With the news that its prequel series, The Winchesters, has been picked up by the CW, now may be the perfect time to dive back into Supernatural and the story of the Winchester brothers and Team Free Will. Over its fifteen years, the show produced some incredible episodes of TV that are well worth revisiting, many of which have gotten recognition from fans of the series on Ranker.
The passionate fandom has its favorites, and there are a set of episodes that are always in the conversation of the series' best with many of those typical choices heralded by Ranker's users as Supernatural'sbest episodes.
"Changing Channels"
Season 5 Episode 8
Whenever the Trickster pops up in the Kripke-era of Supernatural, fans can be sure that the episode will be excellent, and episodes like "Changing Channels" have gotten heralded as one of the show's best for years.
There may be no show that is as good as Supernatural as meta and meta-humor, and "Changing Channels" may be the pinnacle of that. It has everything from humor to an emotional core in Sam and Dean's choice to be vessels and the reveal of Gabriel, it is a classic, and it is no surprise to see Ranker put it as one of the show's best.
"Abandon All Hope"
Season 5 Episode 10
Supernatural fans need to be built to experience heartbreak which often comes in the form of beloved characters dying. That is what audiences remember most about "Abandon All Hope," the heartbreaking deaths of Ellen and Jo Harvelle.
The episode revolves around Dean, Sam, Jo, Ellen, Cas, and Bobby forming a plan for the former five to hunt Lucifer, and it is awesome. There are brilliant and emotional moments involving all characters, but on top of that, it sees the introduction of one of Supernatural's best characters, Crowley. Lucifer also shines here in what is a well-paced, heartbreaking episode that does a lot for advancing the story of season 5.
"Don't Call Me Shurley"
Season 11 Episode 20
"Don't Call Me Shurley" is one of the most important episodes of Supernatural, answering the long pondered question of where God is, and also revealing him to be a character that fans are familiar with in Chuck, author of the Supernatural novels.
The episode is so much more than that, it is a highly emotional, poignant affair with great performances as Sam and Dean get close to losing hope during one of the Darkness's horrifying fogs taking over a small town. The whole "Fare Thee Well" sequence is brilliantly done, but, of course, the reason the episode will be long remembered is thanks to the reveal, and the quality of the reveal, of Chuck, Supernatural's biggest bad.
"Weekend At Bobby's"
Season 6 Episode 4
There are a few episodes of Supernatural that do not focus on Sam and Dean, instead of focusing on the likes of Castiel in "The Man Who Would Be King" or the much-hated "Bloodlines." The best of those kinds of episodes is unquestionably "Weekend At Bobby's."
The episode takes a look into the work that Bobby puts into helping Sam and Dean while also showcasing his personal life with the likes of Rufus and a romantically-linked neighbor getting involved in the story. It also sees Bobby attempt to get his soul back from Crowley, and every element of the story works well in tandem to give fans one of Bobby's best episodes and a well-deserved, well-written look at his life.
"Yellow Fever"
Season 4 Episode 6
Not all of the best episodes of Supernatural are these poignant emotional pieces, meta commentaries, or story-advancing plots; some are great contained stories with iconic moments, like "Yellow Fever."
With 'Ghost Sickness' going around and Dean catching it, this episode has some of the funniest scenes and moments in the show's run, with fans still finding Dean's scream at the cat and lip-sync performance of "Eye of the Tiger," brilliant to rewatch to this day. Outside of the story and performances, it is that rewatchability combined with the hilarity of the episode are the main reasons fans have deemed it one of the show's best.
"The French Mistake"
Season 6 Episode 15
Supernatural and meta just go together wonderfully. Despite coming after the heralded Kripke-era, "The French Mistake" is seen by many as one of Supernatural's best, smartest, and funniest episodes.
With Sam and Dean transported to a reality where they are actors acting in a show Supernatural, there is a high-risk-high-reward feel to this episode. It very easily could have been cheesy nonsense, but instead, everything worked pretty well. Jared and Jensen were amazing, too, with their acting as Sam and Dean acting as Jared and Jensen standing out as one of the show's most hilarious scenes.
"Mystery Spot"
Season 3 Episode 11
Long before the Trickster revealed himself to be the Archangel Gabriel, he was one of the show's best villains and his best episode as such, in the opinion of Ranker, is "Mystery Spot."
The episode will forever be remembered by fans for its continuous killing of Dean Winchester, who dies in such a diverse range of ways, from being knocked over to being electrocuted, and all of them are hilarious. It is these killings and the slow deterioration of Sam's mental state that has left this episode in the minds of fans, but so too does the surprising emotional ore which comes in Gabriel's lesson to Sam; he has to learn to let go of Dean before he gets sent to hell at the end of the season.
"Two Minutes To Midnight"
Season 5 Episode 21
Death, as in the Horseman, is one of the best recurring Supernatural characters, and his first episode comes in "Two Minutes To Midnight," the penultimate episode of Supernatural's adored fifth season.
The episode terrifically sets the scene for the finale as Pestilence gets dealt with, Dean meets Death, Michael finds his new vessel, and a plan is put in place to stop Lucifer, with Dean agreeing to let Sam jump in the pit. It pairs excellently with "Swan Song," with every character having a narrative purpose and their time to shine as a part of the fight against the Apocolypse. Not hilarious or meta, the episode is just a brilliantly crafted bit of television that builds tension, is full of emotion and action, and explores characters while advancing the season's overall plot.
"Lazarus Rising"
Season 4 Episode 1
Some episodes of Supernatural are great not just because of their overall quality but due to a singular moment of importance. "Lazarus Rising" is a perfect example of such, being an amazing episode that will always be known for introducing Castiel.
Introducing angels and the whole existence of heaven while also realistically bringing Dean back - and having Sam and Bobby react to it - was a hard task that the show pulled off expertly. It also has the show's best character introduction, with Castiel's goosebump-inducing reveal being one of his best moments and one of the series' most iconic scenes, overall.
"Swan Song"
Season 5 Episode 22
If there is one episode that will find its way into just about every Supernatural fan's ranking of top episodes, it is "Swan Song," an episode that many argue should have seen the end of the show.
It is just a flawless part of the Supernatural story. There is so much emotion throughout it and so many incredible moments involving the likes of Sam, Dean, Lucifer, and Castiel. The episode explores character dynamics and the history of Sam and dean, as well as the Impala's importance, and it all helps produce one of the best season finales ever. It is rewatchable, has humor, makes fans cry, and beautifully showcases the core of what Supernatural is; a story about two brothers, of not giving up, of family and free will.