The Supernatural Plot Line Fans Can't Stand

"Supernatural" became a cult hit for The CW, and fans fell in love with Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), two brothers who follow in their parents' footsteps, tracking down and killing paranormal creatures. Over its run, the show developed a base of passionate fans, many of whom remain invested long after its final episodes aired. A prequel spin-off titled "The Winchesters" is upcoming with Ackles on board, hoping to tap into that fandom once more.

As the years wore on, "Supernatural" drew on folklore and mythology from around the world, and the biblical influences on the show grew to be one of its deepest wells for storytelling. By Season 5, the Winchesters had prevented a version of the biblical apocalypse. Religious iconography remained a core component of the show, though usually adapted. In Season 9, for instance, Dean bears the Mark of Cain, causing him to develop an appetite for murder, and in Season 11, it is revealed that God has a sister.

But while "Supernatural" fans are willing to go along for a ride wherever Dean's black Chevy Impala might take them, not all agree that every element of the show is a winning idea. And there's one plot line that some fans got pretty sick of over time.

To the discontent of some fans, the more involved with the affairs of Earth and the forces of Heaven and Hell became, the less mystique there was around these powerful beings. Nowadays, fans are used to seeing movie-grade production value on TV shows, even for mythical settings. For instance, Netflix's recent "The Sandman" portrayed a grand vision of Hell, complete with demon armies and a castle. But "Supernatural" was a network show on a network budget, so Hell ran its business out of a cramped dungeon. Some fans would have preferred to imagine those spaces. As Reddit user u/phenomenation put it, "when Heaven becomes a bleach white office and Hell becomes a one-room dungeon, they lose some of the creativity they left up to the viewers."

Other fans thought the need to raise the stakes constantly made the "Supernatural" versions of Heaven and Hell feel less mythic over time, a sentiment u/WindCaliber summed up, writing, "It all started becoming too down to Earth, figuratively and literally, starting in [S]eason 7/8. Suddenly, angels became just another being, everyone would go to Heaven/Hell and back, and it would be just another Thursday night."

When angels were first introduced to Supernatural in Season 4 with the character of Castiel (Misha Collins), it was the result of Eric Kripke breaking his self-imposed "no angels" rule (via Entertainment Weekly). Until then, the show had been rife with demons, but they proved less of a threat as the Winchesters adapted to dealing with them. As the show ramped toward the Apocalypse, the stakes needed to be raised, so Castiel was added, along with other angels such as Uriel (Robert Wisdom). But for some, it seems the feud between Heaven and Hell overstayed its welcome.