“The nice thing about running for 15 years is something that gets scrapped in Season 4 looks great in Season 11,” Andrew Dabb, who served as showrunner for Supernatural‘s final seasons, admitted.
When we spoke with him for TV Guide Magazine’s Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special issue to find out what the original series finale looked like (before the ending had to be changed due to COVID delays and protocols), we also asked about his thoughts on a revival (here) and what Wayward Sisters could have been (here). We also had to ask about any scrapped storylines from over the years.
“It would’ve been really nice to see Sam [Jared Padalecki] and Dean [Jensen Ackles] age into more mentorship roles,” Dabb said before sharing, “One story line we always talked about, which we never did was basically Sam and Dean go public. They’re like, ‘Look, we’re putting out a PSA. Monsters are real. If you see something, something shows up in your town, it’s a monster. We can’t be everywhere. We’re just going to get the word out there.’”
They never went there because, according to the showrunner, “It would’ve kind of blown up the show in a very odd way. But that was always something I was like, ‘They probably should do that, you know what I mean? Just share some information, share it around.’ But again, a little logistically difficult for the show.”
If they had done it, it would’ve been in a finale to set up the following season with, “Suddenly, Sam and Dean are known worldwide, which, again, I think sounds interesting in theory, but I actually think would’ve destroyed the show,” Dabb said. “It would not have been any good, which is one of the reasons we didn’t do it.”
He also revealed that there had been talks about bringing back the Antichrist (Gattlin Griffith) “in a different way,” but that didn’t pan out, nor did his hope to do more internationally. “This is a show about America and Americana. It doesn’t really fit the show,” he explained. “We tried it with the British Men of Letters, maybe not our most successful if we’re just being honest, but I would’ve liked to go even further.”
Would you have liked to have seen any of these ideas come to fruition onscreen? Let us know in the comments section below.
For a deep dive into 20 years of Supernatural, from behind-the-scenes scoop to exclusive cast interviews, photos, and fan stories, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special issue, available on newsstands and for order online at Supernatural.TVGM2025.com.