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Published Feb 22, 2026, 6:30 PM EST
Cher Thompson is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, where she covers everything from explosive reality TV moments to cast interviews about the twists and turns of scripted dramas. With a background in creative writing, marketing, and teaching, Cher knows how to spot both the storytelling genius and the guilty pleasures in pop culture. Her work blends wit with insight, making readers feel like they’re chatting with a friend who just happens to know way too much about TV.
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Supernatural's fifteen-season run had high points, low points, and moments in between, but the show has several episodes that have aged like fine wine in the years since they've aired. Beginning in 2005, Supernatural started its life as a show on The WB, but quickly became the most well-known series on The CW. After over 300 episodes, the series came to an end in 2020.
With Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles leading the charge as Sam and Dean Winchester, respectively, the series was able to break through the noise of the time, becoming a fan favorite. Supernatural's charm was in its core relationships, both between Sam and Dean and their found family, comprised of both actual relatives and those in their circle, most notably Mischa Collins' angel Castiel.
While Supernatural was, at its foundation, a monster-of-the-week style procedural that took demons and monsters seriously, the series became much more than its episodic style. The stories that bloomed between Sam, Dean, and those around them became deeper and more emotional as the seasons went on, facing life, death, and everything in between over the course of an exciting 15 seasons.
As Supernatural came to a close and found its way to streaming, fans old and new got the chance to move through the series with fresh eyes. Sam and Dean's adventures, whether they were meant to be a fun break from the week-to-week monsters or meant to explore the dynamics of their overall story, have been able to keep viewers entertained, some even getting better with age.
10 The Devil's Trap
Season 1, Episode 22
As the first season finale of Supernatural, season 1 episode 22, "The Devil's Trap", had something to prove. Throughout Supernatural's run, season finales were often treated with the utmost care, as the show spent the majority of its early seasons on the bubble enough to need a cliffhanger or a push to be picked up.
The show's first season finale, which finds Sam and Dean seeking help from Bobby (Jim Beaver) in order to save their father John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) from Meg (Nicki Aycox), a demonic season-long temptress. The episode works well in its place, but after watching the entirety of the series, it also holds a special place as one of the show's first big gotcha moments that propelled it forward.
9 Mystery Spot
Season 3, Episode 11
Although many Supernatural episodes ultimately follow a formula, those that take a common trope or a convention and map it into the world of Sam and Dean are often praised by fans. Supernatural season 3 episode 11, "Mystery Spot", uses a groundhog day style time loop to create high stakes for Sam that allow him to take the lead.
As they're investigating a disappearance, Dean is shot and killed by the owner of a tourist attraction. Although Sam is devastated, he wakes up the next morning to find that Dean is alive and well, and that they're about to relive the same day over again. Trying to prevent Dean's death throughout the episode, Sam ultimately has to reconcile with the eventual reality of a life without his brother.
8 Swan Song
Season 5, Episode 22
As Supernatural season 5 came to a close, the show's original plan from creator Eric Kripke was reaching its finish. Kripke, who left the series as showrunner after its fifth season, knew that the show was inching toward the apocalypse, and Supernatural season 5 episode 22, "Swan Song", finally saw it reveal itself to Sam, Dean, and the audience.
"Swan Song" is a fast-paced episode of Supernatural that feels like its full of blink-and-you-miss-it moments. With Sam and Dean facing down the apocalypse with no choices at hand, their creativity can only take them so far. The episode sets up a different reality for Sam, Dean, and the rest of the cast moving forward, but its sharp storytelling and high-stakes drama has aged well over the years.
7 Baby
Season 11, Episode 4
A later episode of Supernatural, season 11 episode 4, "Baby", is one of the most poetic episodes in the show's later years. While Supernatural continued through the late 2000s and 2010s, the show's decision to branch out after the initial apocalypse plot finished meant that there were some seasons that were more difficult to watch than others.
"Baby", which is told entirely from the perspective of Dean's beloved Impala, sees a fairly standard day of Sam and Dean traveling to chase a possible case. With Sam and Dean talking, commiserating, arguing, and unpacking some of the bigger feelings they have surrounding their relationship throughout the episode, "Baby" is a poignant look at the brothers' relationship in a light viewers aren't normally exposed to.
6 In The Beginning
Season 4, Episode 3
While early episodes of the series explore the relationship between Sam and Dean, but Supernatural season 4 episode 3, "In The Beginning", takes things a step further for Dean. While Sam and Dean's relationships with their father are often one of the most difficult over the course of the series, they're also quite different from brother to brother, with Dean closer to John than Sam.
In Supernatural season 4 episode 3, Dean is transported back in time to Kansas, running into a young version of his parents long before he's part of the picture. Dean gets the chance to get to know John (Matt Cohen) and his mother, Mary (Amy Gumenick), along with his grandfather (Mitch Pileggi) in an episode that provides a crucial look at Dean's psyche.
5 In My Time Of Dying
Season 2, Episode 1
As the second season's opener, Supernatural season 2 episode 1, "In My Time Of Dying", functions effectively like a horror film. After the cliffhanger of season 1's finale, which saw Sam, Dean, and John all unconscious after being hit by a demon-driven truck, the second season opens with the trio in an eerie hospital, each fighting for their lives in their own way.
As Sam, Dean, and John all reconcile with the accident and the demonic presence that has impacted their recoveries in their own ways, the setup for the second season of the series begins to take shape. As the years have passed, watching "In My Time Of Dying" has exposed different things about each character, the episode consistently getting better with each rewatch.
4 Death's Door
Season 7, Episode 10
Although the majority of Supernatural focuses on Sam, Dean, and their relationship with their actual father, John, there's a sweeping piece of the series that affords them a father figure. Bobby, a longtime friend of John, begins appearing during Supernatural season 1, and his relationship with Sam and Dean often gives them more paternal love and care than they had from John.
In Supernatural season 7, episode 10, however, viewers get the chance to learn more about Bobby's backstory before ultimately bidding the character goodbye in a shocking, traumatic way. Getting heartfelt moments with Bobby, viewers also get the chance to learn more about his origin story in an episode that consistently reveals more about itself after every rewatch.
3 Changing Channels
Season 5, Episode 8
Although Supernatural is best known for its monster stories that propel the story forward, some of its best episodes find their foundation in a hilarious convention that becomes a larger piece of the episode's mystery. Sueprnatural season 5 episode 8, "Changing Channels", does just that. When Sam and Dean are transported into an endless loop of different TV show universes, chaos ensues, and Supernatural steps up.
The series does genre trope work easily, moving from medical show spoof to Japanese game show and beyond with ease. Making for one of the most memorable sequences of the series, a sitcom theme song opening, Supernatural's "Changing Channels" is perfect for a rewatch any time.
2 The French Mistake
Season 6, Episode 15
Another one of the most memorable episodes of the series overall, Supernatural's most meta episode sees Sam and Dean in a universe that aligns closely with viewer reality. In Supernatural season 7 episode 6, "The French Connection", the brothers are sent to an alternate universe where they're on the set of Supernatural, known more as Ackles and Padalecki than Dean and Sam.
The series is able to bend in on itself and make light of the large impact it's had on the supernatural genre while, at its core, creating a memorable episode of the series. Supernatural's "The French Connection" is consistently perfect for a rewatch and always reveals a new layer of the joke.
1 Pilot
Season 1, Episode 1
As the first episode of the series overall, Supernatural's pilot is one of the most important pieces of its puzzle. Sueprnatural season 1 episode 1, "Pilot", provides the backstory needed to understand the rest of the series. Introducing Dean as a fully realized character that can be built upon, Supernatural also brings Sam, who's somewhat less formed but still an important part of the story, back into his life.
The dynamic between the brothers is one of the most interesting parts of the show, and its establishment in the pilot is what creates the conditions for the story to move forward. Supernatural's pilot is a great first episode, and feels endlessly rewatchable time after time.
Release Date 2005 - 2020
Showrunner Eric Kripke
Writers Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway
English (US) ·