If there ever was a show begging to be canceled, it's one sharing the same time slot as hits like "Lost" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

So, producer-writer Eric Kripke won't sugarcoat the fact that his series "Supernatural" faces a firing squad at 8 p.m. CST each Thursday on the CW network.

He'd rather talk about the fact that the show - which is in its third season and appears headed for a fourth - has become the kind of sleeper cult hit that usually doesn't get noticed until it's canceled.

"The first time I realized we were on the level with 'Star Trek' Trekkies was when I heard of a fan convention," says Kripke, in a recent phone interview.

"Fans were gathering in different towns, having meetings and seminars to discuss the inner psychology of the characters. It blew my mind that the show had gotten to that level."

It's a status "Supernatural" couldn't help but earn, with a plot that re-imagines "The Exorcist," with two gun-loving brothers from Kansas who drive from one possession to the next in a revved up '67 Impala.

The characters, Dean and Sam Winchester, have won such a following that the show also has its own fan magazine, a series of comic books and paperback novels, a book of mythology, calendars, a role-playing game, and official season guides to explain production details for the DVD boxed sets.

There are dozens of Web sites devoted to the show, created by the fans themselves.

"I used to spend hours a week reading them," Kripke admits. "There were times I let it get me down, if even three people hated a show. Now, I hopscotch around and look for a consensus. That lets me know if we did well or we stunk."

For now, he says the greatest challenge facing the show is the same one faced by countless other cult hits: Poor ratings. "Supernatural" averages about 3 million viewers, which is one-fifth the number watching hits like "Lost."

"I feel 'Supernatural' is a show on the precipice. With a few more pushes, it could cross over from cult hit to real hit," he says. "The problem is, so few people know about it. We're on a smaller network that doesn't have a lot of money for promotion."

On the upside, he says, the CW is so young that his 3 million viewers count as one of the network's hits. That has him optimistic a fourth season is likely. That, and the fact that "Supernatural" has become a success in the most unexpected of places.

"From what I'm told, we have as many, if not more, viewers in Russia," says Kripke, "and we are huge in Asian countries. Horror translates well in cultures that have rich spiritual folklore."

Kripke says he checks the Internet after the show for feedback. His favorite sites:

www.supernatural.tv

www.tv.com

(c) 2008, The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, N.C.).

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