Supernatural shows haunt new TV season

Create characters the audience cares about. Action-packed plots are great, but if the audience doesn’t care about the characters, a high-concept show is dead in the water. “The X-Files” succeeded because it grounded its often outlandish plotlines with accessible characters, Nassise says.

“With ‘X-Files,’ you’ve got two characters that people absolutely understand, can relate to, can see themselves as — the skeptic or the believer; everyone’s experienced those two extremes," he says. "Everything else that happened on that show was added to the basis of who these characters are. “It’s easier for the audience to suspend their disbelief because they have fallen so deeply into that character’s reality, into that character’s world, that it’s not such a big stretch.”

Taking the time to develop a flesh-and-blood supporting cast is also integral to creating nail-nibbling moments. Since secondary characters are more likely to bite the big one at any time, it’s critical to make them real enough so the audience gets uneasy about their chances for survival. At least in the pilot, the McG-produced “Supernatural” focuses only on the pair of brothers as they zip from one mystery to another in their ’67 Chevy Impala. And since viewers are fairly confident nothing terrible will happen to either of the leads, an opportunity to build tension is frittered away.

Ratchet up the suspense. If “Jaws” taught audiences anything, it’s that what you don’t see is far scarier than what you do. “Lost” won early points for keeping whatever it was in the jungle hidden behind palm fronds. “Night Stalker” got the message, too, and producers are apparently reworking the pilot to give the first-episode creatures less screen time. A viewer’s imagination can conjure up a far scarier beastie than the special-effects department ever could.

Find the right mix. “Buffy” and “Angel” blended heart-pounding suspense, soul-tearing pathos, clever writing and laugh-out-loud humor — and cultivated a rabid fan base as a result. Early indications are that neither “Night Stalker” nor “Supernatural” has found quite the right ratio immediately. In “Supernatural,” Jensen Ackles cracks constant one-liners that are far more annoying than funny. And “Night Stalker’s” original pilot was so straightforward and humorless, the producers reportedly shot additional scenes to inject a bit more fun into the show.

Don’t hold back on the horror. The shows that make the most impact on fans — and, possibly, the ratings charts — are those that kick imagination into overdrive. With well-done shows popping up on cable like weeds on a gravesite, the networks need to get into the game. Though they’re bound by stricter rules prohibiting violence, gore, and explicit language, broadcast TV can still deliver works worthy of next-day office debate. “Don’t be afraid to push the envelope,” Nassise counsels, and some shows seem to be paying attention. “Supernatural” delivers a pair of enduring images in its pilot, horrifying and jolting in not only their in-your-face visual style, but more importantly, in how they affect the lead characters.

The programs that settle for quick thrills instead of sustainable chills are going to find themselves heading to the ratings graveyard, paving the way for a fresh crop of replacement dramas about, you guessed it, more lawyers, doctors and cops.

Now that’s scary.

Brian Bellmont is a writer in Minneapolis. His supernatural thriller "Seether" is making the rounds of publishers.