With the final day of filming rolling to a close on Supernatural’s 15th and final season earlier this month, the cast and crew of the show have been sharing their thoughts on social media.
Supernatural started back in 2005 and was only meant to run for five seasons. Eagle-eyed fans will recognise the original endpoint when Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) is defeated and cast back into Hell with his brother Michael (Jake Abel) at the very end of season 5. This ending was so set in stone that the original showrunner, Eric Kripke, even left the writer’s room and passed the torch to Sera Gamble for seasons 6 and 7.
But with love for the show growing season after season, Warner Bros weren’t ready to pull the plug just yet. Sam and Dean’s journey continued on for another decade – going on to fight angels, demons, and even God Himself.
As the show continued on, the Supernatural fandom grew to become one of the largest of any entertainment show. Additionally, fans have watched as the men playing the Winchester brothers grew from young, single, twenty-somethings into husbands and fathers in their 40s. Jared Padalecki went on to marry his on-screen love interest, Ruby, played by Genevieve Padalecki (nee Cortse) and Jensen Ackles’ wife Danneel Ackles landed a recurring role as Sister Jo in season 13. It has truly become a show about family – in every sense of the word.
The 10th of September 2020 will now mark a monumental day for fans and those who worked on the show – the day that Supernatural came to an end. To commemorate the occasion, past and present members of the cast and crew paid their respects to a show that was more than just a job.
Original showrunner Eric Kripke not only honoured the show by posting a gif of the first scene ever filmed but he also paid respects to the late Kim Manners, who died in 2009 after acting as director on the earlier seasons of Supernatural.
Stars of the show, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki – who have become more like brothers than friends in real life too – posted final photos of the day thanking their fans for their love and support over the past 15 years.
Misha Collins joined the show in 2008 as the angel Castiel. As the show was intended to end only a year or two later, Collins didn’t expect to become such an integral part of the show. But over a decade later, he has become a character that so many of the fans ardently love.
Genevieve Padalecki praised her husband’s journey as he “walked in a young kid of 23 and walked away married to a demon and spawned 3 children” and thanked him for letting her “follow along on the ride.”
Whereas Danneel Ackles wrote how Supernatural’s true story is of “love between brothers, love between friends, love between co-stars…love for the crew, love for the fans, and love for each other.”
Fan favourites, including Felicia Day who brought Charlie Bradbury to life, Richard Speight Jr who played the angel Gabriel before donning a director hat for 11 episodes, and Mark Pellegrino aka the man responsible for our collective love of Lucifer, also paid homage to their characters and the show on social media.
It’s impossible to put into words the impact that this show has had on the millions of people that tuned in every week, let alone those lucky enough to work on it. However, it seems the show has left a lasting mark on the hearts and lives of everyone it touched.
Words by Kate Goodyer