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Supernatural: How to watch the Winchester family drama in release or chronological order

Want to get started on watching the Supernatural franchise? Here’s how to do it!

Supernatural promo image — Image credit: Warner Brothers Television

Features by Joshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer

Published on Fri Feb 23 2024

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It’s two brothers against a world of demons. Welcome to Supernatural, a television series that blends horror, fantasy, and drama. The series follows Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who travel the world hunting monsters, demons, and other supernatural creatures. The franchise has thrilled fans since its 2005 premiere, and to date it’s the CW’s longest-running scripted show.

If you’re looking to get into Supernatural and its spin-offs, but aren’t sure where to start, Popverse has you covered. This guide will tell you everything you need to know about the series, and how to watch it in order.

Carry on my wayward son….

How to watch Supernatural in release order

The Supernatural franchise is comprised of two live-action television shows, one web series, and an anime series. Supernatural is the main series, which follows Sam and Dean Winchester. Supernatural: The Anime is exactly what it sounds like, an anime version of the original show. Ghostfacers is a web series spin-off focusing on a group of characters introduced in Supernatural. The Winchesters is a prequel series that follows Sam and Dean’s parents.

If you want to watch them in release order, here is how to do it…

Supernatural (15-season television series)
Ghostfacers (1-season web series)
Supernatural: The Anime Series (1-season anime series)
The Winchesters (1-season television series)

How to watch Supernatural in chronological order

If you prefer watching Supernatural in chronological order, here is how to do it.

The Winchesters season 1
Supernatural season 1-5
Ghostfacers season 1 (concurrent with the second half of Supernatural season 5)
Supernatural season 6-15

Alternate timeline

Supernatural: The Anime Series

Supernatural: The Anime Series (also known as Supernatural: The Animation) is a 22-episode anime that retells the first two seasons of the live-action series. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles voiced Sam and Dean in the English dub, although Ackles had to drop out after 2 episodes due to scheduling conflicts. Since the anime is a retelling of the live-action show, it isn’t considered canon.

When does Supernatural season 16 come out?

If you keep checking Netflix to see if Supernatural 16 has been added, I have some bad news for you. Supernatural came to an end in 2020 after wrapping their 15th season. The final season was filled with high stakes, as Sam and Dean faced the almighty God. Behind the scenes, production was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the final episodes were delayed. Despite these setbacks, Supernatural stuck the landing, delivering an emotional season finale.

There are currently no plans for Supernatural season 16, but never say never. During an appearance at the 2023 Creation Honolulu convention, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles expressed interest in continuing the franchise. “There are some conversations regarding that conversation that are being had,” Ackles cryptically said.

Are the Supernatural comics and novels canon?

Supernatural: Origins page — Image credit: DC Comics

HarperEntertainment and Titan Books have released a series of novels based on the Supernatural franchise. The television series never refers to the events of those books, and some continuity contradictions have caused fans to classify them as non-canon. However, there has been no official answer either way. One theory is that the books take place on an alternate world in the Supernatural multiverse. If you want to check them out for yourself, here is their release order.

DC Comics has released a line of Supernatural comics. Supernatural creator Eric Kripke supervised the production of some of these comics, so it’s safe to consider them canon. The comics all serve as prequels to the series, taking place during Sam and Dean’s childhood. If you want to read the Supernatural comics in order, follow this list.

Should I watch Supernatural before The Winchesters?

Which series should you watch first, The Winchesters or Supernatural? It honestly depends on your preference. The Winchesters is a prequel to Supernatural, focusing on Sam and Dean’s parents, John and Mary. If you prefer watching a franchise unfold in chronological order, then you should watch The Winchesters first.

However, The Winchesters wasn’t produced until after Supernatural had wrapped its 15season run. As a result, The Winchesters contains some fun foreshadowing and clever references to the original series. If you watch Supernatural first, then you will have a better understanding and appreciation of these Easter eggs. However, you don’t need to be familiar with Supernatural to enjoy the show. In the end, it all comes down to your own preference.

Where can I watch Supernatural?

If you want to begin your Supernatural journey, you will need a Netflix subscription. All 15 seasons of the CW fantasy drama are available to stream on the platform. The Winchesters is currently available to stream on Max. As of this writing, The Ghostfacers web series isn’t available on any streaming service. The only way to watch them is by purchasing the Supernatural season 5 DVDs/Blu-Rays or searching for fan uploads on YouTube and Vimeo. Supernatural: The Anime Series isn’t part of any streaming libraries, but the episodes can be purchased from video-on-demand platforms such as Vudu, Amazon Prime Video, and Google Play.

Now you have everything you need to begin your Supernatural journey! Hop into Baby, because Sam and Dean are waiting!

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.