A “Supernatural” Shift in Television

Supernatural storylines in fiction have always been popular. Whatever the culture’s current take may be regarding such things may influence the way the stories are told, but they are an ever-present popular segment of lore. There prevalence is on the rise today, not exactly because post moderns are more open to the supernatural, but because they find it an excellent story-telling device for exploring truth.

A couple of decades ago the subject was not quite so trendy, at least not on television. But there were a few shows that explored the subject, even from a religious side of things which is usually even more taboo. Shows like “Highway to Heaven” and “Touched by an Angel” are just a couple of examples. The thing about those shows is that they had a skewed perspective. They saw the world, and humanity, as basically good. There was no sense of true evil, only flawed or mistaken approaches to life that needed to be corrected. And, in those worlds, the correction was something that everyone could achieve. The most they could require from and Angel would be encouragement. God? He might have been at most an interested observer.

The shift today is more than just an increase in the amount of stories being told. The perspective is skewed in a different direction. Instead of a basically good world, we are presented with a darker, more evil reality. There is no good, just shades, degrees of bad. Many of these stories also have a take that is religious in nature. However these stories are all about demons and evil, and the question of God is simply an unknown. “Buffy” and “Angel” are a couple of examples. Another is the show coincidentally called “Supernatural.”

“Supernatural” is a story about humanity against evil—demons and monsters. When supernatural forces on the “good” side do show up—angels; there is no assurance that they are really good. As far as God is concerned—no one we meet is really sure He exists. Even the angels that work on earth have never seen Him.

There are some parables to be found, but no good, clear reflections of the reality we know. Pop Culture seems to only deal with one extreme or the other and never to explore the idea of transcendence. Guess that is too much for most stories.