The cast behind Eric Kripke’s Supernatural has gathered again three years after the show’s conclusion. Premiering in 2005, the fantasy drama starred Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as brothers Dean and Sam Winchester, respectively. Traveling across the U.S. in a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, the pair hunts down spirits, vampires, and demons while searching for answers about their father’s past. After running for 15 seasons, Supernatural officially ended the Winchesters’ story in 2020.
In support of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, some members of the Supernatural ensemble reunited on the picket line. On Instagram, Misha Collins (who played the angel Castiel) posted photos of Supernatural alumni posing with signs, captioning the stills “Family don’t end.” Check it out below:
Other notable cast members at the event include Shoshannah Stern (Eileen Leahy), Richard Speight Jr. (Archangel Gabriel), and Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer). Although many supporting cast members joined the strike, Ackles and Padalecki were not seemingly present in this get-together. In addition, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who played the father of the Winchester brothers, was also not able to attend, making the reunion mostly Winchester-absent.
Although neither Ackles nor Padalecki could represent the Winchester brothers, Padalecki demonstrated his support from afar on Instagram. Holding up a SAG-AFTRA sign with his wife Genevieve Padalecki (who portrayed Ruby in season 4), he commented, “sending our love and support to all of the cast, writers, and family who picketed today for the #Supernatural #SAGAFTRAStrike + #WGAStrike.“
Supernatural’s 15-Season Legacy Explained
Three years after the conclusion of Supernatural, the drama continues to have a devoted fanbase, supportive of its 15-season run. In part because of this devotion, a spin-off called The Winchesters was introduced to The CW in 2022. However, by May 2023, the show had been cancelled after airing only one season. While the Supernatural prequel showed promise, releasing it just a couple of years after Supernatural‘s end perhaps was too soon for viewers to root for characters other than Dean and Sam.
While the show’s attention to plot detail and dedicated fanbase contributed to its 15-year-long span, some of Supernatural‘s signatures did not appear as Eric Kripke had initially intended. For example, the 1967 Chevrolet Impala was originally a 1965 Mustang, and “Unnatural” was the show’s original title. Furthermore, season 5 was also conceptualized as the series finale. Although Kripke did exit after season 5, the show ran for another ten seasons on The CW.
As the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes continue, the Supernatural family will likely not be the only cast reuniting this year. However, the show is a prime example of why the actors and writers are on strike. As Kripke reflected on Supernatural‘s 15-year run, he shared his experiences with residuals between the Netflix streaming and the TNT syndication, noticing a major difference in the paycheck. So, while the doors have closed for the long-running series, the Supernatural cast has another business to resolve concerning fairer wages, better working conditions, and residuals.
