Two brothers, one Chevy Impala, fifteen seasons, and eventually a war against God
Supernatural began in 2005 as a road-trip monster show about Sam and Dean Winchester. By its finale in November 2020 the brothers had battled angels, Lucifer and finally God himself, making it the longest-running fantasy series in American television history and the longest-running show The CW ever aired.
Creator Eric Kripke started with a simple premise: a cross-country drive. Jared Padalecki played Sam, the studious brother who wanted an ordinary life at Stanford, and Jensen Ackles played Dean, the loyal soldier of the family trade. After their mother Mary died at the hands of an unseen force, their father John raised them to hunt. Most episodes follow a monster-of-the-week pattern, with the pair posing as FBI agents, salting doorways and burning bones.
The mythology kept escalating. The yellow-eyed demon Azazel turned out to be behind the family's losses; Dean sold his soul and was dragged to Hell, then rescued by the angel Castiel, played by Misha Collins. Sam unwittingly freed Lucifer, and in the fifth season the brothers were revealed as intended vessels for Lucifer and Michael. Later arcs introduced Leviathans, the Mark of Cain, God's sister Amara, and a novelist named Chuck Shurley who was really God, manipulating their lives for entertainment.
Filmed in Vancouver, the show relied on Serge Ladouceur's shadowy lighting and an in-house effects team to stay on budget, while classic rock such as Kansas's Carry On Wayward Son played alongside scores by Jay Gruska and Christopher Lennertz. The black 1967 Impala served as the brothers' true home. Beneath the horror sat themes of codependency, trauma and found family, summed up by Bobby Singer's line that family does not end with blood.
Viewership usually topped a million per episode in the US and peaked at 5.82 million. Critics loved the lead chemistry, though many felt the first five seasons were the high point and later plots grew repetitive. The run collected three Primetime Emmy nominations and nine People's Choice Awards, and its devoted fanbase still gathers at conventions and raises money for charity. In the end, Jack became the new God, Dean died on a routine hunt, and Sam lived into old age before they reunited in Heaven.
Source: Supernatural (American TV series)
