Jensen Ackles declared that he is already prepared to return for future Supernatural projects, should the opportunity arise. The popular and long-running paranormal action series was in the middle of airing its 15th and final season when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, delaying production and putting the season on pause. Supernatural is set to return on October 8th.

Fans will surely be sad to see the beloved series end. Supernatural’s extended run has raised the story’s stakes to near-absurd levels over the years, with the show’s climax looking to pit the Winchester brothers against God himself. It’s difficult to imagine where the show could go after that final showdown, so in some ways, it may be best that the series is at least temporarily laid to rest. But like so many characters who’ve died throughout the show, it certainly seems possible that Supernatural itself may be resurrected from the dead one day, as many popular fantasy and sci-fi franchises have been before.

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In a recent interview on the podcast Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum, Ackles said that he doesn’t expect this final season to be the actual end for Supernatural and that he would be interested in returning to the series in some capacity later down the line. Due to the show’s immense popularity and dedicated fan following, it’s easy to believe that season 15 won’t be, as Ackles puts it, “the long goodbye” for Supernatural. You can read his full quote below.

“The ship has already sailed on this being the last season. Jared’s already got another show lined up, and I’ve got a few stokers in the fire. So we’re gonna knock this out and try to do it justice. I’ve always thought that there’s a possibility of, you know five years down the road, getting the call saying “Hey let’s do a little short order action for a streaming network” and bringing it back for six episodes…and I do feel like this isn’t the long goodbye right now. I feel like this is, let’s hang this in the closet for now, and we’ll dust her off down the road a bit.”

Provided that Sam and Dean survive their final showdown with the almighty (and honestly, given previous plotlines, even if they don’t), there are several ways the brothers could return to the screen in later installments. A future rebooted miniseries structure along the lines of what Ackles mentions undoubtedly seems like a strong possibility, and independent film follow-ups to popular shows like Psych offer some other blueprints for how Ackles and costar Jared Padalecki could return to the world of the Winchesters.

No matter how badly some fans may want to see the stories of Supernatural continue, the series conclusion is an excellent opportunity to celebrate everything the show has accomplished in its 15-year run. Supernatural has firmly established itself in the sci-fi/fantasy hall of fame, standing tall alongside monoliths of the genre like Doctor Who and The X-Files. The series has been incredibly influential throughout a rapidly-changing era of television, and it will certainly be exciting to see what lies in store for the franchise’s future. If Ackles is onboard, it should at least be a fun ride.

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Source: Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum