Television, Religion, and Supernatural

Television, Religion, and Supernatural examines the text of the CW network television series Supernatural, a program based in the horror genre that offers viewers myriad religious-based antagonists through the portrayals of monsters, which its two main characters “hunt” and destroy, as well as storylines based on the Bible. Even as the series’ producers claim a nonreligious perspective, the authors contend that story arcs and outcomes of episodes actually forward a hegemonic portrayal of Christianity that portrays a good-versus-evil motif regarding the superiority of Catholicism. The depiction of its protagonist brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester of Lawrence, Kansas, provides a pro-American perspective regarding a more generalized fight against evil in contemporary times.

In summary, Engstrom and Valenzano provide a thorough and interesting investigation of this fan favorite that regularly draws two to three million viewers on the CW network. They clearly identify their methodologies and define their terms. Their knowledge of the show is extensive and many of their conclusions persuasive, though occasionally repetitive. For those researching the relationship between television and the supernatural, the book provides helpful context and information for comparison.... Engstrom and Valenzano demonstrate the value of Supernatural as a resource for teaching about religion, popular culture, media, and representations of the Apocalypse., The combination of analyses based on concepts from hegemony theory, homiletics and civil religion make Engstrom and Valenzano’s Television, Religion, and Supernatural: Hunting Monsters, Finding Gods a fascinating addition to the burgeoning literature examining the cultural and religious implications of ostensibly secular media., This is without a doubt one of the best books on television and religion. Timely, intricately researched, a pleasure to read. It is a cleverly written, multi-layered explanation of how religion and popular culture are very similar phenomena.

Erika Engstrom is professor of communication studies at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is the author of The Bride Factory: Mass Media Portrayals of Women and Weddings.Joseph M. Valenzano, III, is assistant professor and basic course director at the University of Dayton. He has co-authored two public speaking textbooks, The Speaker: The Tradition and Practice of Public Speaking and The Speaker’s Primer.