Pop culture rewind: ‘Supernatural’; ‘Citizen Kane’; and music’s biggest release day

September. It’s the start of fall, when the leaves start to turn, and when all the pumpkin spice emerges. It’s when school kicks into full gear, after a week of prep. But September also marks the 20th anniversary of a CW tv show with a cult following, the release of a groundbreaking black and white film, and a day packed full of ten whole album releases.

On Sept. 13, 2005, the WB aired a new TV drama: “Supernatural.” The show follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played by Jared Padalecki (“Gilmore Girls,” “Walker”) and Jensen Ackles (“The Boys,” “Days of Our Lives”), as they hunt demons and monsters, and eventually end up tangled in a feud between heaven and hell, joined by the angel Castiel, portrayed by Misha Collins (“Gotham Knights”). The show was met almost immediately with praise, the first season averaging a rating of 8.2/10, according to IMDb. The series ran for 15 seasons, from 2005 to 2020, and gained a large following of fans, primarily on the blogging website Tumblr. The show celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, and the cast is going on tour around the US to celebrate. As the fanbase remains strong, it’s clear that the impact of “Supernatural” will last for a while longer. 

On Sept. 4, 1941, the black-and-white mystery film “Citizen Kane” was released. The film follows a reporter’s quest to uncover the meaning behind the last words of newspaper tycoon Charles Foster Kane, and ends up discovering Kane’s rise from nothing to his fall from grace. It stars Orson Welles (“The Lady from Shanghai,” “Touch of Evil”) as Charles Foster Kane. Welles also wrote, produced, and directed the film, which has proven to be, by far, his most successful. “Citizen Kane” is widely regarded as the best film of all time by many critics and filmmakers. It majorly impacted the film industry through both the cinematic and storytelling techniques that it utilizes. It revolutionized the use of light and sound in film, and largely pioneered a technique called “deep focus,” where every item in the shot is left in clear focus, allowing for complex staging of scenes. In terms of story, it made significant use of flashbacks and multiple perspectives. “Citizen Kane” will forever be a classic, a film that has left its mark on the world. 

Sept. 24, 1991 marks the biggest day in the history of album releases. Ten albums were released that day, but that’s not the only impressive part. One of those ten albums was Nirvana’s “Nevermind.” “Nevermind” was the album that brought Nirvana into the mainstream scene. The other albums released included A Tribe Called Quest’s “Low End Theory,” the Pixies’ “Trompe le Monde,” Primal Scream’s “Screamadelica,” The Cult’s “Ceremony,” Kyuss’ “Wretch,” Van Morrison’s “Hymns to the Silence,” Bryan Adams’ “Waking Up The Neighbors,” and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ fifth studio album. 

September is a month full of pop culture history, from one of the CW’s most successful shows, to a film that left a lasting impact on the industry forever, to the biggest day in music release history, and there’s no doubt that more and more impactful releases will come with each year.