Supernatural premiered in 2005 on The WB with two relatively unknown young actors in Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Next year, it will finish its fifteenth and final season on The CW. After the upcoming 20 episode season, Supernatural will have aired 327 episodes, making it the longest-running sci-fi/fantasy series in American broadcast television history. Jensen Ackles spoke about walking away from the series at the Television Critics Association press tour on Sunday, saying this.

"It's long journey that I don't think is ever going to be over. I think we're just going to go away for a while. For how long, I don't know."

Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have starred in every single episode of the series. They were roommates early in production, featured in each other's weddings, and both have growing families that remain close. Ackles, who plays the older brother Dean, isn't quite closing that chapter of his life.

"I'm not ever ready to close doors or burn bridges, I think that's foolish. Am I saying there's something in the works? No. Am I saying I'm open to conversations in the future? Why not."

Supernatural's rise to legendary status was a slow climb. The series faced the chopping block early in its run, but the intensity of the fanbase kept it alive. At the time the studio agreed that, as a supernatural horror series filmed in Canada, the show was relatively inexpensive, so it was allowed to run as long as the creators wanted it to. CW president Mark Pedowitz said he told the creatives behind the show, "When [you] are ready to stop, we will stop." I don't think anyone, including original showrunner Erik Kripke (The Boys) who stepped down after season five, expected it to go on for another 15 seasons. It did. Executive producer Andrew Dabb assures fans that the final season will be a true conclusion to the story of the Winchester brothers, saying the following.

"We're looking at this as a true ending, and in a true ending people can't keep coming back over and over again. They're going to be facing life or death, which really they face a lot, but this time it's for real."

The series made attempts to spawn spinoffs, but none of them managed to get past the soft-launch stage. The Winchester brothers were the draw to the series. Without them, it's just another fantasy sci-fi show. Pedowitz described the decision to end the long standing series as a "very, very long, sad," and "heartbreaking" conversation. A sentiment that was mirrored by the cast members when tears were shed at San Diego Comic-Con International. Pedowitz also, however, left the door open for the actors to return, saying, "You will always have a home here, and you will always have a personal fan in me."

Season 15 will pick up after Chuck, aka God, revealed he had actually been the mastermind behind all of the Winchester's tragedies, writing their pain for his own amusement. The brothers turned their weapons on him, and God raised the dead from the ground before disappearing. The final season is set to premiere on October 20. This news comes to us via The Wrap.