Supernatural's most creative episodes

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Supernatural's 15 most out-there installments

Supernatural-Gallery-Tout — Diyah Pera/The CW; Jack Rowand/The CW; Jack Rowand/The CW

Supernatural is a show known for taking risks, which is why we're looking back at some of our favorite creative episodes from the CW series' run.

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"Mystery Spot" (Season 3, Episode 11)

"Mystery Spot" might be my favorite Supernatural episode ever; it's definitely the one I've watched the most. Sam is stuck in a loop where he's forced to watch Dean — who was already approaching death's door because of the demon deal he made to save Sam's life — die more than 100 times. Sure, the time loop structure is gimmicky, but it works because the episode at its core is very much about the boys' relationship. It's funny, sad and displays the show's willingness to break away from its formula — which means it's basically the perfect Supernatural episode. —Chancellor Agard

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"Monster Movie" (Season 4, Episode 5)

A black-and-white episode that features a shapeshifter that’s obsessed with movies allows the show to have endless amounts of fun with old film homages, including a Dracula-inspired set that has the writers' creativity firing on all cylinders. —Samantha Highfill

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"Baby" (Season 11, Episode 4)

Eleven seasons in, the show decided to tell an entire episode from the perspective of the 1967 Impala, and the result was, well, the show's third-best hour ever. By changing the viewer's perspective, the show found a new way to tell the brothers' story. And on top of that, the episode featured some of the show's best scenes. Winchester Motel anyone? —Samantha Highfill

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"The Monster at the End of This Book" (Season 4, Episode 18)

Whenever I try to convince people to watch Supernatural, I recommend this bold, wacky, and inspired episode. In "Monster at the End of This Book," we learn several insane things: First, the brothers' monster-hunting adventures have been chronicled in a cult book series called Supernatural; Second: Said under-read book series will one day be called the Gospel of Winchester; and finally, the books were written by disillusioned author/unlikely prophet Chuck (who actually turns out to be God, but that revelation is seven years away). To this day, "Monster" remains one of the show's most meta and outrageous episodes. —Chancellor Agard

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"Tall Tales" (Season 2, Episode 15)

ACKLES PADALECKI — Michael Courtney/The CW

Compared to some of the other episodes included here, “Tall Tales” seems pretty tame. The idea was simple: Sam and Dean catch Bobby up on a case by telling their sides of the story. But the show used that idea to have some fun with shifting perspectives and how the brothers see each other, taking the opportunity to inject some (read: a lot) of humor into a very enjoyable hour. —Samantha Highfill

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"Stuck in the Middle (With You)" (Season 12, Episode 12)

This season 12 outing, which was directed by on-screen Trickster Richard Speight Jr. and captured the feel of Quentin Tarantino's films with its non-linear storytelling, frenetic editing, and musical choices. In the episode, Sam, Dean, Mary, and Castiel have a challenging run-in with one of the Princes of Hell, yet the story is told from multiple perspectives. It was one of the best episodes of season 12, partially because it confirmed that the show could continue to impress us. — Chancellor Agard

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"Changing Channels" (Season 5, Episode 8)

The Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.) always brings out the show's wacky side, and that's the case with this episode in which Sam and Dean are forced to move from TV show to TV show with one rule: Play their roles or die. The episode's premise allows the writers to take shots at soap-y medical dramas, cheesy cop procedurals, and embarrass Jared Padelecki, who has to star in an STD commercial and gets turned into Baby à la Knight Rider. — Chancellor Agard

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"Ghostfacers" (Season 3, Episode 13)

We met the hapless, wannabe ghosthunters Harry (Travis Wester) and Ed (A.J. Buckley) in season 2's "Hell House," and they made their not-so-triumphant return in this hilarious episode, which is shot like a bad, supernatural docu-series. The Winchesters reunite with the titular Ghostfacers as they try to figure out what's wrong in a haunted house (Warning: The answer, unfortunately, involves necrophilia). — Chancellor Agard

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"Dark Side of the Moon" (Season 5, Episode 16)

Sam and Dean die and are sent to heaven in order to find the angel Joshua, who can hopefully lead them to God. In Supernatural's conception of heaven, good people live out the rest of their afterlives in their happiest memories. However, that's not the only thing this episode has to offer. It also begins with one of the show's most shocking cold opens: two men barging into Sam and Dean's hotel rooms and killing them with shotguns. — Chancellor Agard

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"The French Mistake" (Season 6, Episode 15)

You can’t talk creativity without talking about the time the show shattered the fourth wall and zapped Sam and Dean into a world where they were mistaken for actors on a show called Supernatural and everyone kept calling them Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. —Samantha Highfill

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"Just My Imagination" (Season 11, Episode 8)

There are your more traditional monsters — demons, ghosts, vampires — and then there’s the episode about someone killing imaginary friends (yes, you read that right). The result was a highly successful hour that was equally funny — "Even when he's dead Sparkle can't stop shining" — and moving, as Sam revisited his childhood relationship with his own imaginary friend, Sully. —Samantha Highfill

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"Bad Day at Black Rock" (Season 3, Episode 3)

"Bad Day at Black Rock" might not be the most meta episode of Supernatty but it is one of the most clever in the way it plays with the idea of luck. Dean and Sam cross paths with a rabbit's foot that gifts the holder with good luck, and curses them with bad luck if (and when) they lose it. Obviously, this leads to several cartoony mishaps and deaths. — Chancellor Agard

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"Scoobynatural" (Season 13, Episode 16)

Thirteen seasons in, the show tried something new: A Scooby-Doo crossover! When Sam and Dean are zapped into an episode of Scooby-Doo, they work together with the Mystery Gang to solve a murder. The hilarious animated hour perfectly blends the two beloved series and will go down as one of the series' biggest swings. —Samantha Highfill

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"Don't Call Me Shurley" (Season 11, Episode 20)

Some of the Supernatural's most creative stories come from the twists the show puts on Biblical figures, and that's exactly what happened when season 11 officially introduced God. Or rather, it reintroduced Chuck as the all-knowing entity who found himself very disappointed in his creation and very angry at his sister. Did we mention this show gave God a sister (and it was great)?! — Samantha Highfill

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"The Real Ghostbusters" (Season 5, Episode 9) and "Fan Fiction" (Season 10, Episode 5)

Real-Ghostbusters-and-Fan-Fiction — David Gray/The CW; Diyah Pera/The CW

Two of the show's most creative hours stemmed from an also creative idea: Fans getting ahold of Carver Edlund's Supernatural book series. In "The Real Ghostbusters," the boys attend a fan convention for the series. (Get it?) And in "Fan Fiction," a high school puts on a musical based on the story of Sam and Dean. The highlight? A song titled, "A Single Man Tear." — Samantha Highfill