10 TV Episodes That Should Have Jumped the Shark (But Didn't)

When Supernatural first hit screens, it was cut from the same cloth as Buffy and The X-Files, and shared many of both shows' minor cast, with enough references to satisfy fans of either property, and a new fantasy-led story that prioritised angels and biblical battles over gothic monsters or aliens. The story of Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), hunters of everything dark and evil - especially demons - felt familiar yet inventive enough to keep us watching over the following years, rooted in the strength of the brothers' relationship.

In season 13's 16th episode, "Scoobynatural", Sam and Dean are pulled into a Scooby-Doo mystery, fully animated. The whole Scooby gang is there, and the already cartoonish approach of late-season Supernatural is kicked into high gear, stretching reality, amplifying character traits (Dean hitting on Daphne, anyone?), and merging the best parts of both shows to give us an adventure that would have seemed not only implausible but highly inadvisable in the first half of Supernatural's run.

While it may seem like just one in a long track record of fun, playful episodes that managed to keep the show going long after the original arc, "Scoobynatural" came along at a point when viewers thought they had experienced all the weird and unusual things Supernatural had to offer and were about ready to wind things up. And it surprised everyone, keeping even reluctant viewers tuning in for more.