If Supernatural Season 16 Happens Soon, We're Getting One Of The Greatest Head-To-Heads In TV History

Should Supernatural season 16 become a reality sooner rather than later, Sam and Dean will go head-to-head against another iconic exterminator of paranormal pests. After an impressive 15-season run, Supernatural finally ran out of road in 2020, but interest in the Winchester brothers remains as strong as ever. Jensen Ackles played a major role in canceled spinoff The Winchesters, both on and off camera, while he and Jared Padalecki have both remained open to a potential Supernatural revival in the future.

Given that all parties appear broadly interested in firing up Supernatural's Impala again, it is surely just a matter of time beforethe series resurfaces in one form or another. Supernatural season 15's ending certainly left enough room for season 16 to carry on the story of John Winchester's wayward sons. Curiously, however, Supernatural was the undisputed champion of fantasy TV during its original run. If a revival happens within the next few years, that may not be the case.

Supernatural Season 16 Could Go Up Against Buffy The Vampire Slayer's Reboot

Sam & Dean's Biggest Opponent Since God

After years of doubt and speculation, Buffy the Vampire Slayer is rising from the grave with Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising her role as the titular vamp-troubler. Ending in 2003, Buffy has spent over 20 years on ice, but Supernatural is unlikely to wait as long before making its own return.

Buffy's fate was, for a long time, tied to the involvement of Joss Whedon, who oversaw all seven seasons of the original series. Any possibility of Whedon leading a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot became unlikely when accusations regarding past behavior came to light. His involvement aside, Buffy the Vampire Slayer's main cast have not always spoken fondly about a potential return, and the culture of reboots and revivals was far less intense in the early 2000s compared to the streaming-dominated landscape of today.

As recently as December 2022, Sarah Michelle Gellar was against playing Buffy Summers again.

By contrast, Supernatural was led by various different showrunners across its 15 seasons, its two main cast members have never shied away from the prospect of reprising their roles, and reboots are more prevalent than ever before. All of these factors indicate that Sam and Dean will not mirror Buffy by waiting 20 years to make a comeback. That gives rise to the very real possibility that Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural will coexist at the same time, going head-to-head as two of the biggest fantasy TV shows of any era.

Why Supernatural Vs. Buffy The Vampire Slayer Is Such A Big Deal

The TV Battle We Didn't Get In The 2000s

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural missed each other by two years, with the former ending in 2003 and the latter premiering in 2005. Supernatural felt very much like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's spiritual successor, peddling the same blend of paranormal action, young adult drama, and quirky humor. Barely attempting to hide its influence, some Supernatural episodes came eerily close to stories Buffy the Vampire Slayer had already covered, such as "What Is & What Should Never Be" borrowing the homework of "Normal Again."

Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer running parallel would justify the power of a fandom that has a very large crossover section on its Venn diagram.

Because the two shows existed during different eras and largely caught different generations, however, the similarities felt more like a celebration of the genre than any sort of attempt on Supernatural's part to cannibalize Buffy the Vampire Slayer's popularity. It will be very curious indeed to see how that dynamic changes if Supernatural season 16 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer's reboot wind up happening around the same time. The urge to compare will become more direct, and both shows will be under more scrutiny to stand out after previously reigning without serious rivals.

Show	Average Tomatometer Score	Average Audience Score
Buffy the Vampire Slayer	85%	92%
Supernatural	93%	73%

From the audience's perspective, Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer running parallel would justify the power of a fandom that has a very large crossover section on its Venn diagram. Assuming both revivals are actually good, the late 2020s will also become an unprecedented golden era for monster-of-the-week TV, with two titans of the genre thriving side-by-side, flying the flag for all things spooky and scary.

Running Together Would Be A Bigger Problem For Supernatural Than For Buffy

Buffy Already Wins The Weigh-In

Sam and Dean hug John Winchester in Supernatural. — Sam and Dean hug John Winchester in Supernatural

If Supernatural season 16 was forced to coexist alongside a Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot, Sam and Dean Winchester would be at an early disadvantage. Since Buffy and the gang have been away for considerably longer, there is naturally more hunger for that reunion than for Supernatural season 16. The nostalgia factor is larger, the mainstream appeal greater, and there's a morbid intrigue that Supernatural season 16 simply doesn't have. Exactly what Buffy the Vampire Slayer looks like in the 2020s is hard to predict, whereas Supernatural season 16 would probably look a lot like Supernatural season 15.

The first job of any Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot will be to avoid tarnishing viewers' cherished memories.

The fact that Buffy the Vampire Slayer came first would also matter. That conversation was irrelevant back when both shows were dominating different eras, but if Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire Slayer revived at the same time, it would be hard not to view Buffy as the originator and Sam and Dean as heroes who followed the path she forged.

On the other hand, Buffy the Vampire Slayer would undoubtedly find itself under greater pressure to succeed. A long gap since season 7 and the franchise's enduring legacy combine to create a high level of expectation and, ultimately, the first job of any Buffy the Vampire Slayer reboot will be to avoid tarnishing viewers' cherished memories of the original series. All Supernatural season 16 needs to do to be considered successful is improve upon season 15. While Buffy the Vampire Slayer may trigger more excitement, therefore, it also faces the more daunting task.