Why Supernatural's Creator Quit The Hit Show After Just 5 Seasons

"Supernatural" — the dark-fantasy behemoth starring Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as brothers Sam and Dean Winchester — ran for a whopping 15 seasons between 2005 and 2020, ending its run with 327 episodes. What a lot of people forget, though, is that a majority of those seasons clocked in at about 22 to 23 episodes each, which was a common length for primetime shows in the not-so-distant past. For "Supernatural" creator Eric Kripke, those lengthy seasons became a tall order — which is why he bowed out after Season 5.

Starting with Season 6, Kripke passed the torch to writer and co-executive producer Sera Gamble, who took over as showrunner. During a Q&A hosted by Gamble on her official YouTube channel (via Entertainment Weekly), Kripke opened up about how the lengthy season grind simply took its toll. "People don't quite understand what 22 episodes are like," Kripke admitted. "When people really connect to the show, if they understood the absolute f***ing chaos that was happening to bring them something that they love, I think they'd be horrified."

While the show was still pleasing fans, Kripke started second-guessing himself behind the scenes. "The creative never suffered through the first four years. And I'm not saying it suffered in Season 5 but for the first time, I felt weirdly sloppier than I was in the past. That scared me," he explained. "My main primary goal in the room [in Season 5] was to get through the break because I had 22 [episodes] to do. Once that became one of my motivations, that really scared me."

Knowing he was running on empty, Kripke told Warner Bros. he wanted out. When the studio made it clear the show must go on, however, he knew he needed to find a worthy successor. "I remember being like, 'Okay, I need someone who loves the show as much as me and will bring new energy to it that I don't have anymore,'" Kripke recalled. "And that person's name was Sera Gamble." The transition went without a hitch. During a joint interview with Collider, Gamble noted, "The show is a well-oiled machine, at this point, so it's like, 'Don't fix what's not broken.' That's my philosophy." 

And Kripke didn't turn his back on the show completely: He stayed on as an executive consultant to offer feedback and keep the narrative guardrails in place. "I'm there, but I'm not running it, which is helping my spine straighten," Kripke joked with the outlet, adding, "I'm really enthusiastic and encouraging of Sera to make it her own and have her own interpretation of it that I think will be invigorating for the fans."

Gamble led the series up to the end of Season 7, and while other showrunners followed, Kripke remained onboard as an executive consultant until the show's emotional swan song in 2020. After "Supernatural," Kripke went on to create hit series like "Revolution" and "Timeless," and, of course, Prime Video's superhero satire smash hit "The Boys."