Supernatural as a Transmedia Product on and off-screen Abstract Supernatural is a TV series which ran from 2005 to 2020 created by Erik Kripke that follows the journey of two brothers who hunt monsters, ghosts and creatures from different urban legends, folklore and mythological tales. This paper intends to explore the Supernatural universe as a transmedia product. First, it analyses the expansion of the show, as it not only consists of the fifteen-season show but also in several different media in which the story has been developed. Secondly, it explores the use of fanfiction and its implementation in the narrative of the show, making use of the prosumer’s creations so as to further broaden the plot of the show. After this, it develops an analysis of the use of metafiction which has become a central feature throughout the fifteen seasons the show has run. Additionally, this paper goes deeper into the concept of Expansion by analysing the idea of spin-offs, taking into account the one already in development by the company in charge of the show and the one which was not picked up by the network. Lastly, this paper dwells on the use of music as a possibility for the expansion of the story. Finally, in every section of this paper, it is shown how Supernatural integrates the result of such expansion into the narrative of the main story itself. All of the aspects mentioned before are the ones that contribute to the transformation Supernatural into a Transmedia product by expanding its universe through different media and inside the show itself. Keywords - Transmedia storytelling, Expansion, Media, Fanfiction, Metafiction, Spin-off Introduction When the pilot episode of the CW’s Previously called Warner Channel, at the time the show was created. Supernatural first aired back in 2005, the impact it would have on its viewers could not be predicted, as well as the loyalty it would create in its fandom. In short, Supernatural follows the life of the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam, played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, respectively, who travel across the United States hunting monsters and creatures, such as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches, pagan gods or even angels and demons: “They have been possessed; sent to hell, heaven, purgatory; marked by the biblical figure Cain; sent back in time; and much more” (Herrman, 2016). This rich narrative world allowed the creation of different ways of continuing the story which has converted the series into a transmedia product. This paper will explore how the Supernatural Universe has been transformed into a transmedia product to take advantage of the narrative world and how this has been represented in the TV show itself. As Bertetti (2017) says, “fictional worlds are inevitably incomplete “small worlds”, as incompleteness is a distinctive feature of fictional existence” (p.49). The Supernatural TV show can be considered incomplete in itself as it only tells the story from one perspective. However, the beginning of the transmediality of this product provides new points of view and a full expansion of the worldbuilding of the Supernatural Universe. Regarding the relationship between the story and the audience, Supernatural can be considered to be an open system production because it “allow[s] participation, i.e. the audience can influence the result and change the outcome” (Rampazzo Gambaratto, p.84). Fans and prosumers can somehow participate by means of interaction and they have been welcomed to co-create or change the narrative. Supernatural as a Transmedia product The huge success that Supernatural brought to the producing company gave green light to the first expansion of its narrative. In 2010, after the end of the fifth season, an animated series premiered as an adaptation of its first and second seasons. According to Jenkins (2009), a simple adaptation may not be considered Transmedia Storytelling due to the fact that it is not expanding its universe but rather telling the same story through a different medium (crossmedia, Long, 2007). However, this adaptation not only told the same story of the previous season but also included original content exploring the Winchesters' childhoods and expanding upon secondary characters. Gambarato (2015) includes Davidson’s approach, from which it can be stated that Supernatural is mainly a retroactive transmedia project given that it “start[s] to be planned after (...) a successful preexistent project. This is the case when a book [In this case, a T.V. Show] (...) is already created and it is subsequently expanded to become a transmedia experience” (2013, 87). But there is one medium which has helped to go deeper into the story expanding the narrative even further. The first expansions One of the major sources of extra information that was created in order to expand the universe of Supernatural is the set of comic books published between 2007 and 2012. This series of stories which are a prequel to the main one, as they tell the lives of different characters previous to the pilot episode of the show, is divided into four volumes. These volumes are: Supernatural: Origins, Supernatural: Rising Son, Supernatural: Beginning´s End and Supernatural: Caledonia Following Jenkins’ principles, these comic books are instances of Subjectivity as they explore the narrative through new eyes. The stories are told from a variety of viewpoints, encompassing a range of characters who were familiar to the already established fanbase. This is also what Jenkins called the principle of Drillability as fans and people who were interested in the show could start to explore in-depth the narrative of this product. Another instance of expansion that appeared around the same time of the comics was Ghostfacers, a web series spin-off of Supernatural featuring the Ghostfacer team led by Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler which consisted of 10 webisodes, starting on April 15th 2010. These two characters have appeared on several episodes of the show as amateurs ghosthunters, with no previous experience on the show, who have their own web show “searching” for ghosts in different places while inventing those stories in order to gain views and followers. Until they are faced with a real threat. After the popularity of these two characters, a real web show was produced to give the fans a glimpse of their “work”. The show only ran for one season but these two “wannabe” hunters kept on appearing throughout different seasons, causing Sam and Dean problems in their real work. The fanfiction phenomenon inside the show The popularity of Supernatural around the world provoked the creation of different types of fanfiction which have inspired the writers of the show and included those fanfictions into the main narrative, mainly as a joke or as a way of addressing the fan’s criticism of different narrative plotholes. Being a special type of retelling, fanfiction balances between the receiver’s reaction to a programme-text and an artistic interpretation that may function as an independent work of art, and therefore it often retains the voice of an author as that of a receiver. In fanfics more so than in other retellings, it is possible to notice codes that were used during reading/watching/listening and “seams” that connect different texts which participated in the transmedia communication that preceded the creation of a transformative work. (Tatjana Menise, 2020, p.26) This idea of containing both voices is relevant because not only have the prosumer taken into consideration the original plot of the show when creating their fanfics but, at the moment of including these fans' ideas into the show, the voices of the prosumers have been also taken into account, showing a reciprocal and collaborative work from both sides, the fans and the writers. The first instance of the introduction of fanfiction can be seen in season 4, episode 18: The Monster at the End of This Book. In this episode, the Winchesters realise that their own lives have been recorded in a series of comic books, also called Supernatural. These books are a literal reference to the comic books being released in real life. In the episode, the brothers discover an online fandom - with both Sam Girls and Dean Girls and 'Slash Slash fan: Fans who ship the brothers as a couple, which has been popularly called “Wincest”. ' fans. YouTube extract of the episode in the Appendix A for reference. This is significant because it clearly references what was happening in real life and was addressed directly in the show. Later on, the main characters track down the writer of those books, Chuck, who explains he has visions of the brothers that he then turns into comic books. Later it is revealed that Chuck is actually a scribe of God, and in the following seasons, it is revealed to be, actually, God himself, and that is the reason why he can see Sam and Dean’s lives. Chuck is an actual representation of Eric Kripke, the creator of the show, and God ends up being a central piece in the Supernatural narrative as in the final episode of season 14 it is revealed that everything that has happened to the Winchester brothers has been a story written by God/Chuck himself just for amusement. Even Sam says to him “Because we are your favourite show because we are part of your story”. And, at the end of the episode, Chuck says “The story is over, welcome to the end”, YouTube extract of the episode in the Appendix B for reference. giving reference to the end of the show, as it had previously been announced that season 15 would be the final one. This is relevant as the whole “Chuck” idea is a clear representation of the producers and writers of the show. These instances of metafiction are a recurrent feature of the show which allowed them to explore new narratives and keep on incorporating new ideas taken from the fans. When the show reached 200 episodes, it was decided by the producers and writers to give a gift to the fans celebrating their support. This episode from season 10 was called “Fan Fiction” and is claimed to be pure metafiction because it is about a musical based on the Chuck Shurley books, the character previously mentioned and being this episode the one who first confirms him as God. This episode also contains references to the fandom pairings Wincest, Sastiel (Samstiel) and Destiel Sastiel and Destiel are shipping names matching Sam or Dean with Castiel, a recurrent character who first appeared in season 4 and has become a fan favourite. showing how fans are still creating these noncanonical stories after 10 years of the show. In Jenkins (2006) words “fans spend a great deal of time debating the alternative interpretations of the characters which appear in their stories” Information retrieved from http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2006/09/fan_fiction_as_critical_commen.html. These are used as a comic relief in the plot of the episode but at the same time, the episode deals with topics that fans have been questioning from years, as it is the case of Sam and Dean’s younger brother, Adam, who since season 5 has been trapped in Hell but never mentioned again in the show until this episode. Adam’s fate has been a recurrent topic in the Supernatural fandom for years and, after this short mention, it ignited the fires even more. The French Mistake reaction This idea of metafiction, as has been mentioned before, has taken the transmediality of the show into a new phase. One of the fan favourite episodes can be found in Season 6. Supernatural's "The French Mistake" (Season 6, Episode 15) has been cited as one of the best episodes of the series. In short, this episode shows how the Winchester brothers are sent into an alternate reality in order to be protected. In this alternate reality, they find they are now "Jensen Ackles" and "something called a Jared Padalecki." Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, just as they are in real life, are the stars of a show called Supernatural. Sam and Dean hilariously have to navigate the "real world" in order to go back home. This episode has given the fans the opportunity to be immersed in the production of Supernatural as they have been able to see the writers and producers of the show dealing with the actual filming itself. Also, this episode gave the actors a chance to play themselves — or, more specifically, their characters pretending to be the real actors. But fans, without knowing it, have been involved in this episode in a very subtle way. As Sam and Dean are exploring this new universe, they bump into Castiel, or actually the actor who plays Castiel, Misha Collins. After interacting with him, Misha starts tweeting. This was an actual tweet which people could see in real life and comment on it. When the episode was released, fans noticed that the tweet was part of the episode as well. Link to the scene and real tweet in Appendix C & D A new kind of expansion As regards expansion of this universe, it is worth mentioning the new spin-off series which is in the works on the CW channel. This new product intends to go further into the story of the characters. In this case, the new show, which is called The Winchesters Link to a trailer in the Appendix E for further exploration of the product. will explore the lives of Sam and Dean’s parents, how they got together, and how they saved the world from forces determined to destroy it. This is the first instance of a live-action expansion which was approved by the company in charge. This spin-off contributes to what Jenkins defines as Seriality and Subjectivity; two other core principles of transmedia narrative. There was another attempt to expand the universe with a spin-off back in 2018 but it was not picked up by the company. This one was called Wayward Sisters. A pilot episode was shot and aired as part of the tenth episode of the thirteenth season. This show was going to tell the story of Sheriff Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes), Sheriff Donna Hanscum (Briana Buckmaster), who were recurring and fan-loved characters of the show, and a group of troubled young women, all of them orphaned by supernatural tragedy, one of the girls being Castiel’s Vessel’s A vessel refers to the body that, in this case, the angel Castiel, possessed in order to walk on Earth freely. daughter. Unlike the original series, which centres on biological brothers, Wayward Sisters was about a sisterhood of girls in a foster family. The title of this show is also a clear reference to the show’s music. Carry On My Wayward Son is a 1976 progressive rock song by the band Kansas. It has been used in the last episode of each season, in the "The Road So Far" segment. This segment refers to the recaps shown in the last episode of each season explaining what has happened before in order to give a refresh of the past events. The Carry On My Wayward Son influence This song by Kansas has been part of the show since the very beginning. It has become a fan favourite and a symbol of the Supernatural universe as it is a central piece of the show's narrative. It also plays at the end of each episode of Supernatural: The Animation. We cannot completely say that this song is transmedia because it is not telling a story in itself but rather helping to tell a short version of the stories already told in the show, i.e. recaps of each season. Anyway, it has been used for the same purpose in both, the live-action show and the animated version. It can be said that it is an instance of Crossmedia storytelling, as it helps to tell the same story in two different media in a reduced way. Yet, it is worth mentioning the use of this song by the fans and prosumers. According to Scolari (2014), Transmedia storytelling starts in the canon and ends up in the fandom. Personal translation of Scolari’s words in https://hipermediaciones.com/2014/01/19/transmedia-y-musica/ Fans have been in charge of creating new material throughout the web and this song has become a paramount element in most of these fanmade videos. Therefore, it is not surprising that at the moment of planning this first spin-off, the creators have chosen the name as a reference to the song. Finally, following the Supernatural tradition, the song also made it to the show itself as we see Dean in one of the final scenes preparing himself to drive his car and turning on the radio. This song starts playing and Dean says “I love this song”. Link to the scene where the song is played in Appendix F While the song is playing, it is seen how Sam’s life elapses until he dies at an advanced age, giving the fans glimpses of his happy ending. All of this with Carry On My Wayward Son playing in the background. But there is one instance in which this song can be considered a transmedia product. Going back to the episode Fan Fiction, this song is used in the musical play to tell the story of the Winchester brothers from the comics. Link to the scene where the song is played in Appendix G Thus, even though it is not a fully transmedia product in real life, it has become a transmedia product within the show itself and it has loads of potential to create a new universe. Now, with the new spin-off already greenlit and set to premiere in October, it can be expected that this song will also take part in the story, so as to continue with the tradition. The contributions of conventions After having explored the expansion of the universe through different media narratives, in order to go further into the transmediality of Supernatural, it is necessary to take into consideration the Supernatural Conventions that are made each year. These meetings are a point of convergence where fans can interact with the cast and producers of the show. These conventions give open space to what Jenkins calls the principle of performance. “Most of Supernatural’s success lies not in the quantity of its fans but in the strong and extremely active and dedicated community of fans that religiously watch the show, participate in conventions, buy merchandise, follow the actors, and, eventually, take over the Internet with their comments, fan pages, fan fiction, etc” (Gonçalves, 2015, p.16). As it has been mentioned before, Supernatural is characterized by using these “Real life experiences” as a source of material for the show. Supernatural Conventions have been addressed in the show and represented as well. In season 5, episode 9 called The Real Ghostbusters the main characters arrive at a Supernatural convention organized by fans of the comic books. In this place, they encounter hundreds of people dressed as the characters of the books, which are actually dressed as Sam and Dean. This episode made reference to how the fanbase has been exploring and getting involved in the universe by attending these conventions. Not only in this episode but also in real life, it can be encountered several of Jenkins principles which demonstrate how Supernatural is a Transmedia product. In the episode, there are instances of performance, as was mentioned before, people are dressed as different characters. The principle of Drillability appears again as in these conventions fans are capable of exploring and analysing the narrative with other fans and the people in charge of the show. There are instances of extractability with all the products fans can take home with themselves. Conclusion After analysing all the previous factors which have been mentioned before, it can be said that Supernatural indeed is a Transmedia product as it has expanded its universe through different media, such as comic books, an animated series, fan-fiction and, in a few months, the new spin-off series The Winchesters. Music has been a central part of the show as well yet it cannot be considered as a transmedia product completely yet it has been proved the full potential it possesses to create and expand the Supernatural universe. It was also demonstrated that all the seven core concepts of transmedia storytelling presented by Jenkins can be found in the analysis of the product giving more evidence of the transmediality of the universe. Finally, several instances of the use of transmedia ideas can be traced down inside the TV show itself, as they have been used in order to expand the narrative and to demonstrate that fans have been heard and also have been a source of inspiration for the narrative itself. This demonstrates how Supernatural as a Transmedia product is an open system which still has several opportunities to keep expanding in the future projects already in the work. References Bertetti, P. (2017). Building Science-Fiction Worlds. In M. Boni (Ed.), World Building (pp. 47–61). Amsterdam University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1zkjz0m.5 Bertetti, P. (2014). Toward a typology of transmedia characters. International Journal of Communication, 2344–2361 1932–8036/20140005. University of SienaGambarato, R. R. (2013). Transmedia project design: theoretical and analytical considerations. Baltic Screen Media Review 2013. Vol (1) Issue 1. 81-100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/bsmr-2015-0006 Gambarato, R. R. (2013). Transmedia project design: theoretical and analytical considerations. Baltic Screen Media Review 2013. Vol (1) Issue 1. 81-100. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/bsmr-2015-0006 Gonçalves, D. (2015). Popping (it) Up: an exploration on popular culture and TV series Supernatural. https://lisbonconsortium.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/2-diana-gonc3a7alves_pop-culture-and-supernatural.pdf Herrman, A., & Herbig, A. (2016). Polymediated Narrative: The Case of the Supernatural Episode "Fan Fiction". International Journal of Communication. Jenkins, H. (2006) Fan Fiction as Critical Commentary. Confessions of an aca-fan. http://henryjenkins.org/blog/2006/09/fan_fiction_as_critical_commen.html Jenkins, H. (2008, March, 19). The moral economy of web 2.0 (Part Two). Confessions of an aca-fan. https://henryjenkins.org/blog/2008/03/the_moral_economy_of_web_20_pa_1.html Jenkins, H. 2009. The revenge of the origami unicorn: Seven principles of transmedia storytelling. Confessions of an aca-fan. https://henryjenkins.org/blog/2010/06/transmedia_education_the_7_pri.html. Jenkins, H. (2010, June, 21) Transmedia education: The 7 principles revisited. Confessions of an aca-fan. https://henryjenkins.org/blog/2010/06/transmedia_education_the_7_pri.html. Menise, T. (2020). Fairy Tales in Transmedia Communication: Fanfiction. Department of Semiotics, Institute of Philosophy and Semiotics, University of Tartu, Estonia. Scolari, C. (2011, November 10). Narrativa Transmedia y Adaptaciones: El Caso Tintin. https://hipermediaciones.com/2011/11/10/narrativa-transmediatica-y-adaptaciones-el-caso-tintin/ Wolf, M, (2012). Transmedia world-building: history, conception, and construction. In M. Freeman, R. R. Gambarato,(1st.ed, 214-222.). Routledge Appendix A- Supernatural 4.18 Sam n Dean Discover Slash Fans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luX5bFbcByk B- The Winchesters Face Off Against Chuck | Supernatural 14x20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sxo_4XDN98 C- Supernatural: The French Mistake - Misha's Twitter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGAgCTFgciU D- Misha’s tweets E- The Winchesters Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCL_vwl4XUw F - Carry On My Wayward Son - Finale version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DymcBDZ6xoY G - Carry On My Wayward Son - Fan Fiction version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AGQbe9mWZU Henriques, J. Agustín 12