Every year I worry about the same thing – will this be the year that no one remembers it’s the anniversary of the premiere of my favorite TV show of all time? Will this be the year that I’m celebrating alone and missing it as much as ever, without the validation of my fellow fans?
Every year it turns out I didn’t have to worry – and this year it feels like I have more company than ever.
Happy 20th anniversary, Supernatural!!
Twenty years ago today, the pilot episode premiered on what was then The WB network.
I didn’t see it live, but I saw it soon after thanks to a good friend who had fallen in love with the new series after seeing it promoted at Comic Con that year. She recorded the episodes on VCR tapes and when we all got together, we’d watch them together, sometimes squeeing over “the boys” and their badass black Impala, sometimes covering our eyes and screaming when it was too scary. It wasn’t long before I fell down the rabbit hole of loving Sam and Dean and Supernatural, and I’ve never looked back.
It’s hard to believe that was two decades ago – the world has changed so much and so have I, but all those years somehow haven’t changed how I feel about the show. In fact, I think I’m more emotional than ever when I rewatch episodes that have become even more beloved for their familiarity, like a worn-soft comfy blanket that keeps me warm emotionally when the world is cold.
I am so grateful that Supernatural has continued to air for so long, from TNT marathons to Hulu to every other platform that has hosted it over the years. I am so grateful that the show’s cast has continued to attend fan conventions all over the world, many of them devoted to Supernatural. How many shows that premiered in 2005 can say that in 2025, twenty years later?? Every time I’m at a convention and Jared Padalecki asks, “who’s first time” and a third of the audience raises their hands, I’m in awe of the staying power of the Little Show That Could.
I remember when we didn’t dare count on even one more season, let alone fifteen. When we were a fandom that was tiny in size but disproportionately large (and loud) in our passion for our Show. I remember sending postcards to the studio, first The WB and then The CW, pleading for more. The first time I was invited to the set, the office was plastered with them, a constant reminder to the hardworking cast and crew of just how much fan support was out there.
That support is still there.
It was obvious when the show aired its finale episode five years ago, so many fans posting to show their gratitude and to share how special the journey has been for so many of us.
It’s obvious at every fan convention, in the cheers of the crowd and the eagerness to ask questions about the show even though it’s been over for five years now.
The fans have followed the talented Supernatural cast on to many other projects, supporting them in all sorts of roles and helping those projects succeed too. At the same time, for many of us, we haven’t moved “on” from the fictional characters who so inspired us. Sure, the relationships may be “parasocial”, but that doesn’t make them trivial – we find meaning and inspiration and a sense of belonging from the fictional worlds we love revisiting.
Supernatural may not be airing, but it is far from forgotten.
This year, that’s especially obvious. TV Insider camped out at a Supernatural convention for two days to see for themselves that the passion for the show is very much alive, publishing a 20th anniversary Supernatural special magazine and releasing priceless videos of Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins reminiscing about the show they too continue to love.
Entertainment Weekly posted their video of Jared, Jensen and Misha today, buying some gorgeous boots in Austin and reminiscing about their time on Supernatural by answering 20 questions for the 20th anniversary (see full video at end)
Also, I mean, LOOK at them!
The “official” Supernatural Instagram and YouTube accounts were quiet for a while, but they’ve been active recently, posting content to help us all reminisce as we celebrate #SPN20. Richard Speight, Jr. and Rob Benedict host the SPNThenAndNow podcast that’s doing a complete rewatch of the show, and there are countless other podcasts and Youtube channels still conjecturing about everything and anything related to Supernatural.
I had a chance to chat with both Jared and Jensen about the 20th anniversary happening today just a week ago, and their mix of incredulity and fondness and gratitude felt similar to my own. It seems impossible that it’s been so long, but at the same time I am SO very grateful that I am in such good company in still loving it.
Supernatural changed my life. I met some of my best friends in this fandom. I’ve traveled places I never would have gone otherwise. I’ve laughed, cried, hugged and been hugged, and been understood in a way that’s rare to find in this world. I’ve written six books on the show, two of them with the Supernatural actors, an experience I cherish.
I just signed a contract to write another, celebrating how much, after 20 years, the show matters.
Thank you, Eric Kripke, for creating such a special story. Thank you, Jared and Jensen and Misha and all the many talented actors, writers, directors and crew who brought that story to life so vividly. And thank you, SPNFamily, for every warm hug, shared adventure, impassioned debate about my favorite topic of conversation, and most of all for still being here celebrating with me, twenty years on.
Here’s to many more! (And perhaps, someday, to more Supernatural)
Happy 20th Anniversary, Supernatural.
With love.
Here’s the video from EW – it will make you laugh, maybe tear up a little, and most of all make you very grateful that they have so many fond memories of Supernatural.
Just like we all do.
-Lynn
You can read the books with chapters from the
Supernatural actors, info at the link below, or
find them at any bookstore or on Amazon to
celebrate 20 years of Supernatural!
Lynn Zubernis, PhD is an expert on all things “Supernatural,” and has published numerous bestselling books on the subject. You can check them out here.