Rank The Supernatural Seasons – 2013 Edition
Oh yes, I’m going there! It’s deep into Hellatus and turns out we haven’t done this exercise in a few years. 2009 as a matter of fact. Back then we only had four seasons! Now there are eight to choose from, making it that much harder.
I think you see where this is going. Just like we did in 2009, I’m ranking the “Supernatural” seasons from best to worst (imho), which turns out was kind of impossible. Okay, not number one and number eight, but the in between was a bit challenging. I even give reasons. After all, this sort of ranking requires some explanation and defense.
Alice’s Supernatural Season Ranking
#1 (Best) – Season Four
Why? From a mere writing, plotting, acting, and production standpoint, it is the “Supernatural” crown jewel. All cylinders were firing in this season and what a thrill ride it was! So many great episodes in this season. It was suspenseful, scary, funny as hell, dramatic, shocking, and put both brothers on their own very dark yet separate paths that created plenty of strife. Even the worst of the season wasn’t bad. The introduction of angels changed everything, especially our beloved trench-coated one, as well as a meek writer/prophet that offered his own hysterical yet important for later twists. It hasn’t been the same show since.
#2 – Season Two
Why? The best season in the series for storytelling. Again, there wasn’t a horrible episode in the bunch. The only reason it’s behind season four is it wasn’t quite as epic as that season. Otherwise, it’s close!
#3 – Season Five
Why? It wasn’t a flawless season (I’m looking at you “Hammer of The Gods”), but in terms of it’s sheer epic impact, it’s undeniably important. You just don’t get bigger than the apocalypse, even if it was the backwoods apocalypse most of the time. It was Eric Kripke’s last hurrah for “Supernatural” as its showrunner, and his loss has clearly been felt ever since then.
#4 – Season Three
Why? This season gets graded on a curve in it’s totality because it lost six episodes due to the writer’s strike, but you can’t deny, there are some amazing episodes in season three. Some of the series best. “Bad Day at Black Rock,” “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” “Mystery Spot,” “Jus In Bello,” and “No Rest For The Wicked.” The show even had the balls to actually kill one of its main leads and send him to Hell! It happened with plenty of tears though, making a fan girl woozy.
#5 – Season Six
Why? This suffers the same problem as season three. It’s an uneven season, but unlike season three, there were no excuses like a writer’s strike here. Still there are some amazing episodes in this season. “The French Mistake” and “Frontierland” alone are conversation pieces that will be brought up for years.
#6 – Season Eight
Why? This season required patience, but once it all came together, it was amazing. The hugs and feels alone! The Men of Letters Bunker! Still, I look at a lot of season eight’s episodes and have no real desire to re-watch. The plotting was very inconsistent from writer to writer and just plain sloppy at times. Perhaps my attitude will change in a few years, just like season six did for me (I hated that season at first). But for now, the ranking is lower.
#7 – Season One
Why? Season one didn’t stink by any means, and so many fans are nostalgic for this season because of it’s simplicity and mere focus on the brothers. But long running shows have to evolve, and considering all that happened since season one, this season seems pretty crude compared to the others. I still spend time while re-watching season one debunking the low budget production aspects, the slow plots, as well as the crudity of Sam’s hair. This is a very typical problem for season one in all shows though and they usually get better over time when given the chance. “Supernatural” is no exception.
#8 – Season Seven
Why? I really think this was the only bad season of “Supernatural.” It got off to a very strong start, and then fizzled by episode three into a bunch of mismatched B movie plots, atrocious plotting, and baffling (and so not funny) character arcs. They killed off half the beloved cast meaninglessly, benched the Impala for no good reason, made Sam insane and then took it away with one fix, but yet it still delivered a couple of gems in between all that. There’s “Slash Fiction,” “The Girl With The Dungeon and Dragons Tattoo,” and…yeah, that’s all I got.
Personal Favorite – Season Three
I have a sentimental soft spot for season three. That’s the season I found “Supernatural” and that’s the one that got me to start blogging about the show. The episodes are often on my re-watch list, even small ones like “Bedtime Stories” and the memorable “Ghostfacers.” “Mystery Spot” remains my favorite episode to date, but this kills me every single time…
Okay, your turn! What are your choices from best to worst? There’s no right or wrong answer, just your honest to goodness opinion. As a bonus though, I have a wildcard answer. Tell your personal favorite season too. If you want, even share your reasons why. It’s certainly not required, but it would be fun!
Alice Jester is the founder, editor-in-chief, head writer, programmer, web designer, site administrator, marketer, and moderator for The Winchester Family Business. She is a 30 year IT applications and database expert with a penchant for creative and freelance writing in her spare (ha!!) time. That’s on top of being a wife, mother of two active kids, and four loving (aka needy) pets.
This is a great idea. I am rewatching the series in my annual Hellatus rewatch and I have been trying to rank them from the best to the worst. Lets see…
[b]1. Season Five[/b] – So many twists. Epic. Smashing ending.
[b]2. Season Three[/b] – My heart loves this season. The boys are so real and raw. Feels!
[b]3. Season Four[/b] – Some of the best written episodes of the series. Jared really came into his own.
[b]4. Season Two[/b] – Just sucks you in and leaves you in love with this show
[b]5. Season Eight[/b] – Men of Letters. Love. And hugs. I love me some Winchester hugs.
[b]6. Season One[/b] – Saving people, hunting things, the family business!
[b]7. Season Six[/b] – Jared and Jensen playing Sam and Dean playing Jared and Jensen playing Sam and Dean. Only our show 😀
[b]8. Season Seven[/b] – Um, you did say the worst right? Well, this is the one.
[b]1. Season 5:[/b] The culmination of five years of love and planning and it showed. Things knit together perfectly, redemption was earned, characters evolved, lessons were learned, relationships were good and the ending was bittersweet but apt. It was marginally not as tense as season 4, but the season was none the lesser because of it. There were no wasted episodes; they all tied in to the story in some way. It probably shades my top spot because it’s the first season I saw in real time.
[b]2.Season 2:[/b] The shades of grey are given human form in the shape of a lanky brother which was thrilling and thought provoking. John and YED’s discussion “You know the truth, right? About Sammy? And the other children?†“Yeah. I’ve known for a while†was heart-stopping stuff. The confusion and fear of the Winchesters was palpable as they struggled with the change in what they once held true. The secondary characters (Gordon, Ava, Victor, Evan, Madison etc) were fully fleshed out. It had [i]Tall Tales[/i], which was awesome. And [i]Houses of the Holy[/i], which is one of my all time favourites. The poignancy of the brother who prayed to the angels daily being rejected by them and the brother who didn’t believe in them being saved by them is tragic.
[b]3. Season 4:[/b] Probably the best season (with season 6 running a very close second) for asking us hard questions ie how far would you go in order to do what you believe is right? Despite their similarities in actions, the situation between Sam and Dean came to a head and tension could not have been higher. Given that debates about this season, what was said and done during it etc are still ongoing, that has to be the sign of a damn good season!
[b]4. Season 3:[/b] The memorable episodes far the unforgettable A much hardened, just back from the dead Sam who is so desperate in his need to save Dean that he is almost scary, and a Dean who seems rudderless in the face of the changes in his brother and his impending hell all make for a very appealing season. Though I always wonder how the season would have panned out were it not for the strike.
[b]5. Season 6:[/b] One of the ballsiest seasons. Bringing Sam back from hell soulless was innovative, unexpected and a huge risk, but for me it really paid off. Some epic discussions in terms of what constitutes a soul etc were had. The season slowed down a little after that as the Eve character was pretty tepid. It also had a really great finale with the ‘Holy crap, did Castiel really do that?’ element to it.
[b]6. Season 1:[/b] Not a poor season by any means but is kind of overshadowed by the meatier seasons that followed it. Looking back, its innocence and enthusiasm had a real appeal. Probably had more standalone scary episodes than the rest of the seasons combined. And we got introduced to John so that’s all good!
[b]7. Season 7:[/b] I feel the biggest mistake of S7 was not making Castiel the big bad. I think there would have been more emotional investment in the season if he had been. Instead the Leviathans were introduced and they were pretty bog standard. The Sam hallucinations storyline deserved more respect that it got. It had [i]The Mentalists[/i] which is, for me, the worst episode of the series. It introduced Charlie Bradbury, who I am absolutely allergic to. Though it did have [i]Plucky Pennywhistles Magical Menagerie, Death’s Door and Repo Man[/i], which I loved.
[b]8. Season 8:[/b] My least favourite season by a country mile. The finale of season 7 left us with huge potential and, for me, it was wasted. Purgatory was wasted, normal was wasted. Sam and Dean were made to look like idiots ‘Let’s hunt for revenge because hunting for revenge has never gone wrong before’ ‘Wait, let’s close the gates of hell and then be surprised that it was a double edged sword, cos the Purgatory tablets didn’t show us that’ ‘Let’s jump into the trials without even having the sense to have the freaking tablets fully translated’. A season permeated with zero resolution, characters who were crucified (and not in the good way), contrived conflict (much of which had already been resolved in past seasons), flip-flopping around with the characters, character regression, and poorly thought out, illogical, ill-explained, repetitious and blatantly plagiarised storylines. Not even the extreme number of hugs could save this season for me because, depending on the context, a hug can trap a person as much as it can free a person. Sorry. On the plus side, things can only get better (right??). Its saving graces were Sam’s spiel to Dean about not being clean in 8.21, [i]Everybody Hates Hitler[/i] and Prometheus (an absolutely fine looking young fella!)
For me it’s like this:
Best season: It’s a Tie between Three and Five.
Personal Favourite: Season Two.
My happy place is in: Season One.
Very good but with the occasional weak episode (imo): Season Four.
Absolute worst: Season Eight. [I’m sorry but I can’t warm up to it and there’s no place for it in my personal canon, I’d happily renounce the Men of Letters plot if that can mean it never existed. Plus for me, the story of Sam and Dean should always take place On the Road (see what I did there? 😉 ]
Above Season Eight but Below 1-5: Seasons Six and Seven.
Actually come to think of it I prefer Season Seven to Six. It had some kickass monsters and a baddie whom we all love to hate, plus the Hallucifer bits were awesome; also !Ambiguous Cas going through his own crisis, the Bobby story…all in all everyone was trapped in their own personal hell….as opposed to the actual hell on earth they’ve been to and had to fight during previous seasons – and it posed some interesting questions as to which is the more powerful.
Alternately:
season 1 is season fun;
season 2 is season true;
season 3 is season WHEE!
season 4 is season MORE! (as in, we want more)
season 5 is season THRIVE (as in, the show not only survives but thrives – it’s reached its highest point of quality)
[i don’t have a personal rhyme for 6 or 7 :p)
season 8 is season h8.
(I know, I know, for some it’s season gr8 :d)
Other than Season 7, I don’t think any seasons were bad and even Season 7 had a few very strong episodes. So, from best to worst
[b]Season 4[/b] – wow….
[b]Season 5 [/b] – or Season 4 part 2, a fitting continuation of S4 and a great end to the Kripke reign, A couple of weak episodes but it doesn’t get any bigger than Lucifer and the apocalypse.
[b]Season 2[/b] – the show and the actors really started to hit their respective strides – a great season for telling stories.
[b]Season 6[/b] – this season had it’s weak moments but I really enjoyed Soulless Sam.
[b]Season 8[/b] – JC did a great job of breathing life back in to a show that was running on fumes at the end of Season 7. A lot of great potential storylines now.
[b]Season 1 [/b]- again, not a bad season – some great MOTW episodes but the actors didn’t start coming in to their own until S2 and beyond.
[b]Season 3[/b] – not a bad season by any means – hurt by writers strike; would have been interesting to see what would have happened without the strike.
[b]Season 7 [/b]- the show went off the rails but, even then, there were some strong episodes (Plucky’s, Slash Fiction, Death’s Door, etc.)
Hmmmm…for a series that is just soooo good most of the time, this is so difficult. Up thru season 6′ I thought each was better than the last, then came 7 so I had to reorder. But season 8 delivered again but still can’t match 6.
1-season 6
2-season 5
3-season 4
4-season 8
5-season 3
6-season 7
7-season 2
8-season 1
Still, all-in-all, 8 great years.
Gosh this is hard! The first 5 seasons were incredible.
1. Season 5. Just loved it.
2. Season 2. Starting some awesome stuff, and the 2 part finale. I was shocked they actually let one of the leads die! (yea, not for long, but still!)
3. Season 4. Strife for the sake of plot, not just drama!
4. Season 3. Dean! *whimper* They did it again! Sent a lead to hell!
5. Season 1. I miss the simplicity of the MotW plots.
6. Season 6. Loved SoullessSam and that whole concept. Wish they’d done more with it.
7. Season 7. First few episodes were really strong, and then… blah. (And the trenchcoat love was… icky 😀 )
8. Season 8. I tried to start a rewatch yesterday, and got 15 minutes into 8.01. It’s not growing on me! Underdeveloped storylines, shoddy writing, canon trashing, VERY disappointing. The last few episodes were great, but not enough to redeem the season, imho.
I agree season four was the best. It had the most things that really made me think, epic themes, it was awesome which I felt continued into season five. I liked Pamela too.
For me the least favorite is seven, the phrase I kept thinking was soylent green, ugh. I just didn’t like the monsters, not that you do but you know what I mean.
And I didn’t like how they dealt with Cas AT ALL. And Bobby nuff said. Of course there was Charlie so some good!
Season eight was better, but I don’t get why everyone loves Benny, he was so meh to me. On the oother hand I have a lot of love for Crowley so that was fun!
This was a fun article:)
The seasons in order of quality are (for me) something like
4
5
2
6
1
3
7
8
But in order of which ones are my favorite:
2 – has the best interactions between the brothers
6 – lots of different interesting storylines that don’t drag on too long and some absolutely amazing off-the-wall ideas. And a big twist that I didn’t see coming (with Sam). Don’t often get that in a show, you can usually guess.
1 – well if you didn’t get past season 1 you wouldn’t be likely to watch the rest. And low budget doesn’t bother me because often it means they put the effort into the storyline instead of the special effects. ‘Faith’ or ‘Transformers’ (to pick a loud action movie at random) … which one would you watch more than once?
3 – some of the absolute best stand-alone episodes
4&5 – when you really want to watch the mythology in action (and depress the hell out of yourself)
7 – lost its way in the middle, got it back by the end
8 – started off as a different show, took way too long to get back(ish). I need to see what Season 8.2 (as I have heard Season 9 described) will bring.
Okay, I am completely off from everyone else since more about what I liked and disliked, rather than a critique of the mechanics of the show, but here goes:
1 – season 1: Hooked me from the first episode, set up the backstory, made us care, showed great relationship between the brothers. The season I watch the most.
2 – season 5: the Apocalypse, amazing character development, the last episode – need I say more?
3 – season 3: Trying to save Dean – having him go to Hell at end – amazing character development for both brothers
4 – season 2: Started with John selling soul for Dean, ended with Dean selling soul for Sam (and killing Azazel), strong episodes throughout, and great character development for the brothers
5 – season 4: Big amazing myth arcs with the angels, Castiel, some great episodes, but #5 since there were several I could have done without too (Family Remains, Criss Angel, Sex and Violence, The Rapture)
6 – season 8: Scenes of Dean in Purgatory, character development for the brothers in second half of season, great new myth arc with Men of Letters and family story
7 – season 6: loved second half of season, and while not crazy about soulless Sam episodes first time around, appreciated them in context of whole season
8 – season 7: a few great episodes and the 2 leads knocked it out of the park like always, but having both characters essentially depressed for most of the season was – well – depressing
For me:
S2
S4
S3
S1
S5
S6
S7
S8
Every season after S5 has gotten progressively worse. S6 was not good. S7 was the season of support characters. I didn’t think it was possibly, but S8 was flat-out boring. The weakness in the quality of writing really, really hurt the show. Thank heavens the acting and the production aspect remained top-quality.
1. Season 5 will always be my favorite. It’s when I found SPN and discovered the greatest show, EVER!
2. Season 1 (In the beginning…how can you not love S1)
3. Season 2 (Impossible not to love S2! and the beginning of the end of the growth of Sam’s hair)
4. Season 8 (second half of S8 – OUTSTANDING! – first half…pretty good – except for a few issues, but I’m over them)
5. Season 3 (Has the worst season opener in the series so far, but still a great if shortened season)
6. Season 6 (only major complaint is that the Soul-less Sam storyline should have ended about 2 episodes sooner to allow more room for the second half story arc of Mother of All)
7. Season 4 (Dark Side Sam – yikes!)
8. Season 7 (like others, I don’t hate any season, and S7 had quite a few wonderful episodes, but there was a something missing between the boys that got it ranked last. 🙂 )
Love all the seasons really…but had to rank them some way. There’s always something not to like about any TV show, but I do love being invested in a show that continues to MAKE me watch it.
1 Season 2
2 Season 1
3 Season 3
4 Season 6
5 Season 5
6 Season 8
7 Season 7
8 Season 4
Yes I do prefer those earlier seasons 🙂 the writing was better for me , the feel of the show more tighter realistic and less gimicky .
Of the recent season 6 was the one I did enjoy the most mainly because of Soulless Sam who although the full potential there was not explored was a none the less a interesting concept.
Personal favourite would be Season 2 just over season 1 they were episodes I would rewatch over again and still do and also Season 2 brought Andy and I really loved Andy.
It hurts me to dis Supernatural in any way, but if I had to put the seasons in order from best to worst it would be:
Season 5- Very bad-ass season! You really hold on for the ride along with the characters, love that!
Season 3-The brother’s relationship is so heartfelt and how much they care for one another really shows.
Season 1-The brother’s bonding in this season always brings a smile to my face. Seeing what the show is today, of course the first season has some dull moments, but this is where everything began.
Season 4-Castiel was introduced! Led into season 5, what more could you want?
Season 2-Had some great episodes, just doesn’t add up to some of the other seasons.
Season 8-Laughed, cried, repeated process more than once. Excited about all of the doors that were opened this season. Although, I couldn’t stand Sam at the beginning. Made me extremely angry.
Season 6-Cas refusing to listen to Dean was beyond annoying. Frontierland, The French Mistake, and the finale were all great episodes, but I don’t know I just can’t come to love Season 6 at the moment.
Season 7-No impala, Cas was gone for more than half of the season, Bobby dies, the horrible wedding episode, and so much anger and depression. Of course, this season had moments, but I just can’t get over the whole “Season 7 time for a wedding” episode. Can’t stand Becky therefor can’t stand the episode. Really puts a dent in the season for me.
Personal Favorite- Has to be Season 3. So many good yet heartbreaking episodes. The season finale always hurts to watch, but Dean’s look to Sam when the clock strikes 12 gets me every time.
Hi Alice!
Great idea and I love reading everyone’s lists!
Here’s mine.
1. Season 2
Has been my favorite right from the start. I just love it, every bit of it, every episode. No weak spot for me. Maybe it influences that this was the season that hooked me (AHBLp1) but it’s still my fave. I love the brothers here, I love the mytharc, the standalones, the guest characters who I felt for and didn’t feel like they upstaged the boys in a bad way. Some of the best episodes ever, come from this season.
2. Season 1
What can I say, I really love season 1. It is the creepy and sad season yet heartfelt and emotionally gripping, with some John who I also love deeply. Also it has great guest characters and great stories. Yes, it did have some clunky eppies but I still love even the bad ones, they had good moments in them.
3. Season 4
What a way to start a season! Wow. A fantastic ride but it’s a little too achy for me. This is the season where the unraveling of Sam and Dean began and I’m not sure it’s been fixed yet. So a bitter sweet kinda thing for me, this season. But I can’t deny that it is brilliant and magnificent. Superb episodes and beyond phenomenal acting.
4. Season 3
I really really love season 3. The first glimpses of DarkSam (be still my heart) and amazing stories and NinjaDean that broke me all the way to the end where he got broken 🙁 Sad, sad season and again fantastic episodes galore!
5. Season 5
I’m starting to sound like a broken record but I really, really love season 5 aswell 😀 Compared to the seasons prior though, this one just seemed to halt the action at times, the pacing was really wonky, even I noticed it even though I’m not usually that savvy with that kind of stuff. If I enjoy something, I’m not that prone to pick it apart and analyze why (and vice versa). But, clunky pacing aside, WOW, again, for the magnificent episodes. And Swan Song was just a perfect finish to Kripke’s Vision.
6. Season 6
Season 6 I did not like on the first viewing and this was the season that I stopped rewatching most of the episodes (when prior I used to rewatch like a mad woman). At the time it left me feeling disjointed and unattached. I liked the whole Noir-feel but I felt overwhelmed by the different plots and red herrings. 6.01 was the first premiere that really I was dissapointed with (I even love Magnificent Seven!). All that being said, I gave the season some time, hoping that distance would help me embrace it more. Last year, they aired the season here for the first time and I caught up with it from the start and I really started to like it too. Now I consider it a really good one and there are a lot of really grand episodes in there too!
7. Season 7
Ah. Season 7, Time For A….Meh. Yeah. That’s all I got. The Season of Wasted Opportunities for me. And it started so strong and then just… whimpered out. Sure there were a few great episodes but overall it was just a big snoozefest. The Leviathan were the most boring villaint ever, I would’ve loved if they’d had the balls to make Cas the Big Bad but yep, another wasted opportunity that I shall not linger on. I’m trying to do the same thing here as in season 6, waiting for it to air here so I’ll see if I like it better with some time between us… Let’s hope it’ll work.
8. Season 8
Oh dear. What can I say, I’m not liking this one all that much. I have to admit that it had more suspense and story and idea than the previous one, but I still can’t make an emotional connection with it. The brother’s arch just feels so contrived, from the get-go. The story doesn’t feel organic to me, and some of the storylines should have been fleshed out waaaaaay better. I’m not putting all the blame on TPTB, I know my own view of Show and it’s characters are coloring my own judgement, but jeez, it’s all I have and I can’t help the way that I feel in my heart of hearts! When you start toying around with the heart of the show and it’s core, you better damn well take your time with it and make it work. Sadly, it didn’t work for me. So, yeah, season 8 is a bust for me.
My personal favorite is… Boy, this is a tough one. I rewatch the most seasons 1, 2 and 3, so, I’ll say it’s one/all of those, depending on what day you ask me 🙂
Thanks Alice, this was fun!
Such fun!
Essentially, I second everything Tim wrote – for me, a great summary (including Prometheus being a high point of S8!!). Probably enjoyed S7 more than most folks, though, but because SPN is so [i]consistently[/i] good it can’t really get above 7 in my personal list…
I first have to say I’m giddy writing this because I have not made a post since the end of Season 8. It’s been a long, cool summer, and it’s so good to log back in and see familiar names, as I get more and more excited for Season 9 (9!?!).
Season 1-5, it’s true, are as a whole spectacular. I will always find a silver lining and defend the show (sorry “..Benefits†haters, aka everyone), but yep, Season 6-8 have not been as fully great as 1-5. I feel Season 8 overall was a huge improvement over 6 and 7. Alice herself noted in the “Then†of the Season 8 final, so much had happened in Season 8. I’m hoping Alice’s comments will ring true with her and others, that attitudes will change about S8. I feel across the board the quality was much higher than 6 and 7. I would suggest no real good new character (save Charlie) was introduced in 6 or 7, and 8 brought us lots. The Winchester world was filled again. It was not perfect, but put next to 6 and 7, it sure looked perfect. But I digress, I have found calm in this long, cool summer, and understand we all have our favorites. I comment mostly on 6-8 for the reason I feel very protective of S8 from the S8 H8ers.
1-Season 2. I feel like the show was on fire from the end of Season 1 into Season 2 kept it going. S2 the show not only hit its stride, but laid on the gas.
2-Season 5. If I was an actor, I would watch Jared as Lucifer in “The End.†At this point in the series, I was amazed how Lucifer and other Angels were characters, and it felt real and acceptable. I was interested to see how Jared would handle Sam as Lucifer, and is my second favorite performance ever, only replaced in Season 8 by Jared’s work in “The Great Escapist.†To this day I’m waiting for someone to find an Army guy in the back seat, and hear the rattling noise when the heat is on in the Impala.
3-Season 4. Pretty much perfection, but I fell head over heels in love with SPN in Season 2, and Season 5 ending was so epic, it snuck ahead of Season 4 in my rankings.
4-Season 8. We got Benny. We got Cas. We got badass Crowley back. We got great “broments.†Men of Letters. Kevin. Charlie twice. Mrs. Tran. Naomi. We got Bobby. We got Abaddon. We even got to catch up with Sarah Blake, and Ben from “Wendingo.†We got the first meeting of Sam and Benny. We got Dean praying to Cas. We got Cas to comment “your father had beautiful penmanship.†We got Purgatory. We got Metatron. WE GOT THE IMPALA. We got necromancers. “Hunteri Heroici” We got the performance of the series from Jared in “The Great Escapist.†And it all wrapped up in the stunning “Sacrifice” and a sequence I’ve watched countless time as the Angles fall to earth. There were ups and downs in some of the episodes, but 8 years in, the FUN was back. The Winchester world was full again, and damn, they have a HOME. The scene ending “Everybody Hates Hitler” is why television is made. Why anyone hates on Season 8, more than 6 or 7, I just won’t understand, but will accept.
5- Season 1. I loved Season 1. I love how I thought this show would be 2 brothers looking for their father, until the final episode of the series. I love how that was not the case! The series really picked up and was on full blast in the end. There is nothing like the first time. When catching the show on TNT, is there anything more jolting than catching (now) the end of S7, and one minute later the pilot starts? What is ahead for those boys…..I get teary every time I see the pilot.
6- Season 3. I very much like Season 3, I just enjoyed the above more 🙂
7-Season 6. I do agree Season 6 grows on you (me). I really loved Soulless Sam and Jared’s performance. I loved “Weekend At Bobby’s.†“The Man Who Would Be King†gives me goose bumps just typing the title. But I remember how confused (and bored?) I was after the first 3 episodes. I thought the “Mother†was mental NyQuil (Mother should have been mama Winchester the whole time!). And the Campbell’s even bored the Mother! I agree this was not a “bad†season, but something was off about it. I can respect it like I respect Buffy Season 6, but the fun was missing most of the time.
8- Season 7. Other than the first 2 episodes, Charlie, and a somewhat decent wrap up, it was painful to find the silver lining in most episodes and overall story. I’m surprised they didn’t kill off Sam and/or Dean in S7, with the bloodbath of favorite characters. NOTE: I thought “Death’s Door†was brilliant in every way, except Bobby died. Had Bobby LIVED and we didn’t get the ghost story (and his re-death), that could have been great. Bobby’s backstory was powerful stuff, Jim Beaver was perfection, but Bobby died. My S7 Silver Lining: “The Mentalists†was and underrated, vintage MOTW,and “Adventures in Babysitting†was also very good. Actually, the next episodes through “Repo Man†were decent. But overall it was mostly a mess for me. And worse,the fun was gone.
1. Season 1
It’s hard for me to pick 1, as I keep 1 to 3 are my favourite seasons and have a hard time differentiating.
Loved Dean and Sam in season 1. Loved the smartass badass fun loving protective Dean! Loved Sammy with the hair in his eyes (my favourite for Sam hair). Loved their search for dad and loved them teaming up with John. Best kickass shocking cliffhanger EVER! 😮
2. Season 2
Loved this season as well. Not 1 bad episode, IMO. Dean in a bad way and guilt ridden for his father’s sacrifice. Sam trying to get him to talk about it. The arrival of the Trickster. (love him). Dean finally nailing Azazel and dad moving on from hell. (we hope).
3. Season 3.
So sorry this was cut short by the strike and we missed out on 6 episodes. Otherwise a great continuation of the first two seasons. This is the last season completed by Kim Manners, whose directing was simply awesome! He got to do 1 or 2 in season 4 but passed away much too soon. RIP Kim!
And unbelievably, Dean went to hell!! My first actual hiatus and it was unbearably long. It hurt so very bad to see him calling for Sam at the end. 😥
4. Season 6.
I was upset at first thinking Sam was beyond saving with his cold cold attitude. When I found out he had been brought back without his soul, my opinion changed and now I really enjoy his soulless episodes, except for “Unforgiven” which was just an ugly remembrance of a horrible deed he had done. Make that deeds!
Loved “Clap Your Hands”, and even “Live Free or Twi Hard” even though it finished Lisa and Ben for Dean. Loved Lisa and Ben. She was so kind to Dean and understood what he was going through. He should have told her about being turned and cured, but no, he’d rather suffer himself than bring evil down on his loved ones. (and it did, anyway)
And then there was “The French Mistake”! The funniest episode ever! (love Ben Edlund)
5. Season 8.
Love that the brothers seem to be back together and caring about each other again. Seemed to take a long time for that to happen after season 4. The batcave is a beautiful set and I hope we see more of it in season 9.
Loved Benny and hope he returns as an ally and Charlie is fun. Purgatory was great and would have liked more of it with Dean, Benny and Cas.
6. Season 5.
This was a relief after season 4, but all was not well between the brothers with Dean feeling betrayed and Sam feeling he was not being an equal partner and still the baby brother.
The trickster was back (yay) in Changing Channels, a great episode, but got killed by Luci in “Hammer of the Gods. Really really want him back!
Sam jumping into hell and Dean suffering his loss was so very heartbreaking.
7. Season 4.
After the euphoria of “Lazarus Rising” with Dean crawling out of his grave, a wonderful reunion with Bobby, then with Sam, who immediately began lying to him and sneaking out on the first night he is back! Was so disappointed in the schism between the brothers. Hated Sam drinking blood! Sam not seeming to care much while Dean suffered with PTSD and began drinking too much. Then came the “Boo hoo” speech and I almost hated Sam then!
There were some great episodes “On the Head of a Pin” in which Jensen should have had an Emmy! and “It’s a Terrible Life” in which the brothers were once more united in spite of not realizing they were brothers in fact! Also, the sneaky nasty Zachariah was a great villain!
The best part of season 4 was when Dean skewered Ruby and twisted the knife while Sam held her. I hollered out loud “Yahoo!” and scared my dog.
I just can’t understand why this is everybody else’s favourite season. 😕
8. Season 7.
Well, I guess most everyone agrees with me that this is the least enjoyable.
This is the season they killed Bobby! An atrocious error on the part of Sera Gamble. What was she thinking???
The actor who played Dick Roman was excellent, but the Leviathans were not my cup of tea. Too very corporate like.
Loved Garth, liked Kevin, it was good to see Rufus again even in that awful “Death’s Door”. Not awful in the production sense but in the concept.
Loved Frank, but then — they killed him off!! Geez! Invent great characters just to kill them off? Yuck!
Hope he’s not dead but just in one of his hidey holes.
This is so long I must be boring everybody, so bye bye! and long live “Supernatural”. 😛
1. Season 1.
2. Season 2.
3. Season 3.
I really can’t rank seasons 1,2 and 3 separately. I love them all desperately. Love the brotherly relationship in these earlier seasons, love the angst and the tears, love John (oh how I miss John), love the search for Dad arc in S1, love the Psychic Kids storyline, love Ava, Andy, Victor, Madison, Gordon. The music was awesome – Ramblin’ Man, Back In Black, Laugh, I Nearly Died, Renegade, Silent Lucidity, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door to name just a few. LOVED Sammy’s hair in S1 and early S2 – definitely my favourite Sammy hair. 😆
4. S6. Mainly for Soulless!Sam and Jared’s portrayal of Soulless!Sam.
5. Season 4. I’m not a big fan of both S4 and S5. I’ve never really liked the angels and the angel storylines plus S4 was a pretty brutal time to be a Sam fan. The acting was fabulous though, every episode added something more to the storyline, no episode was wasted and the writing was largely excellent. I love IKWYDLS and WTLB.
6. Season 5.
7. Season 7. It was hard to choose between this and S8 as to which would get bottom spot. I really disliked what they did (or rather what they didn’t do) with Sam’s hallucinations/wall storyline in S7 after such a brilliant start in 7.01 and 7.02, the quick fix was a massive disappointment and it introduced Krissy and Charlie, two characters I don’t particularly enjoy watching but, even so, there are more episodes in S7 that I would re-watch compared to in S8. This may change though. S8 is currently showing on British telly so I’m in the process of re-watching (and, maybe, reassessing) that season.
8. Season 8. Loved Sacrifice. Loved the hugs. Loved Sam’s speech in The Great Escapist. Loved Kevin. Loved Sam’s hair. But sadly, I wasn’t a fan of much else in this season.
My absolute favourite though is S3. It has some of my most loved episodes – Mystery Spot, AVSNC, No Rest For The Wicked and Fresh Blood. It’s positively dripping with angst. Such a wonderful season. Although I’ll always wonder what might have been had the writers’ strike not happened.
1. Season 2 (the writers – just running down the list you get Kripke, Gamble, Shiban, Tucker, Edlund – WOW.
2. Season 3 – Now add Carver to the list.
3. Season 1 – I saw “Nightmare” this morning – so good.
4. Seasons 7 and 8
5. Seasons 4 and 5 (I don’t like the angels and despise Castiel. I’m sure that affects my preferences)
6. Season 6 (I only re-watch episodes without soul-less Sam/Lisa/Ben).
Personal Favorite is Season 3. It was the first one I watched (recording it from TNT before I could get my hands on the DVDs and had marathon weekends to catch up with Season 5). Two of my top 5, Mystery Spot and AVSNC are Season 3
I think seasons 1-5 were better than the last three, but that season 8 was superior to seasons 6 & 7. That said, I just love the show and think there have been wonderful episodes in every season. I can’t wait for season 9.
1. Season 4 – almost flawless season where both the season arc and the stand-alone episodes were brilliant. Even Kripke said that something just clicked in this season… and I agree.
2. Season 2 – The mystery about Sam and the other children, along with John’s message to Dean, setup this season to be completely enthralling… and the show had hit its strides by then.
3. Season 5 – Finishing off what season 4 had begun with very few weak episodes. Heartbreaking ending though 😥
4. Season 1 – Sentimental favourite, as I watched from the beginning and fell in love with two boys.
5. Season 3 – Some of the most brilliant stand-alone episodes that I’ve watched over and over again.
6. Season 8 – Jeremy Carver has injected new life into the show with the MoL legacy, bringing back the rock music, and improving the relationship between the brothers (by the end of the season). I loved it.
7. Season 6 – Loved the boldness of Soulless Sam, and this season had the best episode of Supernatural (IMHO)- The French Mistake – and other great stand-alone episodes.
8. Season 7 – I enjoyed the season when I watched it but it’s not one I feel compelled to watch over and over again (like I do with many episodes of Supernatural). It just felt a bit flat overall – with losing so many beloved characters (including the impala).
😀
When I saw this on the home page, I decided to do my ranking before I read it in case I got influenced(yes, I can be weak sometimes, dammit!). Heh, turns out, Alice, our top 3 are the same!
I didn’t want to be too thinky when I did this, so I just went with gut feel. It’ll probably be different by tomorrow! Well, except for the top 3. Those are pretty well stuck.
So here goes:
First three, no problem:
Season 4- it was painful, oh so very painful watching the brothers drift apart and Sam with Ruby and the demon blood, but I still think it was the most intense well plotted season of the show.
Season 5- I know there were people who had issues with this season as a whole, but I really enjoyed it, and I adore Swan Song.
Season 2- this was the first full season I watched live, and also the first I got on DVD, way back when no one in my country even knew what the hell Supernatural was. It’s probably the one I’ve re-watched the most, has the first episode that ever made me cry (AHBL 1) and my all-time favourite episode(BUABS).
This is where it got a little tricky, but:
Season 8- I didn’t have the same problems a lot of people had with the beginning of the season, and by the end, found I enjoyed it quite a bit overall. The Purgatory scenes were awesome, we got some great visuals, I liked the introduction of the MOL and the Batcave, thought the tablet mission was a pretty decent arc for the season and really, really, really loved the way Sammy and Dean found their way back to each other. Oh and Sacrifice. I haven’t reacted so viscerally to a finale since Swan Song.
Season 3- I like season 3, and thought they did a really great job of pulling it all together even with the writer’s strike. They made some pretty memorable episodes this season, too
Season 1- Devil’s Trap was the first episode of SPN I ever watched, so I ended up catching the whole of this season on DVD. Things were simpler then, you know, since all they did was hunt Wendigo’s, but I liked a lot of the episodes and you could really see the moment SPN had the potential to be something great with episodes like Home and Faith. I also think this was probably one of the best seasons for music.
These ones where a little easier(Sorry Sera Gamble!)
Season 6- I liked a lot of the episodes as stand-alones, but I thought that while the ideas were good, they might have bitten off more than they could chew, and for that reason felt that they didn’t manage to pull it all together in the best way they could’ve by the end, and that kind of put a damper on the season as a whole for me.
Season 7- There’s no surprise here really. I was really excited by the end of HCW, but then it went downhill. My love for the show was still all the way there, but I got very few actual fangirlish feels from it.
The first four won’t be too difficult, but I will have a problem with the rest. Okay, let’s go.
Season four – It had so many great episodes, great storylines, and of course the introduction of Castiel. Thanks for the great picture of that by the way.
Season three – Even though we got cheated out of a few episodes because of the strike, it has some major gems: “Supernatural Christmas”, “Mystery Spot”, “Ghostfacers” and so forth and so on, and oh yeah there is the little matter of Dean dying! 😥 Couldn’t believe the writers actually went there.
Season two – The mytharc is not quite there yet, but is just beginning, and it’s thrilling. “In My Time of Dying” has to be one of THE best episodes of any television show EVER! “Nightshifter”, “Houses of the Holy”, “Born Under A Bad Sign”, and I could just go on.
Season one – Just because it has an innocence to it that I go back to when I’m feeling despondent over all the nasty that is happening to my beautiful boys.
Season five – Just for “Swan Song” alone, I love this season, and in terms of perfection it should go above season one, but I just can’t do it.
Season six – I really liked SoullesSam, and my favourite ep from that season is “Appointment in Samarra”, one of Sera Gamble’s best IMHO.
Season eight – For the hugs alone it should rank higher! 😉 But I agree with you Alice, there were a few episodes from this season I will not even bother watching when I get my DVD’s. But this season gives me faith for season nine.
Season seven – “Time For A Wedding”, nuff said. Although I will be eternally grateful for Robbie Thompson introducing us to Charlie Bradbury.
Ouf, I actually survived. 😀
Season 2: It’s my top spot because it’s where I felt the show really hit its stride. You were really getting to the layers of the brothers, and the depth of their relationship, the storytelling was really taking off, and I felt the pacing was great. I even loved the washed out, de-saturation of color from the first two seasons. I felt it gave the show such character. And it had Roadkill, one of my all time favorites. And the guest stars it brought us: Andy, Ava, Victor, Jo and Ellen, Tessa, GABRIEL!!!!, even Gordon. And Azazel. I loved Azazel. Season 1 introduced us, but Season 2 is where he struck me in the heart. I named my cat Azazel. I got a vibe from Season 2 that I’ll never forget. I may never be able to put an actual name to it, but it was similar to that whole, crazy, falling head over heels in love feeling when you enter a new relationship with someone. I just want to crawl into Season 2 and live there.
Season 5: This edges out a bit over Season 4 just for its sheer epic-ness. It was the epic-ness to end all epic-dom. I found it virtually flawless, which probably should put it above Season 2, but I can’t put anything above Season 2.
Season 4: Alice covered this one really well, I agree with everything as far as Pros go. Cons, it’s on trickier ground because it breaks my heart how the boys were separated. It did make for really good story telling though. And acting—WOW!
Season 3: Writing, pacing, production, I thought were really well handled here. It’s a tough season though because Show was determined to rip my heart out and beat me with it.
Season 1: The only reason this isn’t higher is because it takes time for a first season to find its feet. There’s a lot of exposition to get out, and foundations need to be set, mythologies need to be established. Just the nature of the beast I guess. That was one hell of a Pilot though, and I love the monster of the week stories and the search for Dad. It’s a nostalgic season even for me, and I didn’t even join the party until almost three years later.
Seasons 6 and 7 are a tossup for me. Pretty much depends on what mood I’m in at any given point. I feel like they balance each other out, and fit well together like puzzle pieces.
Season 8 is the last in line for right now. Not because I necessarily like it the least, but I haven’t had the same amount of time to “get used to†the episodes as I have all the others, so it doesn’t really feel like canon yet. And at the moment, I’m really looking at “Taxi — Let’s just snag this reaper down around the corner and we’ll make a quick little bee-bop through Purgatory — Driverâ€. It’s going to take me some time.
Season 5 is my favorite for all the reasons mentioned but also because Mark Pellegrino was amazing as Lucifer. I love the way he made us sympathize with him, fear him, and outright despise him. Also Sam as Lucifer in the white suit was genius.
Season 4 comes next. Who can forget Castiel’s entrance?
Season 8 is 3rd for me: Purgatory, Benny, and loved the finale.
Seasons 1, 2, & 3 are equally ranked for me. My daughter and I watched 5 1/2 seasons in the 4-6 weeks before she left for college last summer so we only waited 5 minutes to see Dean get out of hell or season 3 would rank lower for me due to emotional scarring.
Season 6 comes next but my expectations were very high after Season 5.
Season 7 was by far the worst for me for all the reasons already mentioned.
My personal favorite was Season 8 because it was the 1st one I got to watch live. Although my daughter was off to college, it was something we could continue to share.
Season 2
Although I was hooked by season 1, the guys were obviously feeling their way with the characters. In 2, they seemed to have found their characters, and My Time of Dying and the two All Hell Breaks Loose episodes were the best beginning and ends to a season. Anyone who wants to know who the Winchesters are should watch this season.
Season 4
The best balance of Sam narrative and Dean narrative so far, plus among the best Dean-centric (In the Beginning) and Sam-centric (When the Levee Breaks) episodes. Monster at the End of the Story is among the few best episodes of the series. Yellow Fever and Wishful Thinking were great good fun. Consistently superior writing throughout the season. Only drawback was the apocalypse story was so huge it has sort of overwhelmed the boys.
Season 1
Couldn’t believe there would be a series with two working class guys as heroes, a horror story a week, an On The Road take-off, the Impala, and two young actors with great chemistry. Sam’s emerging psychic abilities seemed to be adding an new dimension to the stories as the season went on. Devil’s Trap is still the most surprising finale to a season.
Season 3
Any season with Bad Day, SPN Xmas,Mystery Spot, and ending with No Rest had to be satisfying. It did really miss those 6 or 7 ending episodes when the series usually gets into the meat of the seasonal story. Will always think this might well have been the best season if not cut short.
Season 5
Surprisingly muddled with dropped stories and few memorable episodes. Changing Channels was a welcomed spark of creativity. Swan Song was great! But, as Krepki’s swam song the season was overall a disappointment.
Season 8
Ups (Sacrifice, As Time Goes By/Men of Letters , Dean in purgatory, anything Benny, the trials) and downs (Bitten, Geeks & Freaks, Man’s Best Friend, all of Sam and Amelia). Never knew where this was going until the last few episodes, but in the last episodes it redeemed itself. Hopefully, it was a new show runner finding his way.
Season 6
Soulless Sam was the best role either of the J’s has had for some time and Sammara, French Mistake, and Frontierland kept me watching. The guys as Castiel’s “pets” was off-putting; the Ben/Lisa Dean story was simply boring (not as bad as Sam/Amelia, but close), and made for the worst premier episode of the 8 seasons.
Season 7
Slash Fiction was fun. Beyond that is was tune in to feel sorry for poor depressed Dean and mentally ill Sam– a long pity-party for the Winchesters. Barely hung on this season.
Well, Alice, looks like I’m almost lining up the same as you. Even though I started this show when it started back in 2005, I didn’t get hooked then. It was season 6 when I rediscovered it, found this unexpected passion, and ever since then, for me it was 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 1 – with me sharing your reasons to drop 1 down the list. In my Time of Dying is my #1 ep and that is partly why season 2 ranked on top.
But season 8? From the moment Dean came back from Purgatory and pulled that gun on those campers and that most delicious view of him from the side as he did so and seeing all that macho defensiveness laid out like that (whew! I need to calm down.), it just felt different. In season 8, I feel like I saw so much of what I had wanted to see over the other seasons as far as the characters being open about things. SAW so much I wanted to see, heard so much frank talk. And dang it, I adored Castiel almost instantly and he became my #1 supporting character – and then Benny came along to show I could feel that again even more. Benny! oh man, Benny was just too delightful. Miss him.
I just feel there was so much that literally had me holding my breath in 8 and by halfway through the season – even with that annoying Amelia in tow and despite the door being closed on my beloved Sarah later on – I had declared it season GR8 hands down and #1 with a bullet.
So now? At this very second as I write? 8, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1, 7
However, I am still debating 1 because that’s where I get the most John and I love mysterious John so much. If I had to think about it with John in mind, I’d then go 8, 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Hmm, maybe that SHOULD be the way it goes. After all, I just got done rewatching all the season 1s where John showed up since I wanna go rewatch Dream a Little Dream and needed him fresh in mind first.
You gave the reordering of 3-6 way more thought than I did. In all honesty the first 2 rankings are the easy choices for me. Season 7, while I didn’t hate it, is clearly just the weakest of them all by default so it’s pretty easy to put it in last place. You see I just bumped up season 1. That leaves the rest to pretty much all battle it out for an actual ranking. The 3-6 are just on the same level of awesomeness to me so I guess I’m not really ranking them, just letting them stay in order and making them one big group of #4.
OK, time for me to cop-out…. seasons 4 and 2 are neck and neck for me.. but if I had to pick I guess I’d go with 4 feeling like I had somehow betrayed my beloved season 2. Season 4 WAS more epic and more tightly plotted with an explosive season ending payoff, but I have a soft spot for season 2 and its innocence and angst, when the problems the Winchesters were facing were smaller, not so earth shattering, yet somehow just as immense all the same. Most of my favorite re-watches are from season 2 (Heart, Houses of the Holy, Playthings, Born Under a Bad Sign and Sam’s absolutely shocking and devastating death which set into motion everything that was to follow) Season 2 was the season that hooked me into the show in the first place. Ok, maybe season 2 is my fav after all!
And to further cop-out, seasons 3 and 5 run neck and neck as well….both seasons were a little uneven, but both contained elements that I adore; season 5 was Sam’s much needed redemption and they achieved that so gloriously. Season 3 contains some of my absolute favorite episodes of all time (Mystery Spot, It’s a Supernatural Christmas, Bad Day at Black Rock).
And to continue on with my inability to really establishing any kind of meaningful order to my ranking, I am going to lump seasons, 1, 6 and 8 together. I really liked all of them for various reasons; 1 because we were just getting to know the boys and the show and seeing the seeds of their epic bromance and for the world building which is so important to this show; six for Soulless Sam, I adored SS, he was amazing, I only wish the show had had the guts to keep his soullessness a secret longer and to go with him soulless most of the season. I liked 8 finally when it all came together and episodes like Everyone Hates Hitler, The Great Escapist and Sacrifice are why I watch this show.
Then finally we have poor beleaguered season 7; some of the episodes were so very very good (Death’s Door, Slash Fiction) but the totality of the season did not pay off very well for me, the Leviathan as the season-long big bad lacked menace and a personal connection for our boys and for me as well. Several key arcs were given an unsatisfying quick fix for unknown reasons (Sam’s hellucinations), and the brothers relationship seemed lackluster, and seemed to have had no warmth… it was low on the bromance and for me that’s the biggest reason season 7 gets put last. Don’t be messin’ with the bromance yo’.