If you’re someone who’s familiar with Supernatural‘s lineage of showrunners, then you’re aware of how series creator Eric Kripke stepped down following season 5. In the time since, he’s been succeeded by Sera Gamble (seasons 6 and 7) and Jeremy Carver (seasons 8-11), with Andrew Dabb and Robert Singer closing it out by overseeing seasons 12-15.
But now that the end is imminent, some fans have no doubt wondered if Kripke will have any input in the final chapter of the Winchester saga. Truth be told, I’ve pondered the possibility myself, not having seen him being given a writing credit since season 6, though he’s remained on as an executive consultant in the time since while moving on to other projects.
Here’s what the man himself told TV Line though while promoting his current series, The Boys:
“I haven’t had any conversations yet. I will certainly talk to [showrunners] Bob Singer and Andrew Dabb when they’re closer [to the end].”
Based on that, it’s probably safe to say Kripke will at least whisper in the ears of Dabb and Singer, but that may be it. Due to him now residing over at Sony Pictures Television, he may very well be forced to keep a Warner Bros. production at arm’s length, adding:
“You’re at two warring houses, so I’m not sure if they’ll let me go over there. But I would love to talk to them about the finale. … Just from hearing from the fans, I at least want to have a couple of conversations with those guys and make sure that we send Sam and Dean off into the sunset in a way that makes everybody happy.”
Upon reviewing all Kripke’s said here, we can likely conclude that he won’t be given a writing credit – but he can at least serve as some sort of quality control from the shadows. Being a longtime viewer myself, I can only hope that the actual series finale is as befitting as season 5’s concluding episode, “Swan Song,” was. For those unfamiliar, that was the originally planned ending, but the network kept the ball rolling.
Supernatural returns for its fifteenth and final season on Thursday, October 10th on The CW.