Throughout its fifteen seasons, shook up Supernatural's established formula and began experimenting more with other genres.

Supernatural creator Eric Kripke planned the show for five seasons, and the fifth season finale, "Swan Song," serves as a perfect conclusion to the show's apocalypse storyline. However, Supernatural became so successful that it ran for fifteen seasons, allowing the writers to have some fun with the show's premise. Kripke departed as showrunner after season 5, but Supernatural season 6 continues the story of Sam, Dean, and the angel Castiel (Misha Collins). Supernatural season 6 took some big swings with the show's formula, but none more memorable than the fourth-wall-breaking "The French Mistake."

Several Supernatural Stars & Eric Kripke Named "The French Mistake" Their Favorite

Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, & Mark Pellegrino All Cite "The French Mistake" As A Favorite

By the time of its sixth season, Supernatural had developed a certain confidence in its storytelling, and the show was never afraid to poke fun at itself and its ionate fans. Supernatural had already revealed the existence of a series of in-universe Supernatural novels following the adventures of Sam and Dean Winchester. "The French Mistake" takes this concept even further, sending Sam and Dean to an alternate universe where they are actually Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, the stars of a television series called Supernatural.

It's an extremely meta concept, but it's perfectly executed thanks to the obvious knowledge and ion of everyone involved. It's no surprise that Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Mark Pellegrino (Lucifer), and Eric Kripke all cite "The French Mistake" as a personal favorite (via EW). Jared, Jensen, and Misha all seem to be having fun portraying fictionalized versions of themselves, and the episode contains numerous shout-outs to people who actually work on the show. Even for those who don't catch all of these references, "The French Mistake" is a truly hilarious and brilliantly executed hour of television.

What Made "The French Mistake" Such A Popular Supernatural Episode

"The French Mistake" Encapsulates What Makes Supernatural So Unique

"The French Mistake" could easily have been a flop, but Supernatural takes an already unique concept and executes it in a particularly clever way that also acts as a love letter to the show. The episode shows the cast and crew's willingness to poke fun at themselves, from Jared and Jensen's names to Jared's overly lavish mansion to Misha's Twitter usage. "The French Mistake" fully commits to its premise and underscores what makes Supernatural so unique in the first place.

Despite its apocalyptic stakes and ridiculously high death count, Supernatural never takes itself too seriously. Supernatural has the unique ability to be hilarious, heartwarming, horrifying, and heartbreaking all within one episode, and it's this versatility that allowed for Supernatural to continue for an impressive fifteen seasons. But none of that would have mattered without strong characters (and actors) at its core, and "The French Mistake" highlights Jared, Jensen, and Misha's obvious talent and love for their characters.

"The French Mistake" remains a high point for Supernatural and illustrates why the show continues to endure even five years after its series finale.

Very few television shows could pull off an episode like "The French Mistake," but Supernatural was constantly reinventing itself. After the epic and emotional high of season 5's "Swan Song," "The French Mistake" proved that Supernatural could still be fun, creative, and uniquely clever with its storytelling. "The French Mistake" remains a high point for Supernatural and illustrates why the show continues to endure even five years after its series finale.