Despite running for an incredible 15 seasons, Supernatural was still wildly popular, and almost certainly could have kept going for at least another couple of seasons if the stars had the will to continue. Whatever they end up doing in their careers, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki will all but certainly be known for this show above all others.
And considering how frequently popular TV shows from years gone by get remade, rebooted, or straight up revived, one has to wonder if such a thing will be possible here. Andrew Dabb, the showrunner for the final three seasons of the show, tells TV Insider that in his mind, it’s not even a question of if, simply when. Debb said…
Look, my feeling is, as much as we tried to end it with some degree of closure, I mean, we’re looking at like, X-Files came back, Buffy‘s coming back, you know what I mean? Supernatural 10, 15 years from now, some huge fan that grew up on it will be running Warner Bros, and they might decide to bring it back, and it’s very easy to do it.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is getting a reboot. That’s a show that, while still incredibly popular, seemed incredibly unlikely to return, especially with Sarah Michelle Gellar involved. And yet, it’s happening. If Buffy can come back, it can happen to anybody.
the Supernatural finale left things in a good, though divisive, place, as Andrew Dabb says, there’s nothing in that ending that prevents a new adventure from popping up for Sam and Dean. Besides, when God is a potential character, nothing is off the table. There are still plenty of supernatural monsters, angels, and demons who could be at the center of a new story. Dabb even comes up with an opening scene, seemingly from the top of his head. Dabb suggested…
Sam and Dean wake up and Jack is there, and somebody beat him up, and he’s like, ‘Look, guys, I need your help.’ And then you’re off to the races. [It’s] just a set-up. It’s like, look, God got beat up, who beat up God, Sam and Dean figure it out. But where it goes from there, I have no idea. And by the way, that may be a horrible opening. That’s the other thing: Sometimes ideas are meant to be just ideas.
While there may be better or worse ideas for an opening, a setup like that would certainly be intriguing. The real question of whether or not a revival would work would likely be answered in the scenes that followed, explaining just what was going on.
Dabb is almost certainly correct in his basic assessment, that at some point, in some form, Supernatural will return. Whether the two main stars are part of it or not, and whether bringing it back is even a good idea, will only be determined once somebody decides that it’s time to bring it back. Although, since it’s only been five years since the show wrapped up its run, that day is probably still at least a little ways off.