EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY
Supernatural is the little horror show that beat the odds. It started on The WB in September 2005, successfully moved to The CW after its first season, survived the cancellation bubble more than once, outlasted its original creator, maintained an extremely active fanbase and finally wrapped in November 2020 in the middle of a pandemic after an extraordinary lifespan of 327 episodes. Brimming with family bonds and metaphysical exploration, the fantasy drama tracked the give-’em-hell exploits of the demon-hunting Winchester brothers—research-minded Sam (Jared Padalecki) and his gruff, cheeseburger-loving older bro, Dean (Jensen Ackles)—and their various allies and enemies. Throughout this oral—and visual!—account, Ackles, Padalecki, Misha Collins and 15+ cast and crew members offer their memories of the long road.
2004–05
THE DREAM
Since the ’90s, Supernatural creator Eric Kripke (currently heading up Prime Video’s The Boys) had wanted to do a series about folklore, like the phantom hitchhiker and Bloody Mary.
Eric Kripke: I came up with an idea about a reporter who traveled around in a van writing about urban legends. It was basically a terrible rip-off of [Kolchak: The] Night Stalker. [Warner Bros. exec] Susan Rovner wasn’t interested in the reporter but liked the area of urban legends and asked if I had anything else. The first rule of pitching: Always say you can ride the horse. I said, “I have another version about two guys cruising the country, diving in and out of these legends.” Then, on the spot, I made up “…and they’re brothers.” I told her all my notes were at home and spent a week writing what became the pitch for Supernatural
CASTING MAGIC
Warner Bros. Television Studios and The WB auditioned a batch of young actors for the Winchesters, but history was made when Padalecki (then on Gilmore Girls) and Smallville’s Ackles read together.
When I walked into
