While Supernatural’s cast and crew did the best they could with the hand they were dealt, the show’s 15-year run deserves to end on a higher note.
While Supernatural’s cast and crew did the best they could with the hand they were dealt, the show’s 15-year run deserves to end on a higher note. Supernatural signed off in 2020 with the distinction of being one of the longest-running sci-fi or horror shows ever aired. In fact, its 15 seasons outlasted many shows the masses at large would likely deem more iconic. Yet, Supernatural in its own way became the ultimate cult TV show and was also lucky enough to be shown on the one broadcast network where its ratings were considered good.
Supernatural has millions of devoted fans, as evidenced by its successful merchandising arm, and the fact that it was able to support a string of Supernatural-only fan conventions prior to the Coronavirus pandemic, a trend that will probably continue by at least sometime next year. Still, this cult following has never translated into spectacularly high TV ratings, at least not by conventional standards. ABC, NBC, FOX, and CBS likely would’ve canceled Supernatural pretty early on, depriving the fandom of many terrific storylines and characters to come. For The CW though, Supernatural performed well enough to be a cornerstone program.
In hindsight, it’s a shame that Supernatural’s final season hadn’t finished production prior to the pandemic. Only two episodes remained to be shot when the outbreak shut Hollywood down, and by the time the finale could begin filming, lots of safety measures had to be put in place. While everyone involved tried to make the best of a bad situation, it led to a compromised finale that felt rushed. However, that’s something that could eventually be fixed with some kind of follow up.
Supernatural Has Potential To End On a Better Note
To be clear right off the bat, Supernatural doesn’t need to remake its series finale. The episode was finished, has aired and should stand as the closing episode of the main series. While the finale proved divisive with fans, showrunner Andrew Dabb has insisted the Supernatural finale’s original plan had been in the making for a long time, including Dean’s death and ascension to Heaven, and Sam then having a family, growing old, and dying, before rejoining his brother there. That story isn’t the reason Supernatural should get one more hurrah. The reason is that the story wasn’t able to be told as originally intended because of the Coronavirus pandemic, and prevented fans from seeing what would likely have been a glorious and cathartic scene in which Sam and Dean reunite with all the family members and friends they’d lost along the way at a heavenly version of the Roadhouse bar.
Instead, Supernatural’s finale had to focus almost entirely on Sam and Dean who, while they were the leads of the show, were far from the only characters fans had come to treasure. Castiel’s absence from the finale was especially heartbreaking, due to his declaration of love for Dean just a few episodes prior. However, after a 15-year run, it’s disappointing that Supernatural’s cast, crew, and fans have to settle for an ending that wasn’t able to be all it was intended to be. That’s why, when schedules can be worked out and pandemic restrictions are lifted, there’s potential for The CW and the Supernatural team to make a one-off follow-up, be it a TV movie, a streaming special, or even a short revival.
It’s hard to imagine Supernatural’s cast and crew not wanting to give the fans and the show’s characters that final goodbye, the one they should’ve had in the first place. Sure, Sam and Dean Winchester are in Heaven now, but when has death ever been final on Supernatural? With Sam having had a son named Dean, that leaves the door wide open for Dean II to possibly become a hunter himself and, at some point, need the help of his dad and uncle to avert a paranormal catastrophe of some kind. Or maybe Jack could return and pluck Sam and Dean out of Heaven for one last mission. After they succeed in averting one last apocalypse, it’ll be time to finally hit the Roadhouse upstairs for an overdue reunion.
