For better or worse, Supernatural has officially become the longest-running show on The CW. Dean and Sam Winchester, played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, respectively, have been monster-hunting, exorcising demons, and taking down everything from vampires to angels (save for Castiel, played by Misha Collins) for twelve seasons. Yes, twelve. They’ve had their good moments and their bad moments, lots of angst, fights (both physical and verbal because we all remember the siren episode in season four, right?), and their fair share of deaths. More importantly, though, they’ve always worked best as a team because, despite everything, they’ve always had each other’s backs.
As season thirteen approaches, we at The Young Folks put together a list ranking the twelve seasons of Supernatural. Check out the list below and see how your favorite seasons of the show fared.
12. Season 12
Monsters aside, from a purely psychological standpoint, it is simple to see that many of the Winchester’s emotional problems stem from their unresolved mommy/daddy issues. This season gave them a chance to explore a dynamic they never had, but they ultimately realized it is something they’ll never have. This was an interesting exploration and it tied in well with the British Men of Letters story arc. We’ve known about the Men of Letters in a historical context in the show, but seeing how they operate in modern society was a great comparison to the hunters in America. Suddenly all the mistakes the Winchesters have made don’t seem so bad. There are a number of new characters we encounter, most of which were interesting enough to warrant a spin-off. The power struggle between Lucifer and Crowley was fun, but the back and forth they have lost its charm after the third power reversal. What never stops being interesting is Rick Springfield’s performance and character in the show. That vessel was gone too soon. —Jon Espino
11. Season 11
What is arguably the best of Supernatural’s later years, the eleventh season is a slow build of tension and mystery, culminating in a brilliant third act twist that brings God himself into the fold. Plot threads left hanging in previous seasons, like Sam’s time in hell, become front and center when Mark Pellegrino reprised his role as Lucifer, solidifying Supernatural as a show that doesn’t forget its past. Though most of the season is spent dealing with Amara’s power, the eleventh installment also saw some of the show’s best monster-of-the-week episodes as well, such as “Baby,” “Just My Imagination,” “Safe House,” and “Red Meat.” And, let’s not forget the game-changer episode, “Don’t Call Me Shurley,” an episode that could have easily been a disaster. Instead, it turns out to be one of the most thoughtful and well-paced episodes of the show’s entire run. Pitting Amara against God, brother against sister, the overarching story fit well into the show’s well-established “family is everything” motto, and gives a well-earned ending that avoided the action in favor of a clash of ideals. If anything, Supernatural’s eleventh season is proof the show is capable of adapting its own mythology to explore more meaningful stories. —Katey Stoetzel
10. Season 7
It’s easy to see what season seven was attempting to do with the Leviathans as the Big Bad of the season. They took over businesses and high ranking government positions, because corporate people are evil, get it? But the effort fell flat when there was little pay off; the Leviathans proved mostly boring who were used primarily for “dick” jokes. Add in the death of Bobby, the mistreatment of Sam’s mental health, and the absence of Castiel, Supernatural season seven was just a mishandling of decent ideas that struggled to become anything worth noting. However, the season does introduce Charlie and Kevin as recurring characters for later seasons, so there’s that. —Katey Stoetzel
9. Season 10
This season builds on the chasm created by the Mark of Cain between Dean and Sam, and shows us the dark side known as Dean the Demon. Although the relationship between the brothers was strained, we were given another bond to focus on, and that’s the evil buddy dynamic between Dean and Crowley. This was fun to watch and a nice tonal shift from what we were used to. In an attempt to probably not alienate fans, their dynamic was too short-lived to be fulfilling. On the other hand, in an attempt to alienate fans on a Game of Thrones level, they killed off fan favorite Charlie (Felicia Day) in what I can only guess was an attempt to create an emotional climax that they couldn’t develop organically anywhere else in the main storyline of the season. Cheap story developments aside, they did make up for killing off one bad ass redhead and introducing another: Rowena. —Jon Espino
8. Season 9
This season was the one where the relationship between Dean and Sam changed. Up to this point, they were always together, even when they were mad at each other. We witnessed their relationship deteriorate to the point where our focus was split between them. The very heart of this show rests on their dynamic and only really comes to life when their unbreakable bond is emphasized. Perhaps that’s why the season felt awkward and felt like it never really found its bearings. Even with the human Castiel storyline and the endless amount of comedic relief it provided, there was something missing. No amount of Abaddon or Gadreel could course correct, but season nine is far from the worst season. —Jon Espino
7. Season 8
Although still a decent run, season eight lacked something others from previous years had. The plotline, though well established and thought out, moved forward at a slow pace. This attributed to the lagging start to the season and it wasn’t until we were enveloped in “The Trials” drama that we truly became invested in the newest escapade of Sam and Dean. We’re introduced to Benny, a vampire whom Dean met in Purgatory, and while he held a place in the story, it doesn’t seem to propel anything. Kevin Tran the prophet saw a welcome place in the limelight towards the end of the season and we finally saw what makes this series so great. —Reagan Harrison
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6. Season 6
After stepping down as creator and closing out the five-season arc he’d promised, creator Eric Kripke left Supernatural in the hands of Sera Gamble. A great writer on her own, there was a lot of pressure for her to deliver, but after wrapping up five seasons worth of story, some fans were none too pleased. Looking back, season six really wasn’t as bad as some made it out to be at the time. It had a lot of potential and I appreciated that it allowed Lisa and Ben Braeden to be a bigger part of the show, if nothing else than to give Dean a family outside of Sam. Dean and Lisa had a decent relationship and she was there for Dean while Sam was locked in Hell. It said a lot about her strength of character to take someone as broken as Dean in and give him a home. It’s a shame the show didn’t allow for her and Ben to stick around longer. That aside, season six was generally ambitious, even though not everything flowed as well as prior seasons. Sam no longer having a soul proved to be quite intriguing, while the alpha monster storyline was far more grounded than the show had gotten in its fifth season. Season six was a great effort that allowed the actors to play different sides to their characters, gave us “The French Mistake” meta episode, and helped to expand Mary Winchester’s side of the family as well. —Mae Abdulbaki
5. Season 1
Prior to ever making its way to an astounding twelve (soon to be thirteen) seasons, Supernatural had been on the verge of being canceled quite a few times before becoming a mainstay on The CW. Season one, while not the best of the series, definitely ranks high on the list. From the very first episode, the show pulls you in as its mystery and brotherly bond becomes apparent. By the first season’s seventh episode, I was hooked. Season one was full of angst, dad issues, and a sincere sense of hope that things would get better for the Winchester brothers (even though we know how that turned out). The yellow-eyed demon proved a worthy foe and the series struggled to top him for quite some time. The first season gave us some standout episodes like “Faith” (which was a bit of a game changer and is still a great episode years later), and, perhaps most importantly, introduced Bobby Singer, the true father figure on this show. —Mae Abdulbaki
4. Season 3
Season three had a lot of great standalone episodes like “Mystery Spot” (which is honestly one of Supernatural’s best episodes, hands down), “Bad Day at Black Rock” and “A Very Supernatural Christmas.” It’s also the season that introduced Ruby (played at first by Katie Cassidy). Ruby, like all characters on this show, eventually died, but she also proved to leave a mark in a way that many other characters didn’t and also made way for the eventual distrust between Sam and Dean. Cut short by the writer’s strike, season three focused as much as it could on Dean’s deal and how it affected both brothers. And after the cliffhanger finale, Supernatural truly proved that they were willing to take risks with their storylines and have it payoff immensely in later seasons. —Mae Abdulbaki
3. Season 2
Perfectly balancing monster-of-the-week and overarching episodes, Supernatural season two expanded the show’s mythology in much darker ways than the first installment. Sam and Dean still hunted monsters, but a major theme in season two was what happened when you found yourself potentially becoming the monsters you hunted. Sam and Dean’s relationship was truly tested for the first time, as Sam felt himself becoming darker, while Dean struggled to keep Sam safe. But their arguments didn’t feel as tedious as they do in later seasons, and the end of “All Hell Breaks Loose Part 1” is all the more tragic for it. —Katey Stoetzel
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2. Season 4
I’m honestly surprised that season four didn’t come in first place. While the show lost most of its creative edge in later seasons, season four remains to this day the very best of what Supernatural had to offer. The season wrapped up a lot of the mystery surrounding Sam and the reason behind why the yellow-eyed demon came to him as a baby. But it also opened the doors to plenty of new information, like the fact that Mary Winchester was a hunter herself before giving up the life. It also introduced a fantastic new character (and fan favorite), the angel Castiel. Ruby also had a bigger influence on the season and, although the tension between Sam and Dean tarnished some of the brotherly bond we’d grown to love in the first three seasons, it also gave us some fantastic drama. Creatively, season four is near perfect, with every episode building towards the season finale in a way that is well-paced, well-plotted, and engaging from start to finish. —Mae Abdulbaki
1. Season 5
And here it is, number one: season five. It was difficult to narrow down the seasons perfectly, but this one takes the cake. Full of mayhem and chaos, this season was particularly brutal for the Winchesters. Having to face the threat of Lucifer, the team gathered their resources to bring down the devil. However, it wasn’t all doom and gloom as this season granted us some of the best episodes out of the entire show. “Changing Channels” gave us laughs and reminded us of the Trickster, while “The End” gave us this glorious one liner from Chuck: “You ever get back there, you hoard toilet paper. You understand? Hoard it. Like it’s made of gold.” That aforementioned episode also gave us phenomenal acting from Jared Padalecki like we’ve never seen as he portrayed Lucifer. Of course, “Swan Song.” The greatest season finale left us on a cliffhanger like no other as the cast moved us to tears while we watched the Winchester brotherhood play out and tear apart before our eyes. All of these reasons plus more make this the best season of Supernatural to date. —Reagan Harrison
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