Shows about the unseen often come across as dull and unrealistic. Two current shows have not done justice to this fascinating subject.

"Ghost Whisperer" has far more wrong with it than its not so original title. Melinda Gordon, played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, owns an antique shop and can communicate with ghosts. How would an antique shop owner know anything about talking to ghosts? The stories often feature happy endings more suitable for Disney movies, not the paranormal. Another show, "Ghost Hunters," mocks the possible existence of ghosts.

Now, "Supernatural" has come to redeem them, but redemption in prime time might not be an easy task. In the 9 p.m. time slot on Thursdays, the competition includes "CSI," "Grey's Anatomy," "The Office" and "Ugly Betty."

What's a viewer to do? Before you set your recordings for these more popular programs, consider one show that is lurking in the shadows -- "Supernatural."

This is the tale of the handsome Winchester brothers -- Sam, played by Jared Padelecki, and Dean, portrayed by Jensen Ackles. They leave Lawrence, Kan., and travel across the United States, hunting the paranormal and seeking revenge on the demon who killed their mother when they were young.

Trained by their ex-Marine father, John Winchester, the brothers fight any evil they encounter and are prepared to use weapons that repel spirits, such as silver bullets, holy water and rock salt.

Fighting werewolves, vampires and spirits isn't a steady way to earn a living, so the Winchester brothers use credit card scams to pay their way.

Sam tends to be skeptical and often emotional, while Dean is more of a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of guy, only caring about his restored 1967 Chevy Impala, which he inherited from his dad.

While Sam often mocks Dean and calls his taste in music "mullet rock," they are both willing to make sacrifices for their family. Dean was even willing to sell his soul and endure eternal damnation for Sam, as he did at the end of season two. Their constant head butting lends the show a lighter touch when hell is literally about to break loose.

The show seems to improve after every season and season three seems no different. After just two episodes, the brothers already have defeated the seven deadly sins and an army of possessed children. They accomplished all this while Dean tried to make the most out of his last year to live.

If you consider yourself a horror movie fan, this is a must-see show for you. "Supernatural" provides a mini horror movie every episode. The lead characters are always fighting something new and defeating it in a different way.

Any fan of '80s rock music would enjoy the soundtrack that adds to the show's rugged tone, including the Kansas classic, "Carry on My Wayward Son" and "Renegade" by Styx. AC/DC's "Back in Black," was used after Dean's car reappeared after a fatal crash at the end of season one.

If you still aren't convinced that you should sacrifice watching "CSI" or "Grey's Anatomy" one night of the week, consider this: There always will be a show about people investigating dead bodies and there always will be a show about romance in a hospital. When will there be a show about two brothers kicking down doors, assaulting evil with '80s rock blasting while they do it? Who knows when a show like this will grace television again?