10 Television Shows That Hated Their Own Fanbases

10. Supernatural - Constant Meta Shadiness

The long-running horror tv show Supernatural is known for many things (one being how long-running it actually was), but probably one of its most controversial aspects is how meta the show can get.

Of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with a show that plays with meta-comedy (Community did that very well until it didn't, but we'll get to that.) There was just something about the meta episodes of Supernatural that seemed to rub some fans the wrong way... and for good reason.

While the series dips its toes in the meta-pool constantly throughout its run, it is the show's introduction of the Supernatural book series that managed to make its self-referential nature a little bit sour.

Meta works when you're poking fun at yourself because self-awareness is endearing, but this ribbing becomes less fun when it's at the expense of your dedicated fanbase. The introduction of the fan-worshipped novels led to the introduction of the Supernatural fanbase in the show, which could have been so cool...

But the series doesn't exactly show them in a positive light. The fans are portrayed as creepy, obsessive sadsacks that Sam and Dean look down on. They ship the brothers together, they're pushy and possessive of the material and one fan consistently sexually harasses Sam, going as far as to put a love spell on him! Don't even get me started on the musical episode!

It was very clear from the constant negative depictions of the fanbase that the showrunners were less than happy about their avid viewers.