I think it goes without saying that “The Road So Far” had to arrive at an end destination at some point, but that doesn’t make the reality of Supernatural concluding following its fifteenth season any easier to accept. Even if you haven’t been watching since the pilot episode aired just as I have, you may agree that this show’s simply become ingrained in your life over the years. For me, it’s almost like a phantom limb because tuning in each week is just part of my routine.
Obviously, this situation isn’t just emotionally taxing for the SPN Family watching at home, but for the cast and crew as well. When anyone has worked together for so long, they’re bound to become attached. Heck, let’s not forget that Jared Padalecki met his wife while filming for the show.
Speaking of the men who’ve played Sam and Dean Winchester for more than a decade, they openly discussed the difficult decision to end the series at VegasCon (transcript via ComicBook.com), saying:
“This was a community decision. The network and the studio did not say, ‘hey, guys, get out of here, you’re done,’” Padelecki told the audience. “It wasn’t an easy decision,” Ackles added. “It was months and months, if not years, of discussion between he and I, between the rest of the cast, between the crew, between our writers, between our producers, between the studio, between the network. Nobody wanted to see this show fizzle out. I think that it was everyone wanting to do the biggest service to the show that we could by going out strong. It just seemed like the writing was kind of on the wall as to when that was happening. Everybody kind of felt that it was coming soon, and so it was just taking that leap of faith of going like, ‘Well guys, let’s get out the paint and paint that finish line because what we’ve accomplished is unlike any other.'”
This explanation actually makes a lot of sense because it’s important to remember that Supernatural remains one of the network’s most successful series, even to this day. But I guess that the time does come when people must move on and explore other creative avenues in their careers. And although Jared and Jensen no doubt feel profound attachment to the Winchesters, you have to think that they want to play other characters during their lifetimes.
In the meantime, though, enjoy Supernatural for all it’s worth when it airs on Thursday nights on The CW. At the time of this writing, four episodes remain in season 14, so there’s still material to sink your teeth into before the final summer hiatus.
