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While Supernatural season 16 has yet to receive official confirmation, the series remains one of the CW network's most enduring projects. The fantasy drama series aired from 2005 to 2020 for a total of 15 seasons. Created by Erick Kripke, the story follows demon-hunter brothers Sam and Dean Winchester as they travel across the country to solve supernatural mysteries.
In 2020, Jensen Ackles appeared on a YouTube-based podcast, Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum. The episode was made available on September 8, 2020, before the release of the delayed episodes from the 15th season. While speaking with the podcaster, Michael, Jesen echoed his comments from the August 2019 Television Critics Association press tour that the series is bidding adieu — for now.
His comments seemed suggestive of a Supernatural season 16 after a brief waiting period, possibly in the form of a miniseries.
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“I’ve always thought that there was a possibility of five years down the road, getting the call and saying, ‘Hey, let’s do a little short-order action for a streaming network and bring it back for six episodes,'” Jensen said regarding a possibility of Supernatural season 16.
In October 2020, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki also appeared together in an interview with TVLine.com, a website for information related to television. Both spoke about wrapping up the filming of the season finale and the emotions surrounding it. The 15th season is considered to be the final installment of the show, which made the farewell an emotional one, as described by the actors.
“Weighty, because we knew it was coming, and we had a long time to see it on the horizon, and when it came, and it was there, it was almost like, I don’t know… I know I certainly broke character, I’ll tell you that much,” said Jensen about the filming the final scene.
Jensen continued to explain how working on Supernatural made him feel.
"In the end, I felt like if you could take, like, happiness and satisfaction and being proud and just wrapped it up in emotion, then that’s the pill that we swallowed that day,” he recalled.
The sentiments were mutual, as his co-star Jared Padalecki suggested they would work together again if Supernatural season 16 is made and offered to them.
“It was a good pill, though. I would take it again if I get the chance,” Jared added.
As confirmed earlier, Supernatural season 16 has not been officially greenlit by the CW Network.
Series finale breakdown: Can it be a launchpad for Supernatural season 16?
The Supernatural season 15 finale, titled Carry On, premiered on November 19, 2020. The episode was directed by Robert Singer and written by Andrew Dabb, and it marked the conclusion of the series. The episode follows the Winchester brothers resuming their demon-hunting adventure six months after defeating the old god, Chuck.
Chuck had often brought about a lot of twists and tragedies in the brothers' lives for the sake of his amusement. After freeing their fate from his shackles, Sam and Dean are drawn to a case while they try to resume a normal life. The case involved a strange murder and a series of kidnappings by masked vampires.
Upon further investigation, the brothers realized this was the same case their father had tried to solve in 1986 but was never able to. After luring the vampires using the traps John had established, they managed to eliminate all of them. However, Dean gets impaled on a metal spike during the fight. Free from Chuck's control, the brothers bid each other an emotional goodbye.
The episode ends with Dean reuniting with their Uncle Bobby in the afterlife. While Sam starts a normal family and names his son after his late brother, Dean. Sam dies a natural death after growing old and meets his brother again in Heaven—rebuilt by Jack and Castiel into a paradise without barriers.
However, from a storytelling perspective, the ending still leaves room for the possibility of Supernatural season 16. The series is filled with character revivals throughout its 15 installments, ensuring that it's not a dead end, at least from the perspective of the narrative for the brothers.
The series thrives on resurrections, divine interventions, and multiverse realities, which can allow Eric Kripke to continue without disrupting the storyline. The series has previously revived the brothers from Hell (season 4), Purgatory (season 8), and even alternate timelines (seasons 13-14). If Supernatural season 16 takes place, the series can continue to explore more such avenues.
The Supernatural Universe: Spin-offs and Prequels
Rather than resuming with Supernatural season 16, The CW Network made several attempts at expanding the franchise with varying degrees of success. The latest addition was the prequel series The Winchesters, developed by Robbie Thompson and executive produced by Jensen Ackles. The series was released in 2022 and canceled after its debut season by the network.
Other spin-off series, such as Wayward Sisters and Bloodlines, never made it beyond the pilot stage. In 2011, Japanese Warner Bros. released an animated series adapting the storyline of the first two seasons and original content exploring the Winchesters' childhood.
The CW network may consider returning for Supernatural season 16, given the inconsistent success of the other series.
Everything we know about the Supernatural series
The American series Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke, spanning 15 seasons and a total of 327 episodes. The story follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised to hunt supernatural beings after a yellow-eyed demon killed their mother when they were kids.
They travel across the country in their iconic 1967 Chevy Impala to investigate and tackle various otherworldly threats, such as demons, vampires, ghosts, etc. Throughout the series, their missions expand and get complicated as the stakes involve saving the world, including heaven and hell, tackling gods, and fighting beings from another dimension.
The show's mythology mixes actual religious lore, pop culture, and urban legends, with the narrative of the story evolving every season. The list of cast members includes Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester. Misha Collins also stars as Castiel, an archangel, and Mark Sheppard as Crowley, the king of hell.
Jared spoke with CBR recently on the possibility of whether the Winchester brothers would reprise their roles if there was a Supernatural season 16.
"The simple answer to your question is 100%. I will play Sam Winchester again. Jensen will play Dean Winchester again. It's more of a timing and availability thing. In hindsight, Jensen and I have always said ‘always,’ if we ever have the option," he said about the possibility of acting in Supernatural season 16.
He added, "I think in the last two or three seasons of Supernatural, when we realized somebody might want more. We said, ‘2025. In 2020, we're ending this. Let's get together in five years and see what Sam and Dean are up to.'"
While any official confirmation for Supernatural season 16 has still not been released, the audience can view all 15 seasons on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
