Supernatural's 15 Worst Episodes, Ranked

Eric Kripke's "Supernatural" is one of the best horror shows of all time, so it's safe to say the series succeeds more often than not. The CW's 15-season wonder follows Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) as they travel the highways in a Chevy Impala saving people and hunting monsters. Their battles pit them against angels, demons, Lucifer, God, and more, resulting in some high-stakes adventures with apocalyptic stakes.

But we aren't here to talk about the best episodes of "Supernatural." For this exercise, we're going to revisit the misfires that stunk up the joint and reminded us that even the best shows can stumble from time to time. On this list you'll find stories about problematic romances and killer insects that failed to land the sting they set out to achieve. So, without further ado, here are 15 episodes of "Supernatural" that you can absolutely skip during your next rewatch.

"Supernatural" didn't punish viewers with one of the worst TV finales ever, but it's an underwhelming effort that fails to stick the landing. The episode is fairly anticlimactic, reverting back to the monster-of-the-week format after the Big Bad, Chuck (Rob Benedict), was defeated in the penultimate installment. However, it also sees Dean get impaled while the brothers are on a standard vampire hunt, which is an interesting creative choice, to say the least.

The issue isn't killing off Dean — it's the way that he goes. Here's a guy who took the fight to Lucifer, God, Leviathans, the Four Horsemen, and other threats capable of destroying the universe, and he fades out during a low-stakes mission that pales in comparison to previous hunts. The finale could also have benefited from seeing some old faces brought back for one last hurrah, but we can give the creators the benefit of the doubt here, as they had to contend with COVID-19 restrictions.

Season 4's "Metamorphosis" deserves some credit for its character development, but its message is far from subtle. It tells the story of Jack (Dameon Clarke), a family man who transforms into a flesh-eating monster with an insatiable appetite known as a Rougarou. It's only a matter of time until he consumes human meat — and that means no turning back. 

Jack's journey echoes Sam's experiences, as the younger Winchester sibling grapples with accepting that he has demon blood inside him. The metaphor serves a purpose, but the delivery is so heavy-handed that you might roll your eyes. Clarke also chews the scenery as Jack — there's a bar fight scene that's more unintentionally hilarious than menacing — and it makes the episode lose its desired disturbing effect.

"Metamorphosis" also falters when showing the Rougarou's gross-out eating scenes, which force viewers to witness close-up shots of him munching and slurping away at his food. Horror is supposed to make people feel uncomfortable, but these scenes are more grating than effective as freak-out moments. This episode would have benefited if its creators showed more restraint with their storytelling and desire to make viewers feel icky. 

The titular magician doesn't appear in this twisted tale of magic, but let's give the creators credit for coming up with a punchy title. Sadly, the episode itself is formulaic, boring, and one of the low points of "Supernatural" Season 4.

"Criss Angel is a Do**hebag" sees Sam and Dean get caught in the middle of a conflict between old magicians and some young, more rock 'n' roll upstarts who are taking over the scene. When people start showing up dead, the Winchesters must find out who the culprit is. But one thing is for sure — dark magic is involved.

The script is the biggest issue with this one, as evidenced by all of the times people use the word "do**hebag." If the goal was to turn the episode into a drinking game every time someone says it, then it can be chalked up as a success. However, it feels like a filler entry that distracts from the season's more interesting storylines, like Sam and Dean's looming battle with Lucifer.

"Red Sky at Morning" follows Sam and Dean as they hunt a dead sailor who haunts his victims with visions of a ghost ship before they bite the dust. It's a neat idea on paper, but the monster-of-the week storyline plays second fiddle to the brothers' bickering with Bela (Lauren Cohan), who they reluctantly team up with despite their uneasy relationship.

There are several disparate elements at play here, meaning that the episode never fully comes together in a cohesive manner. There's a subplot where Sam fends off an elderly rich woman who has a crush on him, and she doesn't seem to care that her niece was recently killed in the shower by the angry sailor. The central mystery never moves forward with any real momentum, culminating in a climax that feels rushed. What's more, the ghost ship effects look quite hokey, but that's more forgivable than the episode's disjointed storytelling.

If you must make Sam and Dean supporting characters in their own story, the episode better deliver the goods. Unfortunately, "Bitten" relegates the Winchesters to the sidelines for a found footage story that's disorienting to watch due to all of the shaky cam.

The visual style isn't the only issue with "Bitten," though. Like other episodes on this list, it boasts an interesting premise that fails to live up to its potential. The tale of terror centers around three college kids who follow Sam and Dean around with a video camera. Without spoiling the surprises too much, one of them is also a werewolf, and he documents his transformation on camera.

Telling a story from a monster's point of view is interesting, but the kids in "Bitten" feel like the Ghostfacers' B team. Kudos to the creators for experimenting with the found footage format and documenting a unique perspective, but these characters aren't strong enough to substitute for Sam and Dean.

Some filler is to be expected from a show like "Supernatural," and the monster-of-the-week adventures often provide some welcome respite from the season's overarching storyline. "Supernatural" Season 10 features Demon Dean Winchester, who caused torment for Sam in the dramatic episode prior to "Paper Moon." A palette cleanser was needed, but did it have to be a quasi-sequel to "Bitten"?

The end of "Bitten" sees another one of the college students, Kate (Brit Sheridan), turn into a werewolf, but Sam and Dean let her live. They encounter her again while investigating a mystery of the lycanthrope variety in "Paper Moon," but the reunion is boring and feels more like a comedown than a palette cleanser. The only saving grace is seeing Dean deal with his guilt following his demonic exploits in the previous outing, as it shows some interesting character drama.

More than anything, "Paper Moon" is boring. The werewolf storyline explores a non-Winchester sibling rivalry that isn't all that interesting — especially coming off the back of an exciting episode where Demon Dean tried to kill Sam. Overall, it's just a mediocre rehashing of ideas the show explores with more oomph in other installments.

If you've ever perused the internet's creepypasta communities, you'll be familiar with Slender Man. The suit-wearing spook symbolizes the fears of the digital age, and the creators of "Supernatural" put their own spin on the online phenomenon with Season 9's "#thinman" episode. 

This one sees Sam and Dean bump into their old friends the Ghostfacers after a teenager shows up dead. They suspect the mysterious entity known as Thinman is responsible, but the spook turns out to be two regular humans wearing masks. The twist is reminiscent of "Scream," but without the witty pop culture commentary that made the film so successful.

There's a message here about how internet phenomenons have a detrimental effect on impressionable folks. With that in mind, the decision to make the monsters human is understandable, but "#thinman" is all the more unremarkable for it. This is "Supernatural" we're talking about, and human foes aren't as interesting as otherworldly threats.

Eileen Leahy (Shoshannah Stern) is more than a strong hunter on "Supernatural" — she's a legacy, just like Sam and Dean. That makes her special. Heck, Eileen's first meeting with Sam sees her hold him at knife point, so her skills shouldn't be scoffed at. That is until "There's Something About Mary" anyway, where Eileen is given an unceremonious death at the start of the episode. 

To make matters worse, Eileen isn't even given a proper warrior's death. She gets mauled by the Men of Letters' Hellhounds — minor antagonists compared to other creatures in the "Supernatural" universe — while running through the woods. It's an anticlimactic goodbye for a character who deserved a better send-off.

Granted, Eileen is resurrected (and dies again) at a later date, but her comeback would have had more impact if "There's Something About Mary" tried to make viewers care about her demise. The Men of Letters are some of the best villains on "Supernatural," but Eileen could have put up a better fight against one guy and his Hell pooch. Meanwhile, the rest of the episode focuses on Sam and Dean trying to save their mother from the baddies, with Eileen's death being treated as throwaway.

"Halt and Catch Fire" wants to warn viewers about the dangers of technology, which is all good and well. The problem, though, is that it fails to address these concerns in an interesting way. The story follows Sam and Dean as they hunt a vengeful spirit that's offing college students through Wi-Fi and their electronic devices, but it isn't as fun as it sounds.

"Supernatural" can be a great show for subverting horror tropes and putting a fresh spin on concepts we've seen before. However, "Halt and Catch Fire" is essentially an "I Know What You Did Last Summer"-style teen slasher with an electronic twist. It isn't a bad idea in theory, but the students are lazy caricatures of the types of characters you find in teen horror fare, only this group is more annoying because they open their conversations with the word "hashtag."

Besides that, the episode's tech-wary message is so overwrought that it almost feels like a parody, even though it isn't supposed to be. There's even a joke about how Dean doesn't know how to poke on Facebook, which is probably the highlight of the whole episode.

Eric Kripke cites this Season 1 episode as one of the series' low points, so you know it's bad when the show's creator disowns it. Kripke noted that the episode was conceived at a time when he and the other writers were experimenting to see what worked. "Hook Man" just so happened to be one of their more regrettable ideas, so we can almost look past that as Season 1 boasts more hits than misses.

In this one, Sam and Dean face off against a hook-handed preacher ghost who's out to kill fornicators and sinners — but is he acting on his own accord? The episode is a lazy rehash of '80s slasher movie tropes, which were notorious for punishing characters who engaged in so-called sinful behavior. That said, slasher movies can be pretty scary, whereas "Hook Man" is a pedestrian effort that lacks suspense and thrills. A shame, really, as "Supernatural" has many episodes that induce frights and shivers.

The creators of "Supernatural" probably had good intentions with Season 1's "Route 666," but the road to Hell is paved with those. The episode attempts to shine a light on the horrors of racism, but its execution is lacking and then some. The episode sees Sam and Dean out to stop a possessed truck that only targets people of color, with the brothers later discovering that the spirit causing the mayhem is a vile racist.

Telling a story about race-related issues isn't an inherently bad idea. Plenty of great horror tales have used the supernatural to comment on real-world atrocities. Unfortunately, "Route 666" is a misfire that fails to highlight the significance of racism, and the end result is a misguided episode that's more silly than enlightening. If the show's creators removed the surface-level social commentary and just made it a basic story about a killer truck, "Route 666" might have been fun.

It also doesn't help that the villainous truck here is kinda basic. If you're going to make an episode with a killer vehicle, at least get one that comes across as formidable and imposing. 

"Supernatural" strays into inappropriate territory from time to time, which brings us to "Man's Best Friend with Benefits." In this one, Sam and Dean visit James (Christian Campbell), an old friend who's been dreaming of murders that are actually happening. James is also a witch, and he's involved in an interspecies romance with a shapeshifting dog named Portia (Mishael Morgan).

Of course, there's some nuance to the story. Portia is human whenever she and James get it on, so the episode doesn't fully lean into what its title implies. However, there's also an uncomfortable racial element, as James is a white guy who takes ownership of Portia — a woman of color. Portia refers to herself as his belonging, which sums up the dynamic of their relationship.

"Man's Best Friend with Benefits" has been accused of being racist by some "Supernatural" fans, and the interspecies romance is uncomfortable in its own right. Still, it's far from the only "Supernatural" episode to feature a messed up love story.

Becky Rosen (Emily Perkins) represents the more extreme side of fandom. She runs an online forum dedicated to the Winchester siblings, and she crushes hard on Sam. However, her romantic feelings for the younger Winchester sibling turn all kinds of toxic in "Season 7, Time for a Wedding!" Becky is determined to make Sam love her, so she drugs him with an elixir and forces him to marry her. In one scene, Sam finds himself tied to a bed against his will, echoing the horrors of Stephen King's "Misery."

We don't need to spell out how uncomfortable this storyline is. Sam is a participant in a debauched love story where he loses his ability to consent. Turning Becky into a predator also ruins a character who once brought a fun satirical element to the show. She didn't have to turn into a seedy creep for the creators to make their point about the obsessive nature of some fans.

It isn't uncommon for people to suffer while creating art. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki found this out the hard way while making "Bugs." The actors got stung by bees while filming the Season 1 episode, only for the insects to be edited out in post-production. Their suffering wasn't needed, and that's why "Bugs" is one of Padalecki and Ackles' least favorite "Supernatural episodes."

"Bugs" also squanders an interesting premise — Sam and Dean vs. deadly insects — with cheesy digital effects and outdated stereotypes relating to Native American curses. The episode wasn't a complete bust, though, as it taught the "Supernatural" creators a valuable lesson on what not to do moving forward. This led to them writing their monsters as actual characters to avoid relying on special effects.

What's more, "Bugs" was the subject of a hilarious fourth-wall-breaking joke in Season 11's "Don't Call Me Shurley," when Chuck, aka God (Rob Benedict), blasts the episode's poor writing. "Bugs" sucks, but at least everyone can laugh about how bad it is.

"Supernatural" was a big hit for The CW, so we can't fault the creators for wanting to milk its franchise potential. Unfortunately, "Bloodlines" — a backdoor pilot for a proposed spin-off set in Chicago — was the wrong way to go about getting one off the ground.

The episode sees Sam and Dean team up with Ennis Ross (Lucien Laviscount) to hunt monsters in the Windy City. These aren't your regular monsters, though, as their factions are Mafia-style groups that specialize in organized crime. That premise is awesome on paper, but Sam and Dean are relegated to the sidelines, and Ennis isn't interesting enough to carry a full episode, let alone an entire spin-off. 

Elsewhere, Melissa Roxburgh plays Violet Duval, despite portraying a totally different character two seasons prior in the "Time After Time" episode. At least give fans enough time to forget about an actor's previous outing before bringing them back into the fold without an explanation.

"Bloodlines" is so detached from the rest of the series that it feels alien. "Supernatural" is full of experimentation, but it's rooted in Americana adventures and gritty horror-drama. "Bloodlines," meanwhile, is a metropolitan soap opera that feels more reminiscent of "The Originals" and other CW dramas. There's nothing wrong with those shows, but they aren't "Supernatural."