I Rewatched Supernatural’s Pilot For The 20th Anniversary, And I’m Having A Chick Flick Moment

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It’s hard to believe, but it’s been twenty years since the first episode of *Supernatural* premiered on September 13, 2005. Back then, The CW didn’t even exist – a young Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles first played the Winchester brothers on The WB. With *The X-Files* and *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* recently finished, there was a chance for a new show to fill the gap in spooky TV programming. But the question was, would *Supernatural* succeed?

By 2025, it will be clear just how impressive the run of *Supernatural* truly was. The show lasted an incredible fifteen seasons and 327 episodes, overcoming challenges like a writers strike and a network change from The WB to The CW. Even with main characters dying and coming back repeatedly, it persevered. I didn’t start watching until a few seasons were out on DVD, but recently rewatched the pilot episode to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary – and I had a surprisingly emotional moment, something Dean Winchester would definitely tease me about. Here’s what made it so impactful.

The Pilot Was A Great First Episode

TV show pilots often feel a bit clunky because they have a lot of groundwork to cover to grab viewers’ attention. I distinctly remembered enjoying the first episode of *Supernatural*, but I wasn’t analyzing it closely at the time – I was just looking for a new, spooky show to replace *The X-Files* after it ended.

I recently rewatched the pilot episode – you can find it on Netflix now, if you’re curious – and it still holds up really well. Okay, there’s a bit of a slow start, maybe a few minutes where they have to explain everything – monsters are real, the Winchesters have a complicated history, Mary’s death still haunts them – but once it gets going, it’s a fantastic introduction to the world. Honestly, aside from that little bit of clunky setup, it’s a genuinely great episode.

A big reason for the show’s success is the instant chemistry between Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as brothers. It was also smart to begin with self-contained monster stories before diving into the larger, season-long arc with the Yellow-Eyed Demon. I’ve always loved the story of the Woman in White, and I was glad to see *Supernatural* revisit it later on.

I Forgot How Many Iconic Quotes Came From The Pilot

Over its fifteen seasons, *Supernatural* delivered many memorable lines, and I remembered a lot of them being from the early seasons. What I *hadn’t* realized was just how many of the show’s most famous, fan-favorite quotes actually came from the very first episode.

The brothers immediately start trading insults, with Dean jokingly warning Sam against any overly sentimental moments. Of course, over the show’s 326 episodes, those emotional moments happened quite often.

Dean was, as usual, asserting his authority in the Impala while Sam looked through his classic rock tapes, declaring, “Whoever drives gets to choose the music, and the passenger needs to be quiet.”

There Were A Lot Of Firsts That Continue Later Into The Series

When *Supernatural* first began, it was impossible to predict just how many similar dangerous situations Sam and Dean Winchester would find themselves in throughout the series. However, the very first episode hinted at storylines and themes that would reappear again and again over the show’s fifteen seasons.

As a long-time ‘Supernatural’ fan, I always found it interesting that Sam and Dean’s very first scene *after* being thrown forward in time was a full-on brawl! It wasn’t their roughest fight by a long shot, of course, but it was a memorable way to kick off that new timeline. And let’s not forget the Impala! Seeing Dean actually crash the car was a shock, but honestly, he handled it surprisingly well considering how much that car means to him.

I’ll never forget when Mary died in that first episode – it was such a shock! It definitely wasn’t the last time we saw her meet an untimely end on *Supernatural*, though. And thinking back, that episode also marked the beginning of a sadly familiar pattern: poor Adrianne Palicki, who would later star in *Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.*, played Jess, the first of many women connected to the Winchester boys to suffer a truly awful fate. It was heartbreaking, even knowing this show was full of loss!

The Series Finale Called Back To The Pilot

The first episode of Season 15 cleverly mirrored the very first episode of *Supernatural*, ending with Sam saying, “We’ve got work to do” while standing by the Impala. However, a subtler connection to that original pilot episode appeared in the series finale, which I didn’t notice when it first aired in 2020. While investigating the Woman in White case, Sam and Dean wore the same clothes they would ultimately be wearing in the show’s controversial final scene in heaven. Here’s a look at that detail.

As a longtime fan, I was really touched by a subtle detail in the final scene of *Supernatural*. Dean’s jacket wasn’t *exactly* the same as the one from the very first episode, but it was incredibly close! The costume department did an amazing job matching Jared Padalecki’s outfit in Season 15 back to what he wore as Sam in the pilot. Honestly, I was already getting emotional seeing the brothers together one last time, knowing everything they’d been through, but if I hadn’t been, that detail – recreating those original pilot costumes – would have *definitely* gotten to me.

I Hate The Music Changes On Netflix

One thing really stood out when I rewatched the first episode of *Supernatural* after all these years: the music. The show became famous for Dean’s taste in classic rock, which Sam jokingly called “mullet rock.” The very first episode had a particularly memorable scene with AC/DC’s “Back In Black” playing after Dean playfully told Sam to be quiet in the car.

The music cuts aren’t limited to just the pilot episode. For example, the Season 1 episode “Faith” had to remove Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper” – a particularly ironic loss, as the song played while a character was being chased by a Reaper. The Season 1 finale also lost “Bad Moon Rising” on Netflix. Executive producer Phil Sgriccia explained on the *Supernatural Then and Now* podcast that they only secured music rights for the first season for DVD and initial television broadcasts. Any streaming or later versions required new rights, which they didn’t have.

Luckily, this doesn’t affect seasons after the first one on streaming platforms, so all instances of the song “Carry On Wayward Son” from the show *Supernatural* are still available to watch, as they should be. The song became closely associated with the Winchester brothers, especially starting with the season two finale.

Even though the original music is different in the pilot compared to later versions, it’s still enjoyable to watch. I especially liked seeing Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles at the beginning of their careers as Sam and Dean Winchester – it’s clear this episode wasn’t one of their least favorites! You can stream the pilot and all 326 episodes of *Supernatural* now.

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2025-09-15 13:40