Eric Kripke
Eric Kripke is a name synonymous with genre-bending television, a creative force whose imagination has captivated audiences worldwide. From the cult phenomenon Supernatural to the gritty superhero deconstruction of The Boys, he consistently delivers stories that challenge conventions and explore the darker corners of human nature. Join us as we journey through the career of a storyteller who knows how to make a lasting impression. Eric Kripke is the visionary creator behind long-running genre shows like Supernatural and The Boys, establishing his distinctive storytelling voice. His career began with independent short films and a foray into horror, gradually building to his breakout success in television. Kripke has a knack for developing complex characters and crafting expansive, lore-rich worlds that resonate deeply with audiences.
AI Summary
Eric Kripke is a name synonymous with genre-bending television, a creative force whose imagination has captivated audiences worldwide. From the cult phenomenon Supernatural to the gritty superhero deconstruction of The Boys, he consistently delivers stories that challenge conventions and explore the darker corners of human nature. Join us as we journey through the career of a storyteller who knows how to make a lasting impression.
- Eric Kripke is the visionary creator behind long-running genre shows like Supernatural and The Boys, establishing his distinctive storytelling voice.
- His career began with independent short films and a foray into horror, gradually building to his breakout success in television.
- Kripke has a knack for developing complex characters and crafting expansive, lore-rich worlds that resonate deeply with audiences.
A Creative Spark
Born in 1974 in Ohio, Eric Kripke showed an early penchant for storytelling. He spent his youth making home movies with friends, laying the groundwork for a career that would eventually redefine popular genre television. This foundational curiosity would shape his unique narrative style.
Kripke's artistic influences included author John Bellairs, known for his gothic horror and fantasy novels, a hint at the themes he would later explore. He honed his craft further by attending the prestigious University of Southern California, a springboard for many aspiring filmmakers.
From Shorts to Screens
His early work quickly gained recognition. His 16-minute short film, Truly Committed, earned an audience choice award at the Slamdance Film Festival, signaling his arrival as a promising talent. He also directed another short, Battle of the Sexes.
Kripke then ventured into television, developing and writing for The WB's Tarzan series in 2003, though it was short-lived. He also contributed to the 2005 horror film Boogeyman, a project he co-wrote, which delved into childhood fears personified.
Boogeyman focused on a young man named Tim, haunted by the supernatural entity he believes was responsible for his parents' deaths. This exploration of personal trauma and lurking horrors was a clear precursor to his later, more acclaimed work.
The Rise of Supernatural
In 2005, Kripke unleashed his magnum opus, Supernatural, onto The WB—later The CW. This series followed the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, as they hunted down demons, ghosts, and other mythical creatures across America. It combined horror, fantasy, and deep character drama.
Kripke served as the primary showrunner for Supernatural's crucial first five seasons, establishing the show's rich mythology, emotional core, and signature blend of horror and humor. The series quickly became a cult classic, celebrated for its complex sibling bond and expansive lore, eventually running for an incredible fifteen seasons.
Post-Apocalyptic Visions
After stepping back from Supernatural's day-to-day operations, Kripke continued to develop new projects. One notable creation was Revolution, picked up by NBC for the 2012–13 season. This series plunged viewers into a chilling post-apocalyptic world where all electronics mysteriously ceased to function.
Revolution centered on a group of survivors navigating this new, powerless world, battling to reunite with family and understand the blackout. Critics largely praised its ambitious scope, with Glenn Garvin of The New York Times calling it "big, bold and brassy adventure."
Into the World of Comics
Kripke also explored storytelling in the comic book medium, writing Amped—later retitled Jacked—for Vertigo and DC Comics in 2015. The story followed Josh Jaffe, an ordinary man who gains superpowers from a "smart pill," prompting him to attempt becoming a superhero.
A television adaptation of Jacked was simultaneously in development for USA Network, with Kripke set to write and executive produce. This demonstrated his interest in deconstructing superhero tropes, a theme that would later resurface in an even bigger way.
Protecting History's Flow
In 2015, Kripke partnered with Shawn Ryan to create Timeless for NBC. Described as "Back to the Future meets Mission: Impossible," the show followed an unlikely trio traveling through time to stop unknown criminals from altering historical events.
Timeless garnered a dedicated fanbase, who successfully campaigned for its revival after an initial cancellation. While it only ran for two seasons, its passionate community showcased Kripke's ability to create worlds people genuinely cared about.
Deconstructing Superheroes
Kripke's most recent major success is The Boys, an adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson's graphic novel, which debuted on Amazon Prime Video in 2019. He developed the series alongside Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen.
As showrunner and executive producer, Kripke masterfully brought The Boys' cynical, visceral take on superheroes to life. The series critiques corporate power, celebrity culture, and the very concept of heroism, earning widespread critical acclaim and a massive global audience. It firmly cemented his reputation as a master of subversive, compelling storytelling.
Article
Eric Kripke
Eric Kripke (born 1974) is an American writer and television producer. Kripke came to prominence in the late 2000s for creating The WB/CW fantasy drama series Supernatural (2005–2020). He served as the showrunner during the first five seasons of the series. Since then, he has created and/or produced a number of television series including Revolution (2012–2014), Timeless (2016–2018), and The Boys (2019–present).
Early life
Eric Kripke
Kripke, who is Jewish, was raised in the Toledo, Ohio, suburb Sylvania Township, the son of Larry and Joan Kripke, and graduated from Sylvania Southview High School in 1992. His cousin was Saul Kripke, an influential philosopher and logician. Kripke often created home movies with friends to show to other students. His artistic influences include John Bellairs. He attended the University of Southern California.
Career
Eric Kripke
Kripke's 16-minute short film Truly Committed received an audience choice award at the Slamdance Film Festival. He also directed the short Battle of the Sexes. He later developed and wrote for The WB's (/wiki/2003intelevision) television series Tarzan, which was cancelled after eight episodes, and followed this by writing the (/wiki/2005infilm) film Boogeyman. Furthermore, he was an associate producer for the 2011 romantic action thriller The Adjustment Bureau.
He was developing his first feature film Haunted, for a 2012 release. In August 2011, it was announced that Kripke was developing a series for The CW Television Network based on the DC Comics character Deadman, but no series materialized.
Boogeyman
Prior to his success with Supernatural, Kripke co-wrote the screenplay for the film Boogeyman, which was released in early 2005. The film focuses on Tim, played by Barry Watson, who is suffering the loss of his mother; he goes home to confront the supernatural creature who he believes killed his father and is also the reason for his mother's demise.
Supernatural
In (/wiki/2005inAmericantelevision), Kripke created the series Supernatural, which is about two brothers' (Sam and Dean Winchester) personal battle against demons, poltergeists and other supernatural phenomena. Kripke served as a part-time executive consultant on season seven on the series after serving as the show's primary showrunner for the first five seasons. Supernatural first aired on The WB and then on The CW, which was created by The WB's 2006 merger with UPN. During the series, it was in 2008 that he signed an overall deal with Warner Bros.
Revolution
After Kripke stepped down as primary showrunner for Supernatural following the show's fifth season, he began developing other projects. One of these projects, entitled Revolution, was picked by NBC for the 2012–13 season. The series centers on a group of characters struggling to survive and reunite with loved ones in a post-apocalyptic world where everything electronic has mysteriously stopped working, and centers around their battle to resolve the blackout. It stars Billy Burke, Tracy Spiridakos, David Lyons, Giancarlo Esposito, Elizabeth Mitchell, Graham Rogers and Anna Lise Phillips co-starring.
Revolution has a Metacritic rating of 64/100 from 32 reviews. Glenn Garvin of The New York Times wrote, "Revolution is big, bold and brassy adventure, a cowboys-and-Indians story for end times."
Revolution was cancelled by NBC after two seasons.
Jacked
In April 2015, Kripke announced he is writing the comic book series called Amped (later re-titled Jacked) for Vertigo and DC Comics to be released in fall 2015. The story follows Josh Jaffe, a neurotic family man who buys an online 'smart pill' to increase his focus and jolt him out of his slump, but to his surprise finds the pill gives him super strength, prompting him to try to become a superhero. Concurrently, a TV adaptation was being developed for USA Network, with Kripke serving as both the writer and executive producer. The series was set to be co-produced by Kripke Enterprises and Warner Horizon Television.
Timeless
In August 2015, it was announced that Kripke, along with fellow writer Shawn Ryan, were developing an action-adventure show, Timeless, for NBC. Described as "Back to the Future meets Mission: Impossible", Timeless is about an unlikely trio traveling through time to battle unknown criminals in order to protect history. Ryan and Kripke co-wrote the script and executive-produced with Davis Entertainment's John Davis, John Fox and MiddKid Productions.
After being cancelled after one season, a fan campaign was made to revive the series for a short second season which was again subsequently cancelled when ratings did not improve.
The Boys
On April 6, 2016, it was announced that Cinemax was developing a television series adaptation of the comic book. The production was being developed by Kripke, Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen. Kripke was set to write the series while Goldberg and Rogen were set to direct, with Kripke, Goldberg, Rogen, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Ori Marmur, James Weaver, Ken Levin and Jason Netter serving as executive producers. Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson were set as co-executive producers. Production companies involved with the series included Point Grey Television, Original Film and Sony Pictures Television. For his producting work on the show, Kripke received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series in (/wiki/73rdPrimetimeEmmyAwards).
Filmography
Film
<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Credited as</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Writer</td><td>Director</td><td>Producer</td></tr><tr><td>Battle of the Sexes</td><td>1997</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Short film</td></tr><tr><td>Truly Committed</td><td>1997</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Short film</td></tr><tr><td>Boogeyman</td><td>2005</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Adjustment Bureau</td><td>2011</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>Associate</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The House with a Clock in Its Walls</td><td>2018</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Butcher: A Short Film</td><td>2020</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Executive</td><td>Short film</td></tr></tbody></table>
Television
The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.
<table><thead><tr><th>Title</th><th>Year</th><th>Credited as</th><th>Network</th><th>Notes</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Creator</td><td>Director</td><td>Writer</td><td>Executive Producer</td></tr><tr><td>Tarzan</td><td>2003</td><td>Developer</td><td>No</td><td>Yes (2)</td><td>Yes</td><td>The WB</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Supernatural</td><td>2005–2020</td><td>Yes</td><td>Yes (2)</td><td>Yes (17)</td><td>Yes</td><td>The WB The CW</td><td>Executive producer (seasons 1–6: 127 episodes); Executive consultant (seasons 7–15: 200 episodes)</td></tr><tr><td>Ghostfacers</td><td>2010</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Supernatural: The Anime Series</td><td>2011</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>BS11</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Revolution</td><td>2012–2014</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Yes (4)</td><td>Yes</td><td>NBC</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Timeless</td><td>2016–2018</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>Yes (1)</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Boys</td><td>2019–present</td><td>Developer</td><td>Yes (2)</td><td>Yes (3)</td><td>Yes</td><td>Amazon Prime Video</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>The Boys Presents: Diabolical</td><td>2022</td><td>Yes</td><td>No</td><td>No</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Gen V</td><td>2023–present</td><td>Developer</td><td>No</td><td>Yes (1)</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Vought Rising</td><td>TBA</td><td>Developer</td><td>No</td><td>TBA</td><td>Yes</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>