It could be hard to get friends into Eric Kripke's brilliant Supernatural, originally airing on The WB and moving to The CW, showed the world how it was done when it came to dark fantasy. With Buffy the Vampire Slayer as one of its formative influences, it shouldn't be hard to get someone with good taste hooked on the show. Its mainstream appeal is matched only by its honing of Buffy's horror-comedy formula. In many ways, Buffy walked so that Supernatural could run, and some episodes communicate its unique offering perfectly.

Supernatural started strong, but many would argue its quality petered off after season 6. However, just as many fans will confirm that this just isn't true. The vast majority of TV series face a drop in caliber as they go on as a natural facet of the progression of a once-original story, most surprising in its first season. Supernatural seasons 1-3 may be the best, but Supernatural season 15 swooped in with one of the best closers to a fantasy TV show ever. Along the way, there were many standalone episodes just right for beginners.

10 What Is And What Should Never Be

Season 2, Episode 20

"What Is and What Should Never Be" nears the end of Supernatural season 2, undeniably one of the whole show's best seasons. This episode focuses on the ideal life of Dean Winchester, as envisioned by Dean when hypnotized by a djinn. This magical creature showed Dean moving moments of what could be if his mother and Jess had never died, and it makes for a great character study of Dean. It is also a great example of Supernatural copying Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which pioneered this idea in "Normal Again."

This episode works well for beginners as it proves that Dean would always choose to hunt monsters for the greater good in the end, even if offered the perfect life instead. His heroics shine, and Jensen Ackles is as good a reason to start watching the show as any. The episode also offers little in the way of challenging or convoluted plot elements, focusing only on Dean's hallucinations. However, on the downside, this episode is more moving if viewers know Dean somewhat already.

9 Mystery Spot

Season 3, Episode 11

Season 3 is one of the best seasons to introduce someone to Supernatural with, inclusive of the episode "Mystery Spot." Season 3 gave Supernatural ample time to warm up, displaying improvements since the first season. "Mystery Spot" charmed viewers with its cinematic references like "What Is and What Should Never Be," making it joyfully relevant to many, even those who had never seen Supernatural before. This episode riffed off Groundhog Day, the beloved 1993 Bill Murray movie where the main character relived one day over and over again.

The last episode of Supernatural was released on November 19, 2020.

Season 3 was probably the last season to fully retain the show's episodic nature. From season 4 onward, Supernatural dropped viewers in at the deep end with its heaven and hell conspiracy plots. "Mystery Spot" was an episode that stood well on its own two feet, offering nuanced hilarity and poignant pain for Sam Winchester, who had to relive his brother's death repeatedly. Even without prior knowledge of Supernatural's Winchester brothers, this was brilliant.

8 The Magnificent Seven

Season 3, Episode 1

The premier of Supernatural season 3 launched one of the show's best seasons with a bang. This is a great season to start watching the show on, exhibiting the show's hallmarks excellently. It carries the brother's hilarious interactions flawlessly. However, uniquely, this episode is one of the show's most terrifying. A must-see for horror fans, this episode could easily get a lover of slasher movies or the vampire genre into Supernatural.

Isaac's suicidal bleach-chugging must be one of the most creative deaths on-screen.

This episode tackles the fallout of season 2 with a fair amount of exposition and explanatory material, making it a nice entry point into a show just starting to get serious. With myriad demons just released from hell through the Devil's Gate, the boys hunt down demons with particularly nasty personalities in "The Magnificent Seven." Isaac's suicidal bleach-chugging must be one of the most creative deaths on-screen and will be a hit with anyone looking for original and scintillating TV.

7 Dead In The Water

Season 1, Episode 3

"Dead in the Water" is Supernatural at its best and hasn't aged a day, even considering its 2005 air date. There may be no better way to get friends into Supernatural than by simply showing them its finest moments. For many, Supernatural's first season will always be its most amazing. Season 1 gave TV something it had never had before - a fantasy show set on the road, like a classic '50s Jack Kerouac story. It was genuinely scary, and this episode shows that in spades. Horror fans will love the ambient chills and jump scares of "Dead in the Water."

Lonely lives on the outskirts of society often fall prey to humanity's worst impulses, a lesson Supernatural is adept at teaching.

This standalone episode is also pure Supernatural in its tone, mood, and aesthetic. Supernatural is spooky and beautiful, with wide-reaching plains rolling away in the background of the Chevy Impala driven by Dean from episode to episode. "Dead in the Water" captures the haunted beauty of American suburbia and the rural and isolated lifestyles that are vulnerable to paranormal invasion. Lonely lives on the outskirts of society often fall prey to humanity's worst impulses, a lesson Supernatural is adept at teaching. This could resonate with smart fans of visually stunning TV.

6 The Monster At The End Of This Book

Season 4, Episode 18

The meta joy and creativity of Supernatural may be best expressed by "The Monster at the End of This Book," although it is a very tough call between various fantastic episodes. Supernatural had really started entering conspiracy territory in its fourth season, and that means that season 4 is less well-suited to beginners than those before it. However, it also means that it contains gems that were bolder than ever before, enabled by the story's crazy twists and turns.

Supernatural can be streamed on Netflix in the U.S. and Amazon Prime Video in the U.K.

"The Monster at the End of This Book" is exemplary meta storytelling, with Sam and Dean getting to read comics about their own lives. This is contemporary TV doing what it does best, and it would be enthralling to anyone interested in a good laugh at the industry and a show that can poke fun at itself. Eric Kripke's satirical sense of humor is gleaming in this, so fans of The Boys might also be intrigued by this excellent episode.

5 Wendigo

Season 1, Episode 2

Season 1 launched into its "monster a week" format brilliantly with "Wendigo" after the pilot episode's brutal introduction to Jared Padalecki's Sam Winchester and his gruff brother, Dean. The first episode of Supernatural had some exposition to do, but episode 2 could have been a movie in and of itself. The horror and wild west Americana of Supernatural was on full display in "Wendigo," with a muted color palette that drew out the elegance of the show's scenery.

In this sense, "Wendigo" is perfect escapist TV. This level of early Supernatural often is, with standalone stories that thrill with fascinating glimpses into folklore and its terrifying contemporary applications. "Wendigo" had impressive effects for its time and remains a genuinely imaginative and awesome look at the wendigo, a seldom-explored mythical creature. Alongside the brothers' banter, this creature makes "Wendigo" an ideal Supernatural intro.

4 Tall Tales

Season 2, Episode 15

Supernatural was getting incredibly impressive by the end of season 2, and "Tall Tales" proves it. This idyllic standalone Supernatural episode is just as confusing for long-term fans of the show as it is for those who have never seen an episode. As such, it demonstrates what is great about it. Supernatural retained its ability to surprise throughout fifteen seasons, and there were often moments that took full advantage of low fantasy to deliver ridiculous plots.

Sam and Dean experienced irreconcilably different versions of the same events in this episode, offering comedy gold with an undercurrent of sinister paranormal machinations. This simple and deeply entertaining psychological thriller of an episode would make a wonderful start for a new Supernatural fan. "Tall Tales" was unforgettable, introducing Richard Speight Jr.'s Gabriel without ruining any of the former episodes' plot.

3 A Very Supernatural Christmas

Season 3, Episode 8

Christmas is the perfect time to start watching Supernatural with "A Very Supernatural Christmas." This standout season 3 episode is one of the best episodes of the whole show and is naturally perfect festive viewing. Supernatural's blasphemous undertones make this an entertaining watch for anyone, whether they celebrate Christmas or not. With a festive villain meant for chills, "A Very Supernatural Christmas" brings the pagan origins of this holiday to the forefront of the story.

This episode of Supernatural doesn't require former viewing to make sense of it, nor does it issue spoilers for the epic storylines before it. There are no inroads into the next Supernatural subplot either, making this an uncomplicated watch. The Krampus of this episode is horrific, exemplifying the show's exceptional costume design and prosthetics, which were industry-leading in their own way. By all measures, "A Very Supernatural Christmas" is a great episode for beginners.

2 Ghostfacers

Season 3, Episode 13

Ed and Harry unforgettably barreled onto screens as the Ghostfacers in Supernatural season 3, providing Supernatural with one of the best ways to start the show ever. Eric Kripke's constant parodying of iconic movies and TV was a large part of what made Supernatural original and successful. It was never short of caricatures that built on the former glories of horror and fantasy, and "Ghostfacers" brought Ghostbusters myth to a whole new world of fun.

"Ghostfacers" has the ideal standalone plot to entice new fans, with the flawlessly named Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler fancying themselves paranormal detectives. This may be the funniest episode of the series, following Ed and Harry as they bite off far more than they can chew. The Ghostfacers could constitute one of the best Supernatural spinoffs ever made if they got one, but newbies to Supernatural get this episode, at least.

1 Pilot

Season 1, Episode 1

Supernatural's pilot episode is still the best way to start watching Supernatural, despite the variety of episodes that are watchable with no outside context. First airing on September 13, 2005, "Pilot" roared into being with the demonic incident that started off the Winchesters' misfortunes. "Pilot" confirmed Supernatural as one of the fantasy shows that were great from their very first episode, pinning Mary Winchester to the ceiling in a storm of blood and fire.

This cataclysmic tragedy set John Winchester off on a lifetime of investigation and revenge, leading to Dean eventually following in his footsteps. This episode has the right balance of backstory and present-day intrigue to get viewers totally hooked, setting up weeks' worth of story and teasing mysteries that take a while to be satisfyingly resolved. "Pilot" is scary in its opening moments before quickly becoming full of the funny and tender interactions that make Supernatural so popular.