There is much debate among avid Supernatural fans just which season of the show can be considered the very best and the very worse. Most of those who have made it past the initial five seasons will agree that the very first five are likely the best seasons of all, considering they were the only seasons with a consistent story line and were meant to be the only seasons in the show altogether.
The result has led to a mismatch of different story lines that generally only last the duration of most of a single season from season five onward, with mixed results for each consecutive season’s success. That being said, there have been a few good runs here and there, so let’s not completely discount everything beyond season five just yet!
It’s understandable that the dismay from some of the more hardcore Supernatural fan base may scare away newcomers from exploring beyond what was initially planned for Sam and Dean. Not everyone makes it past the first five seasons due to worry that it will all be downhill from there.
It’s a given that not everyone will agree with the numbering on this list but, then again, all too many fans still have no idea that season 10 is currently available on Netflix, let alone what happened in season six onward. To help with the confusion and mete the numbers, here’s a list of all the Supernatural seasons ranked by last to first. Only the first twelve completed seasons, of course. The show is still going relatively strong after 12 full seasons of hunter lifestyle and we’ve still got so much more to look forward to when it comes to crossovers!
1. Season 5
A pivotal time where much goes on and the initial story of the series altogether comes to a head. The fifth season is marked as the end of the first long-term story line where it’s Sam, Dean, their newly acquired angel friend Cas from last season, and others, against the forces of Hell itself in a battle to prevent the apocalypse. All of the previous seasons led up to the events that take place in the fifth season, where we are also introduced to such character gems as Crowley who has stuck with the show nearly consistently from season five onward.
2. Season 4
This is likely one of the most memorable seasons in the show, due to the introduction of fan favorite Castiel and the introduction of the angels overall. Foreshadowing their role to play in the events surrounding the apocalypse, there are plenty of episodes favored by fans held within season 5
3. Season 2
Plenty happens in season 2 to mark it as one of the top three favorites. Sure, season 1 presented us with a ton of backstory and character development for the two main characters, Dean and Sam. What season 2 has that the first season does not, however, is the first real signs of life for what becomes the most memorable story line leading up to the apocalypse.
Season highlights include tipping viewers off to demon deals via John Winchester’s actions, the introduction of “The Trickster” aka. Gabriel the archangel, and things really pick up with the whole Sam dying for the first time. Even though season 1 marks the start of the whole show and the journey of two monster hunting brothers, the second season really kicks off the madness of what has made the show so beloved.
4. Season 1
The first season marks the very start of the wonderful story that so many fans from across the world have been following since its initial pilot release. This is the season where the iconic “Dad’s on a hunting trip and he hasn’t been home in a few days.” was uttered from Dean’s lips and fans got their first taste of what it’s like to live the life of a hunter. This is also the best season to go back and re-watch after finishing up the most recent seasons, in order to compare just how young Jared and Jensen looked and just how little their clothing of choice (flannel) has changed over the years.
5. Season 3
An unlikely (and shaky) alliance is formed between the demon Ruby and the boys, causing the fans to question her true intentions almost all throughout the season. This season was also spent waiting in near dread over the fact that the time for Dean’s life time was nearly up for his demon deal, which led for a heart-wrenching season of Sam counting the days down episode by episode, leading to one of the more dramatic seasons to watch by far.
6. Season 10
The season starts out with the ever-anticipated “Deanmon” – or Jensen Ackles with black eye contacts and crazy angry outbursts. An unfortunate side to this season is just how little air time “Demon Dean” got, since so many fans were under the impression from the marketing for season 10 that it would be a significant amount of time. Instead, fans were given only a couple of the first episodes of the season to really let the idea of the opposite of what Dean has always been sink in before he’s turned back to human.
Still, this was a favorite season for its many dark episodes and occurrences, including killing off a certain beloved computer nerd unexpectedly. It is also when the “removal of the mark” arc happened and the season finale was certainly not something that anyone, especially Death himself, would ever suspect. The King of Hell’s mother was also introduced here too, so there is that.
7. Season 9
With one of the most exciting cliffhangers for a Supernatural season finale ever, the ending of this season promised its fans a truly unique twist with the start of the (albeit short) “Deanmon” story line that carried on over to the very start of season 10. Other things happened here too of great interest, such as introducing the angel Gadreel and following along for the “Mark” story line. Thankfully there was a lot to chew in this season since it’s also the season that includes quite possibly one of the greatest flop episodes in the Supernatural series as a whole; Bloodlines. Enough said.
8. Season 6
This is the season where “Soulless Sam” becomes a thing. “The French Mistake” is considered one of the more clever meta-episodes in all of Supernatural history and the fun that Sam without a soul incites is interesting to watch, since like Demon Dean, Soulless Sam is basically “anti-Sam” or the opposite of how Sam usually is, which is sensitive versus… well, soulless. It’s not a bad continuation, considering this season was following on a completely new idea after the original vision by Kripke had been completed.
9. Season 7
Introducing characters like Kevin Tran and Charlie are some season highlights for season 7. There are plenty of other highlights that mark this season up at number 8, since it’s one of the seasons that seem to really bring Supernatural back to its roots with reminding us of Sam’s ever lingering issues with fighting Lucifer in his head. As for the Leviathans… the esteem for their existence is mixed among fans.
10. Season 8
A good example of a season that can be pulled off pretty well, when both Sam and Dean are given a high stakes story line to work with. This was pretty close to feeling like it was filled with the same amount of danger as the apocalypse story line and was filled with such interesting additions to the plot, such as Sam’s trials and Sam very nearly “curing” Crowley of his evil in order to shut the Gates of Hell. There were some edge-of-your-seat moments in this season, for sure.
11. Season 11
There is a reason why season 12 and 11 land in their respective spots. While season 12 isn’t all at a loss, season 12 does have some things that season 12 does not. Season 11 takes place right after Death is “killed” with his own scythe and The Darkness is released. It’s in this season that we get to witness what it’s like for Misha Collins to do a Lucifer impression when Castiel gets possessed and gets lost on a power trip once again. So much goes on in this season and is jam packed right into the next.
12. Season 12
Continuing on from the erratic and plot filled episodes of the previous season, a lot of this season surrounds the introduced British Men of Letters. The “gift” that was left behind by Amara in the last season finale takes the spot light for much of this season, leading to quite a few tear-filled episodes that include a trio of Winchesters.
