In 2020, Supernatural ended an impressive 15-season run. It still has a large fanbase that will probably keep growing as existing fans share their stories about their love of the show and how it impacted their lives.

Supernatural launched in 2005 on the WB Television Network, though it lived on the CW Television Network from season 2 until its finale in season 15. The CW is home to TV shows with a similar vibe like DC comics adaptations, The Vampire Diaries, or The 100. Supernatural was created by Eric Kripke who moved on to bring the house down with the Amazon Prime exclusive The Boys, soon to start filming its third season. 

The story of Supernatural follows the Winchester Brothers, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki). The boys carry out the family business: saving people and hunting supernatural beings: ghosts, demons, vampires, and even Lucifer himself. Dean and Sam, later on, got their two-person army extended with Castiel the angel (Misha Collins) and who some claim is the savior of the series after it had a major decline in viewers after season 3. The show is categorized in both the horror/mystery and drama genres by IMDb contributors, and rightfully so. Some episodes are downright chilling, and, through 15 seasons, audiences enjoyed a perfect mix of family drama and good-old horror moments.

But what makes it even more special than your average drama/mystery TV series? What got fans to watch it for 15 years and follow the brothers’ fight with both inner and real demons through 327 episodes?

It’s hard to put into words what Supernatural means to so many. I can only speak for myself at the moment, and this is something I wanted to do a long time. 

As a teenager, like so many others, unfortunately, I was bullied a lot. Because of my body, because of how I looked, because of what clothes I chose to wear. I was the weird girl, who obsessed over movies and tv shows, who was always the black sheep in the crowd. I had a hard time going to school. I didn’t really have close friends, only a few people I talked to occasionally. I was turning 15 years old when the first season of Supernatural rolled in in 2005. I was on the edge of falling into the deepest of holes of depression and I was really close to being suicidal. 

Still, to this day, not many people know about this, but it feels good to open up about it. I started watching the show and it proved to be my biggest saving grace at that time. It arrived when I needed it the most. I had something to look forward to every week, and it brought an enormous amount of joy to be able to sit down in front of the TV and see what the boys will do next. 

Sam and Dean quickly became family.

All the show’s episodes helped me tremendously. I really enjoyed seeing how Sam and Dean’s sibling relationship changes and evolves. At the beginning I was convinced they were brothers in real life, too. 

I loved the way, especially in the first 3 seasons, that either one of the brothers were able to connect to cases on a more personal level and sometimes even build up bonds with the guest stars. We had some actors appear on this show that are now heavy hitters, including Sterling K. Brown who now plays Randall Pearson in “This is Us” and went on to make big movies, or Finn Wolfhard who went on to play in “Stranger Things” and It. Even though the guest actors often only appeared for one episode, you’re still able to connect with them and their stories thanks to how they interacted with the Winchester Brothers. 

I think one of my most treasured episodes has to be Season 2, Episode 16 titled “Roadkill.” The main guest star was Tricia Helfer, who also played EDI in the Mass Effect games. I haven’t seen the episode in a while now, but I do remember that it had the strongest message of hope of all the episodes before it. It was special because Sam’s connection to Tricia’s character, Molly, was so natural while Dean’s little fight inside himself between the “cool guy” and “big soft bear” persona perfectly described their relationship in general. But what really got me in the end and made this one of my favorite episodes was how, through hardships, Molly was always able to hope for the best and she stuck it onto the boys even if Dean pretended not to be moved by the events at all. 

Sam and Dean quickly became family. I’ve found myself lost in their world and, slowly but steadily, I was able to come up to the surface and take a deep breath again. Funnily enough, they also helped me to make better friendships, to feel good enough about myself to talk to others and to not feel as alone and lost as I was before. I also learned from them to truly listen to others. To hear their stories, to understand them better, and be more open-minded. We all have such unique journeys in life and we all carry our own baggage, a little kindness along the way from others can make a big difference. 

I don’t know if I will ever have the chance to thank the boys in person, so this is my way of thanking Sam and Dean Winchester, played by the wonderful Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, for helping me for years without even knowing about it. I don’t know what would have happened to me without Supernatural, and I am glad that I will never have to find out. 

I bow down and congratulate the cast and crew for this amazing run.
15 years of excellent entertainment.
15 years of helping people through hard times.
15 years of adventures and doing the family business: saving people, hunting things.
15 years full of emotions. 

I remember talking to my friend who was pretty sure that by the time we are going to go to university they will cancel the show. I told her, and I remember this clearly: “It will be around way after we finished University.” 

And it was. 

So long, Supernatural. Thank you for everything. Your legacy will live on for many years to come. And thank you for helping me, without even knowing about it. 

To the whole cast and crew, I salute you all. 

And to those who haven’t seen it or want to go through it all again, it’s currently streaming on Netflix.

If you are someone who’s struggling with depression or have suicidal thoughts, please, don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help. You are never alone:
Suicide Prevention Lifeline – talk to someone now
BetterHelp.com

Do you have any special memories around Supernatural? Share in the comments how the show has touched your life.