There were six shows in the running in the online poll that allowed fans to pick the cover for the first time in the magazine’s 57-year history. But in the end, it was a battle royale between The CW’s SUPERNATURAL and NBC’s CHUCK. Both sides mobilized their fanbases, voting furiously for what seemed to be endless days; the battle complete with fun, drama and accusations of cheating so that fans could tip the scales in their favor. But even cramped fingers resulting from entering endless ‘captcha’ codes could not deter these dedicated fans as they voted continuously for twelve grueling days at the end of October. They have been waiting on pins and needles ever since to see if the fruits of their labor paid off.
As promised by Debra Birnbaum, Editor-in-Chief of TV Guide magazine, the announcement was made today. The news first broke when Ms. Birnbaum unveiled the cover on “The Early Show” this morning. She stated that after attending Comic-Con the idea of the cover poll contest was inspired by seeing the enthusiasm that fans exhibit for certain shows which may not get huge ratings but have solid ‘cult’ followings. This passion and dedication is not something that is reflected in the Neilsen numbers, but it was certainly reflected in the 5.5 million votes that came in. In the end only about twenty thousand votes separated the winner and the runner-up. Ms. Birnbaum also made the announcement via her Twitter feed confirming that Supernatural is the winner and providing a sneak peak at the cover that will be hitting newsstands on December 9 featuring the stars of Supernatural, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. I have a feeling that after these issues fly off the shelf, TV Guide will be asking themselves why they never featured the Winchester brothers on the cover before! At least for fans, it is a feeling of sweet victory for something they have been begging to see for six years now. Congratulations Supernatural! You not only earned it, but certainly deserve it.