These days, I’m willing to compare Supernatural to The Simpsons insofar that I can’t imagine the television landscape without either. Really, the former has been going strong for most of my adult life, and I still remember curiously tuning in for the pilot episode when it originally aired during the fall of 2005.
Now, as we head into season 14, we can fondly look back on all the memories we’ve shared with Sam and Dean Winchester, be it their averting the Apocalypse on numerous occasions, or if it’s just an awesome animated crossover with Scooby-Doo.
Still, I’m reminded of what attracted myself and others to the series back in the day, and that was the strong influence felt by various urban legends and bits of cultural folklore. As someone who grew up on Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Unsolved Mysteries, you can imagine why I couldn’t get enough of Supernatural when it debuted.
So, even though I still very much dig the efforts Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki recently put forth, the first five seasons will forever remain as being the untouchable A-material in my view. To draw a parallel for the horror game fanatics among you, they’re as cherished as the first three Resident Evil games native to the original Playstation to this writer.
That said, newbies and longtime fans a like are invited to relive some of the more memorable moments spanning seasons 1-4 this Halloween, October 31st, thanks to a marathon being aired on TNT. In fact, each episode being included in the binge fits quite well with the holiday, and a synopsis for each can be viewed in the schedule found below:
8 a.m. ET – Season 4, Episode 7 – “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester”
Sam and Dean meet Castiel and his fellow angel Uriel, who warn the brothers to avoid intervening in a town where a witch is attempting to summon the demon Samhain, opening one of the Seals.
9 a.m. ET – Season 4, Episode 5 – “Monster Movie”
Sam and Dean investigate a town plagued with monsters from classic black-and-white horror movies.
10 a.m. ET – Season 2, Episode 18 – “Hollywood Babylon”
Sam and Dean discover that a group of ghosts are murdering the crew of a horror movie.11 a.m. ET – Season 3, Episode 13 – “Ghostfacers”
While investigating the haunted Morton Mansion, Sam and Dean run into a couple of familiar faces and become inadvertent participants in a new reality show named Ghostfacers. As events turn deadly and the team are trapped in the house, the investigation becomes a battle to survive until morning.
12 p.m. ET – Season 1, Episode 1 – “Pilot”
Sam is about to graduate from college and has an interview set up to join one of the most prestigious law schools in the country.
1 p.m. ET – Season 2, Episode 4 – “Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things”
Dean and Sam investigate the death of a young college student who died in a car accident, but whose grave is now surrounded by a circle of dead plants.
2 p.m. ET – Season 1, Episode 19 – “Provenance”
The Winchesters must deal with a dangerous spirit bound to an old family portrait that brings misfortune and death to anyone who buys it.
3 p.m. ET – Season 2, Episode 11 – “Playthings”
Sam and Dean investigate a Connecticut inn run by a single mother where mysterious deaths are taking place. They find evidence of Hoodoo, and try to figure out who is causing the chaos.
4 p.m. ET – Season 1, Episode 15 – “The Benders”
Dean searches for Sam when he is kidnapped by a backwoods family who likes to hunt humans and use their body parts as trophies.
5 p.m. ET – Season 3, Episode 2 – “The Kids Are Alright”
Sam and Dean track down Changelings that are pursuing mothers and their children. A boy they protect bears a strange resemblance to Dean, which at first makes Dean uncomfortable because he once had a one-night stand with the boy’s mother Lisa.
6 p.m. ET – Season 4, Episode 11 – “Family Remains”
Sam and Dean investigate a house occupied by a female ghost, but when a new family moves in things take a turn for the worse.
7 p.m. ET – Season 1, Episode 5 – “Bloody Mary”
A man dies of a stroke in front of a mirror but Sam and Dean believe something, or someone else (Bloody Mary), may be behind his death. Dean tries to help Sam open up about his girlfriend’s death, particularly after Sam lets it slip that there’s some information that he hasn’t told Dean.
When it comes to the future of Supernatural, though, know that season 14 premieres on Thursday, October 11 on The CW.
