of the old magic SPN had....

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

Jumping in to say, that the strong impression I've had in the last two seasons is of Dean the hero and Sam the sidekick. I get that Sam had the big flashy storylines but considering how poorly they were used to reflect on Sam's character, I don't count that as being the hero, I count that as plot-movers and SPN has always been less about the plot and more about how the characters reacted to the plots. If you make a list of everything Dean's done since season 6, he comes up on top (got Sam's soul back, uncovered Samuel's and Crowley's plan, had Lisa and Ben on the side, Killed Eve, was in the middle of Cas's betrayal), and this season he has a lot going on compared to what Sam has (which has fizzled to nothing after 717). We may be disappointed with how those storylines have been treated (I am, in a way) but Dean has not had a shortage of being in the middle of everything that was going on. If you compare what Sam had in the last two season, you come up with passiveness over passiveness. He was soulless, he needed to be saved, then he had a wall, then he pressed his hand, then he needed to be saved. I sincerely think that in making him such a victim the story took agency from him, in creating dangers so big to his life, they made Sam's development totally residual because whatever choice he made, good or bad, fell under the umbrella of 'how much he was suffering'. It may be personal, but I like characters who make choices even when they are helpless and outnumbered like Sam and Dean obviously are at the moment, hence why I've enjoyed Dean's story for the most part. I realize that I almost sound like a Sam girl when talking like that, but in the end I believe that the show is better if both the leads are written in a way I can find inspiring; with Sam the most I can say is: poor Sam. Just my opinion, of course, but I wanted to put it out here. :)

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

Well done and very well put :)

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

:) It makes me sad that fellow Dean girls cannot recognize how awesome Dean's development has been in the last two seasons. I know that mileage varies and all that jazz, and there's definitely been a lot of frustration in how Dean's stories have been treated in the show with no real pay off, but in general, it seems to me that a lot of thought has been put in Dean's characterization. I'm ready for some pay off of course. Like right now. :D

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I honestly can see their objections and their issues with Dean's role, more than with Dean characterization, but I am pretty content of his development too.

I highly doubt we will have some payoff, lots of damage has been done and it's not easy to fix it.

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

Yup, my issues are more about Dean's role than his characterization. That's why I say that I share the frustration about it. It's a general argument though that can be made for both Sam and Dean and it ties to what I think the worst mistake has been in these two years: not creating a main arc that was comprehensive, coherent and reflected the characters's journey.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I agree, you know what I think about the mytharc of these two seasons. The main arch was in the background (and I am kinda ok with it) but it wasn't in any way tied with the boys journey).

[ann-tara.livejournal.com]

I think a large part of Dean's awesomeness is in the way the actor portrays him, which many times is in direct contrast to the writing. It was very obvious in Jensen's interviews and reactions to S6, for example, that he worked overtime to try and portray Dean in a way that Jensen considered to be in character in spite of what he saw as writing that didn't.

At the same time, ITA with both of you that Gamble and Singer have done Sam absolutely no favors in the last two years either. Frankly, Kripke didn't do him any favors in S5, especially when he made it quite clear they were never going to have Sam truly own up to his own bad actions and flaws. And that was a huge mistake, if for no other reason than it's not exactly heroic behavior. So the road was paved for Sam's cosmic victimhood (good description, S) a long time ago.

One of the big problems with the approach to the writing for Sam that I see is in the producers' entirely one-dimensional "Mary Sue" attitude toward him - spending time devising, or stealing, stories for Sam without writing layers or putting any thought into logical consequences or growth. They want Sam to get all the glitz, but without the warts and all substance, and that kind of writing is very empty indeed.

And that kind of one-dimensionality absolutely requires other characters to react and move the plot along, which is, of course, where Dean comes in and what keeps him in the middle of everything. But I'm tired of Dean being relegated to the reactionary role - it's time for a more proactive approach to Dean again, as there was in S4. The character and the actor deserve it.

So, yeah, I admit I'll never not want to see a real Dean story that's actually about Dean and not about what Dean can do for others; and one that finally sees genuine payoff at the end.

Don't get me wrong, I love what Dean can and will do for others - it's an ingrained part of his characterization, and a large part of why so many fans love him. But Dean is more than that, and it's time for the character to be important to the overall arc for who he is in his entirety, and not for what he can do to prop up Sam or Cas or Bobby or any other character.

IA with Val that a lot of damage has been done. But as down and disappointed as I've been with this show for the last 2-1/2 years, I actually don't think it's entirely unsalvageable.

I hope that bringing Carver back is a best of both worlds scenario. He's familiar with the series and the characters from when he was on staff, and is a talented writer in his own right. But at the same time he's been away from it for three years building and showrunning another successful universe and franchise, where he can come back to SPN and bring in fresh eyes, which I think the show desperately needs. :)

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

I'm sure Jensen gave his own spin to the character and I agree that a lot of Dean being in character has been thanks to him. I don't think though that the writing has failed him that much. What I mean is: the stuff that happened to Dean is in the scripts and Jensen has made it resonant with me way beyond what was in the scripts.

So, yeah, I admit I'll never not want to see a real Dean story that's actually about Dean and not about what Dean can do for others; and one that finally sees genuine payoff at the end.

Yes. I mean, this is my biggest gripe about Dean's storlylines these two season. As much as I have enjoyed his character and how he's been written - and I know that I'm in the minority as Dean girl :( - I would ahve loved for Dean to have stories that were about Dean and not just about other characters. I've learned to think of those as plot movers, though, but it's been just because I was following his story and liking it.

I agree with you that the show can be injected with a new, and fresh attitude. Maybe stop with the circular storytelling that's dominated these two seasons too much. I know that after a while even I was getting bored with it. And yes, Carver may be the right person for it exactly because he's acquired some distance. In any case, I'm not going to set my expectations high. I first want to see what he's able to do. :D

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

Gotta say that I agree with you and Pam both.

I have enjoyed Dean's journey but I would have wanted some story about him only.

You two have worded my thoughts already, so I don't have anything to add :)

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

This is brilliantly put-- I couldn't have said it better myself :)

[smilla02.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It makes me sad that I haven't a lot to say about Sam in the last two seasons, or that he isn't intriguing me as much as he did before. I know that there are Sam girls who are liking his story and sometimes I don't even know if I have a right to criticize how he's been written because I think of myself as a Dean girl. But heck, I'm a fan of Sam as well, no matter who my favorite is.

I think that the writing hasn't done any of them any favor, to be honest, but with Dean I've been able to follow his progression, even though it frustrates me that his storylines have been left to dither away without the needed payoff.

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

I think that the writing hasn't done any of them any favor, to be honest

Oh this I completely and utterly agree with!! I know all the old arguments but seriously the writing and SL has harmed both characters and changed the focus of the show-- changed it to something almost unrecognizable from what it started off as. If the family aspect always has to be brought up in interviews, etc it indicates to me that it isn't apparent in the actual show!

[greenamber-blue.livejournal.com]

This is a very convincing argument, and it certainly paints a picture that would sell season 6 to any Dean fan, except when watching it's very difficult not to have a different take on it. Not because we ignored Dean's actions, but because despite Dean acting as a proactive hero..and succeeding in many mini battles..pretty much everything he did was All About Sam. He discovered that Sam was Souless, he didn't trust Sam, he retrieved Sam's soul, he worried about Sam with the Wall up then when the Wall broke he worried that Sam might die. This was a running theme throughout the season. Nothing was All About Dean except Lisa and Ben, which got very little screen time. Both Dean killing Eve and becoming the centre of Castiel's betrayal came right at the end of the season...when I think TPTB had to make some changes, and the latter was only because of Ben Edlund writing TMWWBK.

I notice a lot of arguments about who gets the storylines v who gets the POV or characterisation v passive plot bunny..but thinking about it, sometimes I wonder if that really matters. What seems to matter is what gets the most emphasis from the writers..what do THEY value the most. You mention how Dean was the hero and has done a lot of heroic stuff in season 6 and 7, well in any other show I would agree that makes Dean the central character..because on another show that kind of character would be valued most by the writers, and all the emphasis would be on him. However, on SPN the writers seem to value the Woobie character more..they would rather put more emphasis on the VictimSam than the HeroDean. So, instead of third parties waxing lyrical about Dean and his heroic acts..they're discussing Sam and his problems. You would get episode after episode of every character - Dean, Cas, Bobby etc all talking about what is up with Sam and how to save him. (In fact I actually think that 90% of the conversations Dean had with Bobby and Cas in the first ten episodes were related to Sam at some point). Then there are the baddies..Dean may vanquish them heroically..but in a showdown between Dean and Grampa Shady, or Dean versus Crowley the conversation was rarely about Dean, instead it would again be about Sam..whether it was Grampa working with him, or Crowley supposedly holding his soul hostage. Basically Sam was always present..even if he wasn't in the room he was still present because the topic of conversation would be about him. That's why it was absolutely clear that despite Sam never really doing anything other than have things happen to him..the fact that everyone and everything revolved around him, that made him the central character.

Just to add...the problem with the writers operating under this rule, is that the only way Dean could become the central character is if HE becomes the WoobieVictim and Sam becomes the proactive Hero..which wouldn't be true to Dean's character, and would annoy a lot of fans too. I would go so far as to say they have experimented with this this season, with Sam and Bobby having conversations about Dean..with things happening to Dean, and Sam getting a lot more kills.

Ideally what I would like is for Dean to be a proactive Hero in his own story, and Sam to be a proactive Hero in his own story and occasionally the two meet and link. It works on Fringe and other shows..but for some reason this isn't a method the SPN writers like to follow.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

Ideally what I would like is for Dean to be a proactive Hero in his own story, and Sam to be a proactive Hero in his own story and occasionally the two meet and link. It works on Fringe and other shows..but for some reason this isn't a method the SPN writers like to follow.
I do very much agree with this. I don't like Fringe, but you are right, there it works and it works on The Vampire Diaries too (even in an ensemble show works quite differentely). I do think they have sticked with the pattern that Sam was the hero and Dean the sidekick since the very beginning, then they realized how strong Dean character was and have never been able to actually balance their personal storylines and theirs in the mytarch.

Btw I think that SPN can be read and seen in two different ways. If you look at the character growth, Dean wins. No context.
If you look at the storylines, yes the ones which have more emphasis are about Sam, but this is way far from making Sam the most interesting character.

[agt-spooky.livejournal.com]

I'm still doing the dance of joy around my living room. :-) Carver was a surprising, but welcome choice as replacement. I have hope now for a good season eight.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I hope Carver won't just try to survive, but will add something fresh to the show :)

[roselani24.livejournal.com]

Count me among those happy to have Carver returning! That bodes well for the show continuing and even having a new life breathed into it storywise. Yes, this is definitely a good thing I think.

Gamble just didn't have what it takes to be a showrunner imo, and as a result the whole series as suffered. As a writer of individual episodes she usually did pretty good before she took over as showrunner and then the quality there just dropped through the floor.

Its especially exciting in terms of Sam's character because Carver was also the last person to write and show Sam having some real character growth. So just maybe he can help turn Sam's character around and make him at least likable if not get him back to being an actual hero on the show. And follow through on Dean's storylines especially since he seems to really like Dean too and writes him as the strong, kickass hunter he is. :D

Issues with the one scene in 5.18 aside, the episode is really strong and promoted both brothers well so I'm hopeful for more. And just maybe a flip of that one scene would be nice...why yes, I'm feeling a little vindictive and want to see more of Castiel getting his comeuppance, what gave me away? :P And I also want to see Cas find true redemption as well.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

He wrote Mistery Spot which is the episode I hated the most in all teh SPN history, but he also wrote A Very SPN Xmas, In the Beginning and Point of No Return, which are among my faves, so I am willing to see what he will be able to do.

Agreed with you about how he wrote Dean and Sam.

[roselani24.livejournal.com]

If you don't mind me asking, why did you hate Mystery Spot so much?

I've always seen it as one of the better episodes of Season 3 since Season 3 got hit so hard by the writers strike (to our benefit actually since it forced the writers to focus on Dean's deal and his fate and led to "No Rest for the Wicked" which led to Lazarus Rising, probably one of my top fave Spn episodes :) ).

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

Because the end failed Dean so much for me. I know that everyone think that it was everything in Sam's mind, but I still have the bad feeling it wasn't and it was real. If it was so, they would have deprived Dean of his free will, of part of his life...so I loved the episode until the last scene.

I know it's not like that, I know canon says it was unreal...but still...

Lazarus Rising is one of the best episodes of SPN.

Missed you.

[roselani24.livejournal.com]

Missed you too. *hugs* :)

Because the end failed Dean so much for me. I know that everyone think that it was everything in Sam's mind, but I still have the bad feeling it wasn't and it was real. If it was so, they would have deprived Dean of his free will, of part of his life...so I loved the episode until the last scene.

I'm not following how the end deprived Dean of his free will. Would you mind expounding on it a bit more?

As for how the episode was depicted in the canon, I always got the impression it was very real, and in fact have a nice little theory about how the Trickster's actions actually racked up more hell time for Dean, which contributed to his ultimate breaking while in Hell. Just because Dean didn't remember those six months down under doesn't mean they didn't happen. Add for more months Earth time and that makes a hundred years...the same time Alastair claimed John held out for before escaping. Plus the hundred plus deaths and restarts of the day...that could easily add up in Hell time.

Its my way of evening out the Hell year experiences between Dean and Sam (even if I think Sam's worstest Hell eva with Lucifer was never as bad as what Alastair put Dean through, but that's just me being a Deangirl).

Lol, okay, putting my theories away. ;)

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I think I should rewatch it...so I am linking my reaction post to it: http://x5vale.livejournal.com/178385.html.

Very long, be careful!

[roselani24.livejournal.com]

Very long, be careful!

Perfect! :D *is off to read* Thanks for the link!

Edit: Okay, I understand now what you meant. Agreed that it was sucky for Dean to not know. But I always believed that Sam wouldn't have been able to hide the changes in himself afterwards and that Dean caught on. In Season 3, Sam was keeping secrets by far more poorly than in Season 4 because he was also desperate to save Dean.

At any rate, my personal fanon in that regard is that Tessa gave Dean back those memories when she kissed him in 4.15 so he could remember their first encounter. Its fits with Dean's anger and extra bite towards the Trickster/Gabriel when they meet him again in 5.08. But that's just me fanwanking it since the Show kinda swept it under the rug...like most Dean plots *sighs*

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I would have loved to see it...but it pisses me off it was never addressed in the show.

[legoline.livejournal.com]

I distinctively remember that Jeremy Carver wrote all the SPN episodes I hated the most, but I hope he does okay as a showrunner. At least he might stop the "It's about Sam and Sam's brother" approach, no? Keeping my fingers crossed for you guys.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

You know, I still think they have ruined Sam way more than any other character on this show, so yeah being a Sam biased writer has done no good to him.

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

Let's see where this is going...I'm in for the ride!!

*HUGS*

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I am in too!

[jessyver.livejournal.com]

I've always loved Sera as a writer so i hope she will write some episodes even in season 8. As a showrunner she was far from perfect but i can't totally blame her because she didn't know how to be a showrunner in the first place and Kripke didn't leaver her too much to work with since Swan Song is basically a series finale.
I LOVE Carver, i've pratically loved every episode he has written and unlike Gamble he has been a showrunner in another show so he knows how to make things work. And since Being Human US has already been renewed for another season he could have stayed in that show if he didn't have some good ideas for SPN. So i'm totally optimistic for season 8 and curious to see where Carver will take us.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

You know I do think Kripke had to change the finale in Swang Song because of the idea they had in mind for S6...but I blame Gamble for not been able to devop a main arch tied with the characters journey. Kripke, who had his flaws, was very good at it.

Let's bring the optimism on!!!

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't mind who is the showrunner to be truthful. I do agree with your opinion about Gamble. I feel sorry for her because she tried something new while the center of the show was on a shaky basis and it just went downhill from there...

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

She could have handled everything better I think....

[pinkphoenix1985.livejournal.com]

She could have but I think that all the blame she is getting is partly hers and partly not. It isn't like she wrote every episode and completely decided on the SL. I think that it has to do with the fact that at the moment most of the writers are new or just know the "current" versions of the Winchesters. That creates a problem of character continuity.

Hopefully Carver will be able to steer them in the right direction

[mangokulfi.livejournal.com]

I am very cautiously hopeful that this means the show will get back to something that I can love again. But I have been disappointed so many times since the end of season 5 that I can't get any more optimistic than that.

[x5vale.livejournal.com]

I am not that hopeful neither but I want to give Carver a chance :)

Are you on twitter?