Supernatural Is Scary Good

SUPERNATURAL, The CW, Fridays, 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT

As my teenage son reminds me on an hourly basis, everyone in my generation just doesn't understand the young whippersnappers (a word I use that thus reinforces his point) of his generation. For instance, I like talking to friends. He's all about the texting. I think studying hard and getting a good education is important. He reminds me of the tech billionaires who made their fortunes without ever getting a degree. I enjoy good music. Based on what I hear when he takes over the car radio, he clearly does not. However, there is at least one place where our generations can collide – Supernatural.

This show certainly seems like it should be the exclusive property of viewers so young, they don't remember a time when The Simpsons wasn't on the air. First, it airs on The CW, the network equivalent of the cool kids' table in a high school lunchroom. Second, the two male leads (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) look like they'd be right at home as posters on the bedroom walls of teenage girls. And third, this is a series about all sorts of gruesome spooks and monsters, the sort of genre usually preferred by younger crowds on date nights.

SCARED SILLY

Don't let the handsome heroes and grotesque ghouls fool you, though. Deep inside Supernatural is the sort of wit and wisdom that a more mature audience can truly appreciate. This is one of the three or four smartest shows on TV, and I keep hoping that viewers my age will finally catch on to that fact. I almost hate to describe the series' premise because it sounds too simplistic, but here goes: brothers Sam (Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles) Winchester come from a family of demon hunters. Each week, it's up to them, their friend Bobby (Jim Beaver) and a wayward angel named Castiel (Misha Collins) to save the world from things that don't just go bump in the night. They sometimes go ballistic.

But like I said, a description like that doesn't do the show justice. It doesn't capture the show's cleverest moments, like Dean sitting down to eat pizza and discuss life with Death or the Winchesters, who are being pursued by Fate, finding themselves for no apparent reason walking city streets past guys juggling axes as Blondie sings, "One way or another, I'm gonna get ya!" on the soundtrack. This is a serious show, to be sure, but one that doesn't take itself seriously. For proof, look no further than the episode last year that trapped the Winchesters in shows-within-their show, from a sit-com to a cheesy medical drama to Knight Rider,or one this season where Ackles and Padalecki played Sam and Dean playing Ackles and Padalecki (I know….but it made sense when you watched it.)

SUNDAY SCHOOL REDUX

It's not every show that can have guest characters like Death, Fate, Pestilence and other legendary sins and sinners, but this one pulls it off in a way that would impress your old Sunday school teachers and ancient history professors. Which, actually, is the other thing that makes Supernatural such a treat. It's as smart as it is funny. Last year's storylines revolved around the little matter of an impending apocalypse, and the ongoing discussions about the historical roots of good battling evil were as sophisticated as you'd find on a History Channel documentary.

The angels are often anything but saviors. The demons (at times) have a point with their gripes about humanity.  You don't see a lot of primetime series delving into the question of God's existence, asking if He is indeed real, what's with the deal with all the war, disease and Glenn Beck. Supernatural doesn't actually try to answer that question, but the mere fact that the show raises the topic is something extraordinary.

OH, BROTHERS!

I realize how odd it sounds to talk about the realism of a show that has had vampires, werewolves and dragons as guest stars, but in the end, there is a sense of authenticity that gives all the humor and the horror its impact. Credit the relationship between the Winchester boys for that. The brotherly bond between Sam and Dean, with all its sibling rivalry, is what ultimately drives the series (along with their classic old Impala). After six seasons, Ackles and Padalecki have developed such chemistry together that you truly believe they'd beat each other to a pulp over a girl but also literally jump into hell to save each other.

If Supernatural weren't so easily written off by those who haven't seen it as something teens watch when they've worn out their latest Twilight DVD, both actors would certainly be Emmy Award candidates. But this is a show where hellhounds chew on innocent victims and malevolent demons get torched, so there's still plenty of spooky stuff that will probably keep mainstream respect at a distance. Still, if nothing else, at least give Supernatural credit for bridging the generation gap by giving adults and their cranky teens something they can both enjoy. Make no mistake, though. This does not mean we have to start liking rap too.

For more shows you should be watching, check out:

Raising Hope, Cougar Town, The Paul Reiser Show

Friday Night Lights

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The Killing

Breaking In, Chaos and The Borgias

The Middle

Nurse Jackie, United States of Tara and Body Of Proof

Parks and Recreation

House, NCIS and Blue Bloods

Justified

Fringe

Mr. Sunshine, Community and Archer

White Collar, Castle and American Idol