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In large part, this came down to the performances of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, who played on-screen brothers Dean and Sam Winchester. Both brought dynamic portrayals that allowed the characters to feel fully fleshed out and complex, even as they were doing things like fighting fairies and getting trapped in torturous TV shows. Yet, another key ingredient that kept Supernatural going for so long was the show’s ingenuity when it came to concepts. One major example was the Season 13 episode “Scoobynatural.”
Supernatural’s Scooby-Doo Episode Was Genius
Supernatural Season 13, Episode 16, “Scoobynatural,” was a shocking crossover episode that saw Sam and Dean jump into the world of Scooby-Doo. In addition to mirroring the animation style of the classic mystery show, Sam and Dean—and eventually Castiel, too—engaged directly with Scooby-Doo’s iconic characters: Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby himself. At the end of the episode, Ackles even lets out a classic “Scooby-dooby-doo,” mirroring a catchphrase of the titular pup.
Rather than feeling cheesy or poorly executed, “Scoobynatural” quickly became one of Supernatural’s best known and most popular episodes, ranking right up their with the likes of “The French Mistake” and “Baby.” A major factor in the success of this episode was the fact that it truly felt like an episode of each show. All characters in the episode felt true to themselves, and Supernatural managed to perfectly blend its own style, structure, and approach with Scooby-Doo’s.
This Episode Was A Risk, But It Was Totally Worth It
There were innumerable ways “Scoobynatural” could have gone horribly wrong, particularly in terms of its timing. While Supernatural’s ability to run for 15 seasons and as many years reflects the show’s popularity and staying power, that isn’t to say that all seasons of the show were created equal. On the contrary, there were several periods in which the show felt a bit lost at sea (season 7, to name perhaps the biggest offender). Taking a gamble on an unusual episode like this in season 13 was therefore a major risk.
There was a fair chance that this episode would read as a desperate move to keep the show interesting or a failed attempt at something creative. Far from either outcome, however, “Scoobynatural” only reinforced what made Supernatural so special from the very beginning: a willingness to take risks and be playful. After all, the aforementioned popular episode “The French Mistake” sees Dean and Sam sent to another universe, in which they are Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles playing Sam and Dean. 13 years on, “Scoobynatural” proved that Supernatural never lost that playful spirit and boldness.
