Jared Padalecki, who played Sam Winchester for 15 seasons, has revealed a great vision for how Supernatural could mount a season 16. In fact, Padalecki's idea for a Supernatural return might be the only real way for a revival of the hit series to succeed. Created by Eric Kripke, Supernatural aired on The CW (and its forerunner) from 2005 to 2020. Over the course of its 15-year run, the show churned out an impressive 327 episodes — but fans of the long-running series still think there are more stories to tell. Padalecki isn't necessarily opposed either.

The actor's Sam was the focal point of the series alongside Jensen Ackles' Dean Winchester. As the title suggests, the Winchester brothers spent 15 seasons hunting demons, ghosts, creatures, and all other sorts of supernatural entities. Although the Supernatural series finale gave the Winchester brothers endings that were pretty definitive, a revival isn't completely out of the question. In the show's finale, Sam and Dean work on one of their father's '80s cold cases. A hard-fought battle with vampires results in Dean's tragic death, though Dean finds peace in the afterlife — and, later, reunites with Sam in Heaven.

A Shorter Supernatural Season 16 Is The Only Way A Revival Would Work

Supernatural Could Easily Return With Its Original Cast

A limited run is really the only way for a Supernatural season 16 to happen successfully. While some beloved TV series have reinvented themselves for multiple seasons — Sex and the City spinoff And Just Like That or Netflix's Fuller House come to mind — the results are incredibly mixed. More often than not, limited-run revivals work best for fan-favorite series. Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, a sequel to the hit series Gilmore Girls, is a prime example of how a miniseries can give fans a satisfying dose of nostalgia without overstaying its welcome.

...there's no denying that the show wrapped things up in a way that doesn't leave too much room for speculation.

Although it sounds strange to say it, Supernatural should take a page out of Gilmore Girls' book. To the dismay of Dean Winchester fans, the Supernatural series finale was an incredibly heart-rending conclusion, but there's no denying that the show wrapped things up in a way that doesn't leave too much room for speculation. In addition to fixing The CW's spinoff mistakes, Supernatural season 16 can provide viewers with a less emotionally devastating ending to the Winchester brothers' story, all while maintaining the canonical flash-forward that caps off the season 15 finale.

Jared Padalecki's Supernatural Condition Is The Same As Jensen Ackles'

While on a podcast, Jared Padalecki admitted that he's dying to return to the world of Supernatural via a spinoff, revival or reboot — but the Sam Winchester actor also revealed his hard-and-fast stipulation regarding a revival. Padalecki is more than game to reprise his role, but he doesn't want to commit to another multi-season run. Not only is he disinterested in another 15-year-long stint, but he's unwilling to stick to it for even a third of that time. Instead, Padalecki wants a Gilmore Girls-style revival — a limited series with four episodes.

...the miniseries format changes the Supernatural formula just enough.

"I’m certain I’ll put the flannel on again and play Sam Winchester," Padalecki added, recalling how he and Jensen Ackles had wanted a five-year break before revisiting the Winchester brothers. Even Jensen Ackles thinks a Supernatural revival along the lines of what his co-star suggested is a genius idea. Previously, the actor, who also produced the short-lived Supernatural prequel The Winchesters, noted that a limited run or miniseries is the optimal way to revive the show. If the Winchester brothers reunite (somehow) for one more case, the miniseries format changes the Supernatural formula just enough.

Supernatural's Revival Is A Matter Of "When," Not "If"

Reboots Of Fan-Favorite TV Series Are Pretty Much Guaranteed

Since Jensen Ackles' Dean narrated The Winchesters and, now, Jared Padalecki has reaffirmed his interest in returning to the world of Supernatural, a revival seems pretty much guaranteed. Usually, the biggest hurdle to revisiting a beloved TV series is that those who were involved in the original aren't keen on returning. Having cleared that obstacle, Supernatural's future seems pretty bright, making the revival a matter of "when" not "if." With 2025 marking half a decade off-air — and the end of the break Padalecki says he and Ackles needed — Supernatural season 16's premiere may be closer than ever.

As of July 2024, all 15 seasons of Supernatural are streaming on Netflix.