We here at The Game of Nerds have always been lovers of the show Supernatural. Its undeniable popularity and long-time run on the air has made it into one of the most iconic television programs not only in the 2000s, but in the 2010s. Ghosts, ghouls, vampires, werewolves, angles, apocolypses—you name anything that goes bump in the night, and the Winchester brothers have definitely faced it. 

This year, Supernatural is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the premiere of its first episode. “Pilot” was first broadcast on The WB (a network that became a successor of the CW) on September 13th, 2005. All those years ago, there was no way one could know that Supernatural would become one of television’s longest running on-air shows. And, in the case of a show in the category “American live-action fantasy series”, Supernatural is considered the longest running show. With 327 episodes aired between 2005 and 2020, Supernatural surely made some impressive TV leaps and bounds that gained so many fans along the way. 

Twenty years later, we’re still here celebrating brothers Sam and Dean. Played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, these two best friends in real life have portrayed characters that we still see referenced today. Let’s revisit that first initial episode, and talk about what has made Supernatural just so memorable.

“DAD’S ON A HUNTING TRIP . . .”

“Two brothers witness their mother’s paranormal death and are trained to fight by their father, who aims to hunt down the thing that killed his wife” (“Pilot” episode description as written on Netflix).

It’s this iconic line that you always hear when Supernatural is loading up on Netflix. It all goes back to two baby-faced brothers, a dastardly demon with a vendetta, and a father who seriously did not know how to raise two kids on his own. Some say that John Winchester did his best with his sons, Dean and Sam, but mostly he just worked on his own revenge plot. John’s goal? To find the demon who killed his wife, and the mother of his children, Mary Winchester. Her fiery death is really what started it all.

Attending Stanford University, younger brother Sam is accomplishing his goals by leaving the family business, and the family. Let’s be clear; by ‘family business’, we’re not talking about a company or a real business, or even a run-down shop in the middle of nowhere. The ‘family business’ really refers to hunting and killing all of the paranormal things that are supposed to be a secret to the human world. After the death of his wife, John Winchester has taken it upon himself to learn all about the hidden creatures in our world that have their own mystic food chain. The hunted became the hunter, you see. This is the legacy he passes on to his sons—grueling, unforgiving, and thankless work.

As a pre-law student, Sam is on track to find that apple-pie life he’s been craving since childhood. Living with his girlfriend Jess and applying to law schools, he’s just a few strokes away from leaving his demons in the past. Things change when his older brother Dean appears one night, breaking into his apartment and asking for help one more time before Sam leaves the hunting life for good. Dean needs help finding their father, John, who has disappeared mysteriously. Here it comes, “Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.”

Sam begrudgingly agrees to go with Dean to follow the trail, but only on the condition that they make it back in time for Sam’s law school interview. Right . . . I’m sure he’s going to make it.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

Sam gets reeled back into the hunting life when his unfortunate past decides to cash in. Jess is killed in the same fashion as the Winchester’s mother—burned up right on the ceiling. Life comes crashing down, hard. It all snowballs into a journey and turns Sam into the person he really despises—his Dad. Now that every Winchester is on a personal revenge story, Supernatural really gets its groove going. Sorry, Jess.

Over the years of the show, us lucky fans have gotten to see what really makes those brothers so special. Their lifestyle, their co-dependence, the wordless emotions; it all adds up into a never ending story. We face new characters along the way, bringing Misha Collins into the cast as the Angel Castiel, another integral part of the show. The wonderful thing about Supernatural (whether you’re watching for the first time or the millionth) is that the structure of the story itself is eternal. There will always be a new baddie to face, or a character to save, or an item to protect. Supernatural goes meta too, giving us some of the funniest episodes and parodies that make fun of the fans, themselves, and the characters. The show wasn’t afraid to poke fun at itself and it’s dramatics, which only adds to the comical level of the writing and the actors.

After a twenty-year long run on the air, Supernatural definitely made it’s mark in history as a loved show that we still continue to watch, enjoy, and laugh at.

Supernatural has got an episode for everyone. This year, celebrate twenty by rewatching the first episode that introduces us to some of TV’s most iconic fantasy players—Sam and Dean Winchester.

Supernatural is currently available for streaming on Netflix.