When running for 15 years, any television show is guaranteed to have its ups and downs, and when it comes to the Supernatural seasons ranked, it's evident that certain seasons are better than others. In 2005, a story about two brothers searching for their father while they went up against ghosts, demons, and all manners of creatures that go bump in the night premiered on The WB and went on to run more for than a decade, airing its series finale on The CW in 2020.

What makes for a great season of Supernatural boils down to a cohesive, long-running story arc combined with monsters of the week. Character growth and compelling villains are also a must. The longer the series ran, the more some of the stories became repetitive, but the writers were able to take bigger risks with the Winchesters' arcs. As a result, the later seasons of the series might not be the greatest, but they certainly have some of the most creative elements of the show. The best Supernatural seasons, however, remain the earliest ones.

15 Season 14 (2018–2019)

20 Episodes

The idea of Sam and Dean being the vessels for archangels Michael and Lucifer begins early in the show, and the storyline nearly never ends. It's retread in season 14 to an extent, which explains the lack of love for the penultimate season. Lucifer's former vessel, Nick, spends the bulk of the season trying to avenge the murder of his family — and get Lucifer back.

The final season features one of the best season finales, when the Winchester brothers had to battle an army of the undead.

Dean, having been Michael's vessel, also finds himself going through a lot of changes as the ramifications of getting rid of Michael hit him. It was nice to see Jensen Ackles explore this new side. However, while the season features appearances from fan favorites, like Jody Mills and Bobby Singer, it wasn't up to the level of the rest. On the positive side, the final season features one of the best season finales, when the Winchester brothers had to battle an army of the undead that God had sent after them.

14 Season 15 (2019–2020)

20 Episodes

The final season of Supernatural was uneven. While the writers did their best to satisfy the audience by closing out old stories and bringing back a huge number of characters from the Winchesters' past, the Supernatural finale didn't bring the closure some fans wanted — despite being the only season of the series not to end with a cliffhanger. The main antagonist for season 15, after years of going between numerous demons and angels, is God himself.

It makes perfect sense that the show ends that way, though fans remain angry not just about certain character deaths but the manner in which they happened. With the Supernatural seasons ranked, season 15 felt like an anticlimactic ending for the show and the characters that were so beloved. The finale, while not how fans wanted it to play out, did a solid job of wrapping things up for Sam and Dean Winchester based on their journey for the past 15 seasons.

13 Season 12 (2016–2017)

23 Episodes

Even though this season worked to answer many long-standing questions and tie up plenty of loose end, while still opening the door to new storylines, it didn't work as well as a whole. Season 12 tried to open a few too many doors before closing others, making it seem jumbled and too busy. The season features the Winchesters on the trail of Lucifer, as usual, but also reintroduces his yellow-eyed demons, confirming them as his Princes of Hell and the first demons created after Lilith.

One particular highlight is Mary Winchester returning from the dead

It also features a bit of a double-cross from Crowley, the introduction of part-human-part-angel Jack, and the idea that alternate universes exist. Supernatural still manages to expand on its mythology and give the audience answers after 12 years of content, though. One particular highlight is Mary Winchester returning from the dead, which gave the boys a small victory, although it wouldn't last.

12 Season 13 (2017–2018)

23 Episodes

Season 13 of Supernatural brought back a lot of characters previously killed off on the series. Of course, the bulk of those dead characters weren't themselves but counterparts from the Apocalypse World. It allowed the writers to have some creative fun with those characters, but it also meant disappointing moments with favorites like Kevin (albeit, the Apocalypse version of him) dying. Despite this, it was nice to see many of these characters again after their original demise, giving this season a nostalgic feel.

Wayward Sisters was supposed to be a Supernatural spinoff but never made it to air.

Season 13 also features a backdoor pilot, as it brings Jody Mills and a handful of teenage girls who know about the supernatural together as they help the Winchesters. Their series would have been Wayward Sisters, but it never came to fruition, and it's one of the biggest losses for the Supernatural universe. With all that said, this season brought the world "ScoobyNatural," which remains one of the best episodes of the entire series, as Sam and Dean end up in a Scooby-Doo cartoon mystery.

11 Season 9 (2013–2014)

23 Episodes

One of the biggest Supernatural seasons that focuses on the conflict among angels, season 9 sees two separate factions go after Castiel. With Castiel having previously lost his grace, he has no angelic power, forcing him to live as a human and making him vulnerable. While Castiel's story is compelling, season 9 of Supernatural features too much back and forth with the angels and the Winchester brothers and not enough actual cohesive story development.

Sam and Dean differ on how to handle multiple situations, causing them to go their separate ways. Their separation causes them to take desperate courses of action. Dean decides to get the Mark of Cain to give himself the power to wield the First Blade against an enemy, but it has serious consequences, including Dean being turned into a demon at the end of the season. This is also the season that saw Kevin Tran die, as well as airing another failed backdoor pilot in "Bloodlines."

10 Season 7 (2011–2012)

23 Episodes

With Castiel declaring himself the new God after absorbing every soul in Purgatory, this season of Supernatural started to take the show in a slightly new direction with its angel and demon mythology. The only beings whose souls Castiel doesn't end up returning after his journey is over are those of the Leviathans. Leviathans also happen to be the oldest and most powerful, as the first monsters created by God. It introduces a whole new — and very strong — entity for the Winchesters to battle.

While the brothers' previous journeys always saw them quickly finding answers to their supernatural problems, nothing they've already learned works against the Leviathans, making for a very tense and entertaining season. It's also one of the most divisive seasons when every season of Supernatural is ranked. The incredibly difficult-to-fight Leviathans remain great monsters, but the CGI is disappointing, and the story begins to drag after a while. Sadly, season 7 is also when Bobby died.

9 Season 8 (2012–2013)

23 Episodes

One of the most fascinating parts of Supernatural is how it tackles its mythology regarding angels. Their story gets significantly expanded in season 8 as Dean Winchester returns to Earth from Purgatory, and Castiel finds himself resurrected and used by another angel to achieve her ends. There is a lot to like here, including Dean working with a vampire named Benny and Charlie's return in "LARP and the Real Girl." However, there is too much time spent with Sam and Dean fighting each other.

This season introduces the Men of Letters.

Season 8 also sees Sam and Dean cross paths with a young version of their grandfather, Henry Winchester, as the man uses a time travel spell to get to the future, expanding on the story of the Men of Letters, which becomes a big story point for the show moving forward. Season 8 of Supernatural provides much new information while still being more entertaining than season 7.

8 Season 6 (2010–2011)

22 Episodes

Season 5 marked the end of original showrunner Eric Kripke's plan for the series. With season 6 of Supernatural, the story picked up a year later, revealing Dean attempting to live a normal life but being unable to when Sam returns from Hell. With the original series supposed to end with Sam's sacrifice to save the world, this moves back to the status quo. Throughout 22 episodes, Dean discovers that his brother has returned to him, but his soul hasn't, and he formulates a plan to get it back.

Castiel also becomes a surprising antagonist as he works in the background with Crowley to release all the souls from Purgatory so that he can absorb them and take over the role of God himself. With the Civil War raging in Heaven, this sets up a much bigger battle down the line for the Winchester boys. The season provides the right balance of mythology-based episodes and a focus on the relationship between the Winchester brothers, making it a popular season that hits the reset button for the show.

7 Season 10 (2014–2015)

23 Episodes

Dean begins Supernatural's 10th season as a demon working for Crowley, so Castiel and Sam must find a way to make him human again. The Mark of Cain, however, proves to make things difficult for Dean throughout the season as he gives in to his darkness repeatedly. While Dean's struggle is the season's big story, it's also known for introducing a fan-favorite villain: Rowena.

The witch turns out to be Crowley's mother, and it's Rowena who rids Dean of the Mark of Cain, releasing the villain that comes into play the next season. Season 10 also features one of the most fun meta-entries in the show: the Supernatural musical. Supernatural being able to make fun of itself while still acknowledging the love the fans had for it is part of what makes it so popular. Watching Dean and Sam revisit their life story in this musical with the song "Carry On" is a wonderful moment.

6 Season 1 (2005–2006)

22 Episodes

For many long-running television series, season 1 is rarely as good as later seasons because shows are still finding their footing. The first complete Supernatural story arc, however, is looked upon extremely fondly by fans and is considered one of the best seasons of the show. Originally, Supernatural kicks off with monster-of-the-week episodes as Sam and Dean search for their missing father. Having Jeffrey Dean Morgan in the cast as patriarch John Winchester, even if (mostly) just for one season, was a great addition.

Raised by a dad who hunted supernatural creatures and tracked down urban legends, Sam wants no part of the hunt, while Dean follows in John's footsteps. This tension causes the brothers to grow closer as they search for their dad, setting up their deep bond for the rest of the series. Supernatural season 1 sprinkles in just enough mythology for the longer-range storylines to keep fans engrossed and kickstart the series.