To the general public cult hit TV shows tend to be frowned upon, with their low budgets, cheesy acting and not so special effects. However, to the fans of cult hits, there really is no better television.

Why is it Supernatural has the ability to catch peoples attention? Make them fall for the show? I mean, you have to admit, cult hit shows have followings that are stronger compared to other "normal" shows. So what are the key elements to shows such as Supernatural? We could have a very broad spectrum if we studied and compared a few other cult hits such as Star Trek, Buffy, Angel, Stargate, ect, but for this little piece, we will take a look at solely Supernatural.

One of the first things that allow Supernatural to capture the viewers’ attention is the overall storyline. By choosing to have a show based on the paranormal, the writers have endless amounts of material, lots of things they can twist and turn and make it easily believable.

An example from the first season is the death of John Winchesters wife Mary and Sam Winchester’s beloved girlfriend, Jessica. The brutal murders are heartbreaking, even though the viewer barely knows these characters; they are compelled to feel for the men. The parallel events are intriguing, the first setting off one storyline in which the show is based on, the second causing a domino effect for the current events.

Why are we compelled to feel for these characters though? Loss is a huge part of our lives, we all face it at some time, the brutal pain and ache it leaves deep within our minds. That sounds great on paper, but how does it work for a show? Even though it's a show about the Supernatural, it carries the ability to still be believable by evoking human emotion through great writing and truly talented acting.

To write a good TV show seems to be a tough thing these days. Repetitive storyline and bad writing get most shows canceled after a few mere episodes. Supernatural has held strong for 5 seasons, so they must be doing something right. The writers have some true talent, in the beginning of the episode they can have the viewer laughing away, by the end they can be crying there hearts out.

A great example of diverse writing is in the episode “Mystery Spot”. In the beginning the audience can’t help but find Dean’s repeated deaths humorous, as they are not your run of the mill ways of passing on, and Sam’s view on his own personal groundhog day. However, when the trickster gives it up and Dean is seemingly permanently dead, the viewer is left hurt and confused. To mix multiple genres in one episode alone is hard to come by, but a whole show is some tough stuff. Really, try it, watch a couple shows and see how many actually bounce around all genres, you will find it’s easier said then done.

Acting is a true art. To be able to essentially become someone else is rather difficult, imagine changing your every habit, how you move, talk and even think for just a few minutes. It maybe doable, but it does take practice. TV actors have long been under the radar, and Mr. Jared Padalecki and Mr. Jensen Ackles are two of those wonderful actors.

Jared Padalecki has truly developed the curious character of Sam Winchester, going through the most surprising changes throughout the series. In the start Sam was the black sheep of the family, wanting out of the family business and into the life of normalcy. After the death of his loved ones though, he begins to change, as many do, for the darker. He is set on revenge as his father once was, willing to do almost anything to find her killer. However, he still carries a quality of ask before you shoot that Dean does not seem to have. When he dies and Dean brings him back, we find the character seems to have altered slightly, toughened and callused, whether it be he came back wrong or has just overall learned that questioning gets you no where. As season 3 progresses and he finds his new obsession of finding a way to get Dean out of hell we find the desperation growing, until the death of his beloved brother pushes him over the edge. He comes to embrace the dark side itself to defeat his enemies, he essentially becomes the thing he always feared being most, a freak.

This complicated character would have been rather dull if not for Jared’s unique talent of being able to evoke every emotion possible so effortlessly. His ability to do so makes for a beautiful and natural flow that we could expect from another human being, from someone real.

Jensen Ackles has created such an iconic character that holds stronger then a hellhound’s bite. Dean Winchester may have gone through less changes then Sam, but he has indeed been a key element in the plot. He started out being the good solider his father always wanted him to be, never questioning, always following orders and protecting his little brother. He stuck to this until his father died, in which he began to question things, taking the character down a darker path, until the final straw of Sam’s death broke him. He sold his soul without question, saving his brother but sending his soul to eternal hell in the meantime. The final year was full of lasts, Dean seeming not to care at all until the very end, when reality hit and hell became more of a truth. It was useless in the end, as he was savagely drug to hell, leaving his little brother alone in the world. As fate had it, Dean Winchester wasn’t done, although he never believed in Angels, it was one who raised him from Hell. Upon coming back we find he is seemingly broken on the inside, and it only worsens as he finds the apocalypse is on the rise because of him, his brother is not the same and destiny seems to not want to let him be.

Jensen Ackles has brought a true life into Dean Winchester, that smug smile, flirtatious mannerisms and those rare but stunning emotional scenes that leave us breathless. He becomes Dean Winchester effortlessly and the process is something great, he makes the viewer believe this man is real, this is his life and his trials and tribulations are true.

These are all just a few things that bring the show together, however there is one last element that separates this show from so many of its kind. Family. The base of Supernatural itself is family. It’s about how they will always be there, no matter what. How they can be the biggest pain in your ass, or the greatest things you will ever lay your eyes upon. Family is the big brother looking out for you, the father showing you his ways, the little brother rebelling. They are all things that make up family, that make Supernatural great. Family is joy, anger, hope, misery, hate and love. In life it always comes back to family, even those who have left it in the past, they will always have those first impressions of family and how they have shaped them into the people they currently are. Supernatural holds true to this, the brothers following in their father, and as we find out later their mothers, footsteps. The love of family makes the pain that much stronger, the guilt that much heavier and the journey of life that much more interesting.

Supernatural maybe just a TV show, but any fan will tell you it holds a special place in their heart. It’s a show about the supernatural, but in the end it’s much more then that. It’s about life and its journey, a family with a destiny out of their hands, a family who dies for one another out of love and two brothers out to save the world. In the end, you just can’t help but love them Winchester boys.