Supernatural has felt like the show that would just keep on showing forever on The CW for years now. Currently airing its fourteenth season, Supernatural still hasn't run out of mysteries for the Winchesters and Co. to investigate. The renewal for Season 15 was good news for fans worried that it would end after Season 14, but now the news has broken that Supernatural will end after Season 15. Stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins shared the news via video:
The touching video was shared by Jared Padalecki on his Twitter page, and it indicates that the Supernatural team hasn't just been sitting on this news for a while. All three actors were visibly emotional, even if they were also laughing and palling around, as these guys tend to do. They just broke the news to the crew, and they honestly look like they'd be crying if they couldn't laugh, and isn't that just pure the Supernatural family dynamic? Maybe Supernatural ending could be pretty awesome.
Supernatural is already the longest-running series in The CW (and The WB before it) history, so there's no danger of it ending before making history. Ending after 15 seasons guarantees that its legacy will live on. As much as Supernatural fans who have stuck through the highs and lows may be bummed about this news (and/or preparing to summon a crossroads demon to stop the end from coming), there is a silver lining to the announcement of the end now while Season 14 is still going.
Supernatural will have a full season to tie up any and all essential loose ends that might be left dangling if the show got the axe in the middle or toward the end of a season, as sometimes happens. With 14 seasons of mythology, relationships, and history, a lot may need to happen for a truly fitting grand finale. I have no doubt that tears will flow on screen and off, and the final season could be truly epic.
A big question is why the end is finally coming. Only last month, CW President Mark Pedowitz stated that the only ways the show would get cancelled would be if the ratings tanked and the stars wanted to leave. Airing on The CW has always meant that Supernatural scored lower ratings than most other network TV shows, and it has been a largely consistent deliverer.
My money is on the leads deciding that the time was right to lay down the angel blades, set aside the demon knife, and hang up the shotguns. Jared Padalecki did once say that he and Jensen Ackles might feel ready to say goodbye if and when they hit 300 episodes.
Well, they did hit 300! When I spoke with Padalecki at the red carpet celebration for the 300th episode, he said that he didn't know how he'd be able to say goodbye, but "it's gonna have to happen at some point in time."
Both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have said that they'd love to see series creator Eric Kripke -- who left the series back after Season 5 -- return for the very end. Is Ackles' mention of Kripke in the announcement video a sign that the lines of communication are quite open, and Kripke could contribute to the finale? Or at least some of the final episodes? Hey, maybe this means Jeffrey Dean Morgan's wish can come true!
Season 14 is still going, so be sure to tune in to The CW on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET for the rest of the episodes of the now-penultimate season of Supernatural.
