Supernatural is an American television drama series created by writer and producer Eric Kripke. It was initially broadcast by The WB network from September 13, 2005, but after the first season, the WB and UPN networks merged to form The CW network, which was the final broadcaster for the show in the United States by the series' conclusion on November 19, 2020, with 327 episodes aired. The Winchesters, a spin-off prequel/sequel series to Supernatural developed by Robbie Thompson, Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles, premiered on The CW from October 11, 2022.
Supernatural and The Winchesters each feature two main characters, Sam Winchester (played by Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (played by Jensen Ackles), and Mary Campbell (played by Meg Donnelly) and John Winchester (played by Drake Rodger).
In Supernatural, the two Winchester brothers are hunters who travel across the United States, mainly to the Midwest, in a black 1967 Chevy Impala to hunt demons, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, witches, and other supernatural creatures. Supernatural chronicles the relationship between the brothers, their friends, and their father. Throughout the seasons, the brothers work to fight evil, keep each other alive, and avenge those they have lost. In The Winchesters, Dean Winchester narrates the story of how his parents John Winchester and Mary Campbell met, fell in love and fought monsters together while in search for their missing fathers.
Supernatural features many recurring guests that help Sam Winchester and Dean Winchester with their hunts and quests. Frequent returning characters include hunter Bobby Singer (who becomes a father figure to Sam and Dean after season two), Castiel (an angel), Crowley (a demon and the King of Hell), and Jack Kline (the Nephilim). The series also featured recurring appearances from other angels, demons, and hunters.
Cast
Main
Recurring
Notable guests
Notes
Angels
Angels of God are extremely powerful spiritual beings. Merely perceiving their true form - even psychically - typically results in blindness, as the appearance of their natural "visage" is overwhelming. Only a select few can withstand their true appearances and voices, though no one is ever featured on the show that could do so. They often take human vessels to exist in and interact with the physical world; however, they can only enter with the hosts' consent. Angels need a particular vessel called the "chosen" one or "true vessels" to be their host if they want to reach their full potential.
Most angels are portrayed as emotionless authoritarian beings. Some angels show disdain for humanity, noting that humans are flawed and inferior creations. Lucifer was the only angel to refuse kneeling before humans at God's command. All angels, fallen or not, refer to each other as siblings and refer to God as their Father. However, most angels never actually meet or talk to God. God, their former leader, is noted as missing throughout the majority of the show, leaving the angels to protect humanity instead. There is a ranking among the angels, with the higher ranks commanding those at a lower rank.
Creator Eric Kripke originally did not want angels to be featured in the series, believing God worked through hunters rather than angels. However, with so many demon villains, he and the writers changed their minds when they realized that the show needed angels to create a "cosmic battle" between the angels and demons. As Kripke put it, "We had the empire, but we didn't really have the rebellion." They wanted to have a storyline with a few central characters, but with the massive battles in the background, comparable to Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, the addition of angels allowed for this. Kripke eventually found that it opened up new storylines to include in the show.
Demons
Demons in the series are generally portrayed as cruel and sadistic, often taking pleasure in causing humans pain. They are also, as series creator Eric Kripke deemed them, "erudite and sophisticated". While the demon "tyrant" Azazel commands them in the first two seasons, demons were the sole antagonists of the third season. At times, their culture is compared to normal humans, with the third-season episode "Sin City" introducing their religious side. Many believe Lucifer was their own higher power. Though many demons came to lose faith, they followed the fallen angel upon his release from Hell in the fifth season.