Misha Collins 'unsure of Supernatural future'
Published Jul 7 2011, 13:25 BST | By Morgan Jeffery
Warning: This article contains spoilers that some readers may prefer to avoid. Please click here if you wish to continue.
© The CW
It was recently announced that Collins, who plays Castiel, will not return as a series regular next season.
"I am not going to be a series regular on Supernatural next year," the actor confirmed to AOL TV. "[Beyond that] I don't really know what my role on the show is going to be."
He added: "I know that I'm going to be in the first two episodes at this point, but I don't know… what the [rest of the] season holds for me."
Collins also admitted that he is aware of fan campaigns to have him reinstated as a regular, calling the efforts "very sweet".
"I haven't been keeping my finger on the pulse of [fan] campaigns, but I have gotten word from Warner Bros that they were inundated with questions," he said.
In the Supernatural sixth season finale, Castiel turned against his old allies the Winchesters, but Collins revealed that he is hoping for "some redemption" for his character.
"[It's] the best work environment I've ever had," he insisted.
Supernatural will return to The CW on September 23.
> Supernatural to feature new flashback episode
Watch a clip of Misha Collins on Supernatural below:
Actually, ratings have risen since bringing him on the show.
July 12th 2011 at 3:50am
I agree, I don't think he made a mistake. I think he was doing what he had no choice but to do, and by the end of the season he seemed to be the only person (aside from Crowley) who seemed to care about the potential apocalypse (which I find to be completely out of character for the guys, by the way, but that's another subject). What I don't understand is how it's okay for Bobby to work with Crowley, it's okay for Sam and Dean to work for Crowley, but when Castiel does it, he's suddenly painted as a villain.
July 12th 2011 at 3:49am
Ratings didn't climb up in season 5. They actually went down to normal after a brief spike in season 4. The season averaged a 2.6 which is about the same season 3 was. The only season where ratings were up was in season 4. And that likely had to do with the fact that angels in general were introduced to the show instead of just Castiel. There was also a pretty big storyline dealing with Lucifer coming out of his cage which no doubt probably interested viewers too.
I find it hard to believe that Castiel effects the ratings that much. If you look at the Castiel related episodes in the season they are pretty much the same as the other episodes which don't feature him. Even when he is publicized in the promo's of the episode the ratings don't change drastically in terms of viewers.
Misha has what 200k or so twitter followers, they are likely the most diehard tweet fans of SPN and some of them may just be casual followers. Which likely means that while Castiel has a vocal fanbase it doesn't comprise of all of the fandom (viewers) who watch and we have no clue how invested they are in the show and other characters.
SPN is by no means a ratings powerhouse in general and currently only around 2 million viewers watch the show consistently. I am betting Cas isn't that big of a factor to do detrimental damage to the show in terms of viewers. He only appears a little over half the episodes anyway. So there is no way every day viewers are watching solely for him otherwise they would be missing half of the show and half of the season worth of plot and storyline. I just find this entire theory to be ridiculous that if Castiel leaves then so do a bulk of the SPN viewers. Ultimately the viewers who have watched for the last six or seven years will continue to watch because ultimately nothing has changed, it's still the Sam and Dean show and still features the two leads Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Just because Misha won't be returning doesn't mean that viewers will tune out in droves.
The fact that the writers have said before that Castiel was temporary only belabors the fact that he has to at some point leave. He is an angel he has more important things to do then hunt and do every day human things with Sam and Dean. They can't keep doing the angel, apocalypse storyline over and over again. And Castiel as human is a joke premise if I ever heard one. Have we forgotten Jimmy (his vessel) still has a family who loves and misses him? It's time for him to leave. What's the point of having a character continue on the show past their usefulness?
July 9th 2011 at 6:56pm
I mostly agree, but, to be honest, I'm not sure he did make a mistake. He was successful, and seems to have stopped the apocalypse from being redone. Yeah, he was taking a risk, but it seems to have paid off. He went a bit power mad at the end, and that's the part for which he needs to be redeemed, but I don't know if that means he made the wrong decision working with Crowley.
July 9th 2011 at 10:57am
Ratings dropped in Seasons 2 & 3, climbed back a little in 4, even more in 5, and dropped again in 6. Viewership rose in 2, dropped in 3, rose back again in 4, and has been dropping since.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernatural_%28TV_series%29#Ratings)
I am not saying that Castiel's character is solely responsible for any rise/decline in ratings/viewership. What I am saying is that there is a large section of the Supernatural fanbase that is dedicated to this character and enjoys the angel arc and Castiel's interactions with the Winchesters. The show's numbers are slipping, making it already unlikely for a reprieve for season 8. What I am saying is that if they do want a season 8, it is foolish to end not just an arc but a beloved character (and the only other character be considered a regular on the show, which does mean a lot and says a lot about how much/many people like him) on a note that will only anger so many people.
And clearly Castiel has become important, or he wouldn't have continued in the story. Misha was originally told he was guest starring a few episodes, then he was dying at the end of season 4, and was told the same thing for 5, and then 6. The writers would not have extended this character's time on the show, allowed the actor to be a cast regular for two seasons (when only Jared and Jensen have ever had that title), and made one of the main plot points of Season 6 revolve around Castiel if he wasn't important to the fans and the writers.
I'm not saying everyone loves Castiel, I know they don't, but those who do come in strong numbers and they are vocal and passionate and the writers know this. Otherwise Castiel's character wouldn't be in the story the way he is and nearly every interview about season 7 wouldn't revolve around him.
July 8th 2011 at 4:29pm