‘Supernatural’ Boss Details Scrapped Storyline With Sam & Dean Going Public About Monsters
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“The nice thing about running for 15 years is something that gets scrapped in Season 4 looks great in Season 11,” Andrew Dabb, who served as showrunner for Supernatural‘s final seasons, admitted.
When we spoke with him for TV Guide Magazine’s Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special issue to find out what the original series finale looked like (before the ending had to be changed due to COVID delays and protocols), we also asked about his thoughts on a revival (here) and what Wayward Sisters could have been (here). We also had to ask about any scrapped storylines from over the years.
“It would’ve been really nice to see Sam [Jared Padalecki] and Dean [Jensen Ackles] age into more mentorship roles,” Dabb said before sharing, “One story line we always talked about, which we never did was basically Sam and Dean go public. They’re like, ‘Look, we’re putting out a PSA. Monsters are real. If you see something, something shows up in your town, it’s a monster. We can’t be everywhere. We’re just going to get the word out there.'”
They never went there because, according to the showrunner, “It would’ve kind of blown up the show in a very odd way. But that was always something I was like, ‘They probably should do that, you know what I mean? Just share some information, share it around.’ But again, a little logistically difficult for the show.”
If they had done it, it would’ve been in a finale to set up the following season with, “Suddenly, Sam and Dean are known worldwide, which, again, I think sounds interesting in theory, but I actually think would’ve destroyed the show,” Dabb said. “It would not have been any good, which is one of the reasons we didn’t do it.”
He also revealed that there had been talks about bringing back the Antichrist (Gattlin Griffith) “in a different way,” but that didn’t pan out, nor did his hope to do more internationally. “This is a show about America and Americana. It doesn’t really fit the show,” he explained. “We tried it with the British Men of Letters, maybe not our most successful if we’re just being honest, but I would’ve liked to go even further.”
Would you have liked to have seen any of these ideas come to fruition onscreen? Let us know in the comments section below.
For a deep dive into 20 years of Supernatural, from behind-the-scenes scoop to exclusive cast interviews, photos, and fan stories, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Supernatural Afterlife: 20th Anniversary Special issue, available on newsstands and for order online at Supernatural.TVGM2025.com.
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Conversation8 Comments
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At this point Dabb must have something really big on you guys. There is no way the worst showrunner supernatural ever had needs three separate posts with interviews. And to hear the man that decided to make the entire show fake (except for his own run, of course) talk about plots that would have ruined supernatural is ridiculous.
Seriously, Insider. Do better.
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Saying "do better" as if TV Insider needs to cater to your specific tastes is some embarrassingly entitled nonsense.
Dabb was not "the worst showrunner" because your opinion is not a fact. You just don't personally like him. And you don't have to! But acting like somebody Clockwork Oranged your eyes open and forced you to read this interview is absurd. Not to mention your claim that he made the entire show fake except for his run, which is... literally not something that happened. Touch grass, bud.
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I don’t know how you decided this is up for debate but let me reassure you, it’s not. If you want to boost Dabb go make your own post. I stand by everything I said. He is the worst showrunner not just that supernatural ever had, but in general. There’s a reason his career ended immediately after SPN with his Resident Evil epic failure. Cope. But not on my post. Go make your own.
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“This would ruin the show” said the man with two failed spinoffs and a Trump/Lucifer lovechild that removed the core of the show from Sam and Dean to itself.
There has to be someone better for y’all to interview, tvinsider. This show has so many producers and actual legitimate showrunners. Pick one of those.
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When is tvguide going to bring an actual showrunner to the table? Bro ruined the show and wants to talk about things that would have ruined the show. Look no further than you, Dabb. You are the problem.
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I think things might have been different today than it was even five years ago, thanks to things like Instagram or other immediate social media outlets. I know those things existed (in some form) during the show's run, but it would have gotten more and more unrealistic that nobody ever took videos of them or of the monsters they were hunting. Other than the Ghostfacers, they never really dealt with being online or any type of social media. These days it's almost impossible to escape it.
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That would have been such a great finale to the whole show, but definitely agree it would have messed things up if they'd done it in an earlier season. Still lowkey gonna wish that had been the ultimate ending, though!
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