On Thursday November 19, the Winchester brothers will finally be able to lay their weary heads to rest after saving people and hunting things for a record-breaking 15 seasons on The CW’s Supernatural. Entertainment Weekly reports that the monster hunting saga “goes down as the longest-running genre show in the history of American broadcast television.” In preparation for the show’s finale, the cast and crew have spent Thursday offering up their own emotional farewells on social media.
Without hinting at any spoilers for Supernatural’s die-hard fanbase, co-showrunner Robert Singer (Supernatural, Cujo) told Entertainment Weekly that the finale will tell “a personal story really about the boys.” The boys Singer refers to are the brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, played by Jared Padalecki (Supernatural, Gilmore Girls) and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural, My Bloody Valentine). The pair have likewise shared their thoughts on the finale with Entertainment Weekly, Padalecki saying that “the series finale is my favorite episode of all-time.”
“Carry On” is the title of Supernatural’s finale, an homage to Kansas’ song “Carry On My Wayward Son”, which the show has used in every season finale for the past 15 years. An abiding love for classic rock is a staple of the Winchester brother’s dynamic and Kansas themselves took to Twitter to honor the boys on Thursday.
Kansas acknowledged the origin of “Carry On My Wayward Son’s” use in Supernatural, as showrunner Eric Kripke (Supernatural, The Boys) owned a clandestine jukebox in high school. “One of the songs on [the jukebox] was ‘Carry on Wayward Son’ and I played it all the time through high school” Kripke told Entertainment Weekly. Contributing to the social media farewells, Kripke released snippet of his early development notes for the series with fans on Twitter. In the notes, Kripke shares a vision for the show: “it’s Star Wars or Lord of the Rings, in truckstop America” (Twitter).
Kripke’s vision came to life in Supernatural, and as the Winchester’s trekked across the country they met a whole cast of characters, many of whom issued their own heartfelt goodbyes to the series on social media.
Felicia Day (The Guild, Mystery Science Theater 3000) and Osric Chau (Dirk Gently’s Wholistic Detective Agency, 2012) both appeared in the series as studious allies with a fondness for the Winchesters. On Instagram, Day posted screenshot of her character, Charlie Bradbury, throwing the boys a sassy Vulcan salute after first encountering them in season seven. However, Day’s farewell was far more heartfelt than that of her character, saying “I can’t believe something as monumental as Supernatural is ending tonight. I can’t tell you how blessed I feel for this role, this show, this family. It truly changed my life” (Instagram). Chau likewise took to Instagram, posting a collage of his character, Kevin Tran, who gained some first-hand knowledge of the dangers and pitfalls that come from working closely with the Winchesters during his stint on Supernatural.
It was more than just the Winchester’s allies who wanted to say farewell to the long-running series. Mark Sheppard (Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica), who played the demon Crowley, gave a simple thank you to Kripke on Twitter. The actress behind Crowley’s witch mother Rowena, Ruth Connell (Supernatural), followed suit with short-but-sweet Tweet that thanked the show for changing her life.
Kim Rhodes (Supernatural, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) is another actress whose life was changed by Supernatural, as she helmed the show’s short-lived spin-off series Wayward Sisters. Reflecting on all the series has been able to accomplish in it’s 15-years on-air, Rhodes remarked “an ending does not end what has been made” (Twitter). Sheriff Jody Mills, the character portrayed by Rhodes in both Supernatural and Wayward Sisters, fulfilled a slightly maternal role for the Winchester brothers, whose hunt for the supernatural began after their mother’s death as kids.
Avenging Mary Winchester’s death served as an underlying story arc upon the show’s humble beginnings in 2005, just before The WB became The CW. Samantha Smith (Supernatural, Transformers), who played the Winchester matriarch, reflected back on her role in those early days of the show, saying “I’m damn grateful to have been included on the ride” (Twitter).
While many talented actors sprinkled the Winchester’s cross-country adventures with flavor, some stuck with the brothers for more substantial legs of their trip. The angel Castiel, portrayed by Misha Collins (Supernatural, Girl, Interrupted), has been riding alongside the Winchesters the longest of any character. Collins quickly became a fan-favorite upon his season four introduction and has since played a role in the series more times than any other performer, aside from Ackles and Padalecki. After Thursday’s final, Collins posted a picture of himself crying blaming his co-stars on Instagram.
After riding off the set in the series’ iconic 1967 Chevy Impala, Ackles and Padalecki have their sights set on the future. Padalecki will continue his run at The CW, starring in Walker, a reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger. Genevieve Padalecki, wife of the Supernatural actor, will join her husband on Walker, as she once did on Supernatural. While Ackles may not be continuing at The CW, he is continuing with Supernatural creator Kripke by joining the season three cast of Amazon’s The Boys.