Supernatural is one of those television shows that never gets old. Years after going off air, fans are still watching it all the time.
But no matter how often you binge the series from start to finish, we bet that there is still so much that you don’t know about it still.
Premiering in 2005 and running for 15 seasons, the franchise centered on characters played by the likes of Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins.
While the most dedicated viewers might have watched Supernatural through multiple times, there are still some details from behind the scenes that they might be missing out on. We pulled together 14 secrets from the set that you might not know.
The list includes offscreen romances, a trio of actors who got matching tattoos, what a franchise star took home from set and details about an actor who wasn’t thrilled with the way their character’s story ended.
The creator of Supernatural imagined a different ending…
Eric Kripke created Supernatural and stayed on as a showrunner for its first five seasons. After it came to a close, he reflected on how he would have ended the series during an interview.
“It was interesting, they pitched it to me and I went off to think about it for a couple days, and admittedly, me being me, I spent some time thinking, ‘Okay, is there any other ending I would pitch back that I think is better?’” Eric said. “And I spent a couple days trying to chase down a couple avenues and couldn’t come up with anything better. So I went back and I was like, ‘Guys I think it’s the right one.’ There’s some substance to it but there’s something emotional, I think there’s a positive energy around it.”
Eric was asked about how he would’ve ended things and he doesn’t think fans would’ve been happy.
“But I can assure the fans that my ending was so much darker than the ending they’re going with, so anyone who’s like, ‘Kripke should’ve ended it,’ I’m like, ‘You would’ve hated my ending!,’” he said. “Because it was a horror movie and it was going to have a horror movie ending, so I can promise you the ending [they went with] you’ll love much more than if you had let me end the show.”
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki got matching tattoos…
After playing a family on the screen, Jeffrey, Jensen and Jared commemorated their special bond with a tattoo.
The Winchesters was a new spinoff series that was cancelled after one season…
In 2022, Supernatural fans got a big treat – a spinoff series called The Winchesters. The show starred Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger, and Jensen came back to narrate it. It was the most-watched debut series of the season, but it wasn’t renewed for a second season.
The Winchesters sparked some drama…
Onscreen bros and close pals Jensen and Jared had a bit of drama after news about The Winchesters broke. Jared said that he was “gutted” to learn about the show on Twitter. Of course, they patched things up and moved on, and Jensen explained that he kept it under wraps because he “didn’t wanna jinx it at any cost.”
There were several planned spinoff series that never took off…
Supernatural inspired quite a few spinoff series that never fully came together. In 2014, a show called Supernatural: Bloodlines got a backdoor pilot but wasn’t picked up. Again in 2017, it was reported that Supernatural was going to get a spinoff series called Wayward Sisters. It was set to center on Kim Rhodes‘ character Sheriff Jody Mills. However, the show never took off.
Jensen Ackles took home a special prop from the show…
After playing Dean for 15 years, Jensen was very attached to the character and some of his props. In the show’s final season, the actor revealed that he was taking home a big prop from set – the car he drove around.
“As far as taking something on the final day, I will definitely be taking something that I’ve had my eye on since day one of Supernatural,” he teased in an interview. “But it’s okay, I’m not stealing it. I got permission.”
He continued, saying, “I begged and begged and pleaded for years, but I finally got it this year. They’re going to let me drive home the Impala.”
Jensen Ackles showed off his musical talents on the show, too…
Fans know him best as an actor, and some might not know that Jensen is every bit as musically talented. He’s part of the musical duo Radio Company. The group’s song “Sounds of Someday” appeared on an episode of the show.
Mark Sheppard didn’t love his character’s evolution…
Mark Sheppard brought Crowley to life on the show starting with the fifth season. He remained with it until Season 12, when he was written off with a dramatic death.
The actor later revealed that he wasn’t thrilled with the way that his character evolved. “Once they decided they needed to do something different [with the direction of the show], they tried to get rid of me without telling me that they were going to get rid of me,” he reflected, via Looper. He continued, saying, “I’d gone from being the smartest character on the show to being the dumbest character on the show in two seasons. They ran out of what to do.”
Jared Padalecki fell in love on the set of Supernatural…
Jared met and fell in love with his wife Genevieve on the set of the show. She appeared starting in the fourth season playing Ruby. The couple got married in 2010 and have been together since.
Jensen Ackles also shared the screen with his wife…
Unlike Jared, Jensen already knew and loved his wife Danneel when she joined the show. The couple got married in 2010, and she popped up playing Sister Jo eight years later.
Jensen Ackles auditioned to play Sam before he was cast as Dean…
Jensen famously played Dean on the show. However, he actually auditioned to play the younger brother Sam first. The role ultimately went to Jared, setting up the casting that became iconic.
Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki bonded on the set of their audition…
Jared and Jensen were showing off their brotherly chemistry before they were even cast on the show! The pair reflected on their auditions during a Q&A with fans, revealing that they were the only actors there. They discovered that they had a lot in common, including a mutual appreciation for the Dallas Cowboys. The Texas natives also both loved country music.
There was a crossover reference to The Walking Dead…
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is an actor that’ll be familiar with fans of both Supernatural, where he plays Sam and Dean’s dad John Winchester, and The Walking Dead, where he plays Negan Smith.
The show made a reference to Negan when Dean holds up a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire, Negan’s weapon of choice, and says that his dad loved the tool.
Several actors directed episodes of the show…
Jensen stepped into the director’s chair a six times over the course of the show. Misha and Richard Speight Jr., who played Gabriel, also directed episodes of Supernatural over the course of its run.
Source: justjared.com