Diversity induces obsession about supernatural television shows
By Hunter Grooms
Monster hunters, vampires, and werewolves, oh my! Adolescent society today has become almost obsessed over TV shows such as “Vampire Diaries,” “Teen Wolf,” “Supernatural,” and “Once Upon a Time.” During the Halloween season this year, they are becoming more popular than ever.
To understand their dominant role on television, one should probably know at least a brief synopsis of each of the shows.
“Vampire Diaries” follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a 17 year-old girl, who falls deeply in love with a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's vicious and malevolent older brother Damon Salvatore returns with a plan to wreak havoc on the town. To make things a bit more interesting, Damon falls in love with Elena as well, Elena’s best friend turns out to be a witch, and her brother begins seeing ghosts on a daily basis
“Teen Wolf’s” central character is Scott McCall, a high school student who is bitten by a werewolf during a midnight trek through the woods. He struggles to balance his new mythical identity with his day to day teenage life. Essential characters include his best friend Stiles, who helps him throughout his struggle, his girlfriend Allison, whose lineage is unfortunately filled with werewolf hunters, and Derek, an enigmatic older werewolf.
“Supernatural” is a show about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, whose father was a supernatural creature hunter. After their dad is kidnapped by a demon, they take up his profession in pursuing the paranormal. To add a twist to the plot, Sam is linked to Lucifer, meaning Sam’s body is the only one Lucifer can survive in when he comes to Earth. To add a contrast of good vs. evil, Dean is linked to the Arch-Angel Michael. Parallel universes, ghosts, and exorcisms add to the show.
“Once Upon a Time” involves an evil witch who sets a curse on the characters of fairytales. The curse itself forces the characters to forget their identity and be trapped in the modern world in a town named Storybrook. Each episode focuses slightly on a new character’s story, which allows for the viewers to slowly piece together the whole story.
When asked why she originally watched the show “Vampire Diaries,” viewer junior Pinckney Townsend replied, “All of my friends wouldn’t stop talking about it, so I conformed.”
“I didn’t start until around the first of September; when Sloan Wightman introduced it to me while the rest of my students began talking about it,” Ms. Patti Toepke, an avid “Vampire Diaries” watcher said.
Many of the viewers became hooked on these shows because their friends had all recommended them.
“But then I found out that actors were all really attractive and that the characters were charismatic and well rounded…my reasons for watching the show completely changed,” devoted “Supernatural” watcher junior Anna Tovo said.
With having started watching the shows, the viewers now needed a reason to continue watching the show. It definitely wasn’t the relatable nature of the shows that kept them coming back for more.
“I can’t possibly relate to “Vampire Diaries”: I don’t normally have attractive vampire brothers chasing after me all the time, and besides I realize none of it is real,” Pinckney said.
“To me, it [“Supernatural”] isn’t relatable at all; I mean the brothers are supernatural creature hunters; that’s not exactly my style!” Anna said.
There was a necessity to provide something extra to captivate the attention of the millions of watchers.
“I love the suspense about what’s going to happen next. You think everything is wrapped up but then things just go crazy!” Ms. Toepke said.
“I really enjoy the in-depth plot and how I can understand it all because they really make you feel like you’re in the fantasy world,” Anna said.
“I like all the love triangles and how everyone is so interconnected; it really proves to give some interesting stories,” Pinckney said.
Overall, the viewers’ consider the actual shows’ plots responsible for their viewing. The series have storylines infused with sweethearts, conspiracies, violence, and unsystematic accidents that entice their audiences. In addition to enjoying the paranormal creatures and themes the fans enjoy a good story as well.
The shows have gained a strong and resilient fan-base in the past few years. Their fans deem the unique themes liable for their addictions to the series and claim that every other show is just another cop show, with hours upon hours of “who-dunnits” –which quickly gets boring. These mythical shows bring a personal sense of adventure and excitement along with vampires, werewolves, and multitudes of other creatures to their viewers.
Monster hunters, vampires, and werewolves, oh my! Adolescent society today has become almost obsessed over TV shows such as “Vampire Diaries,” “Teen Wolf,” “Supernatural,” and “Once Upon a Time.” During the Halloween season this year, they are becoming more popular than ever.
To understand their dominant role on television, one should probably know at least a brief synopsis of each of the shows.
“Vampire Diaries” follows the life of Elena Gilbert, a 17 year-old girl, who falls deeply in love with a 162-year-old vampire named Stefan Salvatore. Their relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Stefan's vicious and malevolent older brother Damon Salvatore returns with a plan to wreak havoc on the town. To make things a bit more interesting, Damon falls in love with Elena as well, Elena’s best friend turns out to be a witch, and her brother begins seeing ghosts on a daily basis
“Teen Wolf’s” central character is Scott McCall, a high school student who is bitten by a werewolf during a midnight trek through the woods. He struggles to balance his new mythical identity with his day to day teenage life. Essential characters include his best friend Stiles, who helps him throughout his struggle, his girlfriend Allison, whose lineage is unfortunately filled with werewolf hunters, and Derek, an enigmatic older werewolf.
“Supernatural” is a show about two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, whose father was a supernatural creature hunter. After their dad is kidnapped by a demon, they take up his profession in pursuing the paranormal. To add a twist to the plot, Sam is linked to Lucifer, meaning Sam’s body is the only one Lucifer can survive in when he comes to Earth. To add a contrast of good vs. evil, Dean is linked to the Arch-Angel Michael. Parallel universes, ghosts, and exorcisms add to the show.
“Once Upon a Time” involves an evil witch who sets a curse on the characters of fairytales. The curse itself forces the characters to forget their identity and be trapped in the modern world in a town named Storybrook. Each episode focuses slightly on a new character’s story, which allows for the viewers to slowly piece together the whole story.
When asked why she originally watched the show “Vampire Diaries,” viewer junior Pinckney Townsend replied, “All of my friends wouldn’t stop talking about it, so I conformed.”
“I didn’t start until around the first of September; when Sloan Wightman introduced it to me while the rest of my students began talking about it,” Ms. Patti Toepke, an avid “Vampire Diaries” watcher said.
Many of the viewers became hooked on these shows because their friends had all recommended them.
“But then I found out that actors were all really attractive and that the characters were charismatic and well rounded…my reasons for watching the show completely changed,” devoted “Supernatural” watcher junior Anna Tovo said.
With having started watching the shows, the viewers now needed a reason to continue watching the show. It definitely wasn’t the relatable nature of the shows that kept them coming back for more.
“I can’t possibly relate to “Vampire Diaries”: I don’t normally have attractive vampire brothers chasing after me all the time, and besides I realize none of it is real,” Pinckney said.
“To me, it [“Supernatural”] isn’t relatable at all; I mean the brothers are supernatural creature hunters; that’s not exactly my style!” Anna said.
There was a necessity to provide something extra to captivate the attention of the millions of watchers.
“I love the suspense about what’s going to happen next. You think everything is wrapped up but then things just go crazy!” Ms. Toepke said.
“I really enjoy the in-depth plot and how I can understand it all because they really make you feel like you’re in the fantasy world,” Anna said.
“I like all the love triangles and how everyone is so interconnected; it really proves to give some interesting stories,” Pinckney said.
Overall, the viewers’ consider the actual shows’ plots responsible for their viewing. The series have storylines infused with sweethearts, conspiracies, violence, and unsystematic accidents that entice their audiences. In addition to enjoying the paranormal creatures and themes the fans enjoy a good story as well.
The shows have gained a strong and resilient fan-base in the past few years. Their fans deem the unique themes liable for their addictions to the series and claim that every other show is just another cop show, with hours upon hours of “who-dunnits” –which quickly gets boring. These mythical shows bring a personal sense of adventure and excitement along with vampires, werewolves, and multitudes of other creatures to their viewers.