Supernatural creator and original showrunner Eric Kripke reflects on the show’s impressive 15-year run, despite him stepping down after season 5.
Eric Kripke, creator of The CW’s Supernatural, reflects on the longevity of his hit series. Starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as the brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, Supernatural made its original debut in 2005 on The WB, the predecessor to what would eventually become The CW Network. While the series would last an impressive 15 seasons and become the longest-running fantasy series on American TV, Kripke himself stood down as showrunner after season 5, handing the reins over to executive producer Sera Gamble, who would make her own departure after season 7.
During a Supernatural reunion held on the WGA and SAG-AFTRA picket lines at Warner Bros., Kripke spoke to Deadline about his time on the series. Revealing that he felt that he could always rely on the safety net provided by his residuals from Supernatural, the series creator and former showrunner admitted he never expected the show to last as long as it did. When it finally did come to an end, Kripke admitted that he experienced a moment where he felt that he “better not screw up now” as he no longer had a backup plan. Check out his comments below:
It was strange, because no matter what happened in my career, I always had the safety net of like, ‘Well, if I really sh*t the bed, I’ve still got Supernatural residuals, and I’m still getting the royalties because they’re [still] making it’ — same with The Winchesters. I even had a moment when it was all finally off, I’m like, ‘Oh sh*t. I better make sure I don’t screw up now. I don’t have this backup plan.’ My only wildest dream was to go five years on that show. I couldn’t have predicted this and what it became. I’m just totally humbled by the whole situation and just amazed, proud, but like never in my wildest dreams did I think that that show was gonna go 15 years and that it was going to connect to this many people. I don’t have good words for that. That blows me away.
Will Supernatural Ever Get A Revival Series?
Despite having the kind of extended run that most showrunners could only dream of, it did not take long after the series finale for audiences to begin crying out for a potential Supernatural season 16. While the 2020 series finale saw Dean killed during a vampire hunt, only to meet back up with his brother Sam in Heaven after he lived a fruitful life and died of old age, death has never really been an obstacle to the Winchester brothers before. In a show filled with miraculous resurrections and alternate universes, the show’s writers could conceivably find a way to bring the pair back for one last ride.
Last year, Ackles himself hinted at the possibility of a Supernatural series revival, saying “I don’t think Jared and I hung up the boots so to speak as a permanent move.” With The Winchesters spinoff series failing to find a new home after its own cancellation, if Ackles and Padalecki seem intent on returning to their characters it would seem a revival series would be their only remaining option. As for what form such as series may take, Ackles has also floated the possibility of a limited 10-episode season that sees the Winchester brothers take on one last case.
However, with other shows often waiting years, sometimes decades, before receiving their own revival series, perhaps it may still be too soon to see Sam and Dean jumping back behind the wheel of their beloved Impala. Moreover, with both actors currently exploring other career opportunities, it may be difficult to align their respective schedules for the next few years at least. Hopefully though, Supernatural will eventually make its way back onto people’s screens, and when that time finally comes, there is probably no better person to helm it than Kripke himself.
