One Of Supernatural's Worst Episodes Taught The Creative Team A Massive Lesson

"Bugs" is far from one of the most game-changing episodes of "Supernatural," but it did have a positive effect on the horror series in the long run. According to creator Eric Kripke, the Season 1 outing — which is currently the second-lowest rated episode on IMDb — taught the minds behind the show what not to do from that moment on.

"[W]e overreached on several monsters," Kripke told TV Insider. "It wasn't working from a production standpoint. 'Bugs' was famously terrible. I went to [exec producer] Bob Singer and told him the visuals were coming off like cheesy B movies. He said that we should focus on [Sam and Dean] — and the monsters have to be [more like] characters."

In an older interview, Kripke cited "Hook Man," "Route 666," "No Exit," and "Red Sky at Morning" — all of which aired during the first three seasons — as other low points.

"Sometimes, you try things that just don't work at all, and because of our time and budget, you don't have the time to go back and re-do them," he said. "You have no choice but to air them in their deformed state, and so you have to live with millions of people watching your mistakes."

Like its showrunner, "Supernatural" itself isn't above self-deprecation. In the Season 11 episode "Don't Call Me Shurley," Chuck, aka God (Rob Benedict), describes a negative instant reaction to his autobiography: "Last time I saw that look on an editor's face, I just handed in 'Bugs.'"