Supernatural debuts

The Washington Post's excellent TV critic Tom Shales comes out against the WB's new program. From the review:

"Supernatural" is neither super nor natural -- "Discuss," as "Linda Richman" (Mike Myers) used to say on "Saturday Night Live." But "Supernatural," part of a trend toward frightening and sometimes frightful new fall shows, does deliver genuine shocks and jolts, enough so that one might reasonably call it electrifying. Or maybe electrocuting -- an inarguably less enjoyable sensation. Essentially "The Hardy Boys Go Ghostbusting," the series, premiering on the WB network (Channel 50) at 9 tonight, stars likable Jared Padalecki and unlikable Jensen Ackles as brothers Sam and Dean, who were children in Lawrence, Kan., 20 years ago when their mommy, manipulated by malevolent forces beyond their daddy's control, was first plastered to the ceiling as she flailed helplessly and then, along with the rest of the house, incinerated in huge billows of flame. snip But Dean has a mission. He wants Sam to abandon college and go off on a wild ghost chase or two -- attempting in the process to track down Dad, who has devoted his life to finding the evil force that killed Mom but now has vanished himself. Sam is reluctant to leave, but if he stayed put, there'd be no show. Soon he and his tiresomely smart-alecky brother are in Jericho, Calif., where they run smack into the local legend of the "woman in white," who lures men to fiery and bloody doom with her frequent appearances as a tattered hitchhiker. We're told that everyone for miles around knows of the tale, but that doesn't stop a young man, on his way home, from stopping to give Ghostie Girl a ride and ending up going straight to Hell himself. As with many of the fright shows proliferating this season, the special effects on "Supernatural" are easily as graphic and gory as those in a PG-13 horror movie.

Shales doesn't particularly like it. He also doesn't like Bones, the new show starring Angel's David Boreanaz, who plays an FBI agent. If anyone sees either show, please let me know. I don't watch TV much any more, having dedicated my life to you, the faithful readers of this blog.