4 ways to watch Supernatural before it leaves Netflix next week

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Let us help you figure out how to stream Supernatural while you still can

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as Dean and Sam Winchester on Supernatural

Nearly 20 years ago, The WB debuted a new horror series, starring a pair of actors known for their other work on the network. While The WB disappeared a year later, consolidating with UPN to create The CW, that show, Supernatural, held on longer than anyone could have expected. And those actors, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, turned their roles as ghost-hunting brothers into the heart of one of the longest-running and best horror series of all time.

What makes Supernatural work so well, even across 15 seasons, was the variety of horror it dabbled in. Sometimes, it’s more of a small slasher, while other stories feature demon-infested battles between good and evil with the fate of the planet on the line. Sometimes the series leaned into horror comedy territory. All of it, though, was deeply rooted in the bond between the brothers Sam (Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Ackles). Their journey to vanquish evil and the bond that grew between them are what kept fans engaged for so long.

Though initially intended as a five-season arc, the show became so much more, embracing elements of practically every subgenre of horror (there’s even an animated episode). If you know the show, I don't have to convince you of its value. If you don't, though, this is your chance.

Supernatural is leaving Netflix on Dec. 17, giving you a little under a week to cram in as much of it as you possibly can. Will you be able to watch all 327 episodes? Probably not, but you should at least try. And if not, the sheer amount of Supernatural that exists for you to watch on Netflix makes for quite a few ways to break the series up into themed mini-binges.

The Kripke Era

The term "mini-binge" is a relative one, but if you want the truest essence of what Supernatural was from its inception, you'll have to buckle up for five straight seasons. The series was created by Eric Kripke (The Boys), who, along with co-showrunner Robert Singer, had a five-year plan in place.

That story began with the reunion of brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles), as they hit the road together searching for their missing, demon-hunting dad. Along the way they do battle against supernatural entities, and while each season had its own story arc, the series also had an overarching narrative that built to the potential coming of the apocalypse in season 5.

The first five seasons tell a complete story, and had the show ended after that, fans would have left satisfiedg. In fact, it was satisfying enough for Kripke that he moved on, leaving TKTK to continue the story without him.

So if you want to watch the story of Supernatural as close as possible to how it was initially intended, set aside some time for the first five seasons, beginning to end. You can stop there knowing full well you got a complete Supernatural experience.

Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester fighting zombies on Supernatural

Admittedly, asking someone to watch five seasons of TV in a week is a lot. Luckily, there are other ways to experience Supernatural, especially if traditional horror stories are something you're interested in. Throughout its run, but especially in its early years, Supernatural adapted a number of urban legends. From Bloody Mary to the wendigo, the series never shied away from the stories we all told each other around a campfire growing up.

So forget about long-term storytelling, let's focus specifically on the episodes inspired by iconic urban legends. (Grabbing a bowl of popcorn and someone to hold onto when you get scared before settling in with the list below is advised.)

For the Urban Legends marathon, queue up:

Season 1, episode 1: "Pilot" (Woman in white)
Season 1, episode 5: "Bloody Mary" (Bloody Mary)
Season 1, episode 7: "Hook Man" (Hook Man)
Season 1, episode 12: "Faith" (Boogieman)
Season 2, episode 1: "Wendigo" (Wendigo)
Season 2, episode 8: "Crossroad Blues" (Cross Road Blues)
Season 2, episode 16: "Roadkill" (Ghostly hitchhiker)
Season 2, episode 18: "Hollywood Babylon" (Haunted movie set)
Season 6, episode 4: "Weekend at Bobby's" (demon seductress)
Season 6, episode 8: "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (Skinwalkers)

Watching 10 episodes of TV is way easier to manage than five seasons, but that’s still a lot of television, especially with so many other things to watch this month. (Are you caught up on Stranger Things?) So if you are short on time and still want that sweet, sweet Supernatural fix before it says goodbye to Netflix, we have another option.

The Wacky Episodes

At some point in its run, the team behind Supernatural realized they really could get away with whatever they wanted, and the more meta they got, the better. Whether that meant sending the main characters to solve a mystery at a convention about themselves, tossing them into an alternate reality where they’re the stars of their own TV show, or even making them animated for an episode, there is nothing that could be considered too weird for Supernatural.

These are the episodes fans lived for over the show's 15-season run. Whether it was teaming up with the Scooby-Doo gang or watching a musical based on the book based on their own lives, the shenanigans the writers managed to get Sam and Dean into, only to hand-wave it away as unexplained, were ludicrous and perfect for Supernatural.

For a marathon of the show's most meta episodes, watch these:

Season 2, episode 18: "Hollywood Babylon"
Season 4, episode 18: "The Monster at the End of This Book"
Season 5, episode 8: "Changing Channels"
Season 6, episode 15: "The French Mistake"
Season 9, episode 5: "The Real Ghostbusters"
Season 9, episode 16: "Meta Fiction"
Season 10, episode 5: "Fan Fiction"
Season 13, episode 16: "Scoobynatural"

All of these episodes dip into the wackier side of Supernatural. Do yourself a favor and spend time with them all, especially "The French Mistake" and "Changing Channels."

If you've gotten this far, chances are you're one of the real ones in the Supernatural fandom. And when you are that plugged into the show, you've seen the Kripke cut, you know the urban legends like the back of your hand, and chances are your viewing count for "The French Mistake" is in double digits by now. Luckily, the last mini-binge is just for you.

The Ghostfacers Cut

That's right, we can't talk about Supernatural without talking about the show within the show, Ghostfacers. Introduced in the first season, the Ghostfacers were a team of very inexperienced ghost hunters making their own reality show. They were ridiculous, they were hilarious, and they never overstayed their welcome. If ever you wished they were featured even more, their faux reality show was released as webisodes.

So, if you're really tight on time, know Supernatural inside and out, and still want to spend a little time with the Winchester boys, these six Ghostfacers episodes are a perfect fit.

Here is every episode featuring the Ghostfacers:

Season 1, episode 17: "Hell House"
Season 3, episode 13: "Ghostfacers"
Season 4, episode 17: "It's a Terrible Life"
Season 5, episode 19: "Hammer of the Gods"
Season 9, episode 15: "Thinman"
Season 14, episode 16: "Don't Go In the Woods"

That's four different ways to mount a Supernatural rewatch without having to dedicate yourself to sitting in front of the TV for 15 straight seasons of a show. So pick your binge of choice above and enjoy the weekend.

And if you really don't have time to catch Supernatural before it leaves Netflix on Dec. 17, don't worry. It'll be on Peacock as of Dec. 22. We can have this entire conversation again when that happens.

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