A Sixth Year of "Supernatural"?

Michael Ausiello has posted a good speculative article on the future of one of my favorite shows, \"Supernatural\".

I have been running under the assumption that the upcoming fifth season for the show would be the finale. I mean, how can you top Angels versus Devils and Lucifer, with the brothers squarely in the middle? There is not too much more you can do in the realm of escalating powers there! Show creator Eric Kripke confirms my thoughts, saying:

“I did set out [to] tell a five-season storyline...But now that we’re in our fifth year, I have every intention of ending the story with a bang and not drawing it out or watering it down.”

This is a sound plan. Show that have a pre-planned arc (i.e. \"Battlestar Galactica\", \"Babylon 5\") always seem to work better for me. However, Ausiello also captured Kripke hedging, leaving open the possibility that the series could continue. Kripke stated:

“I’m looking at this season as the last chapter in this particular story. That doesn’t mean there can’t be a new story. Buffy did it. The X-Files did it. You close a chapter on a big mythology storyline and then you begin a new one...We’ll answer a bunch of questions this season and then pose some new ones next season.”

I think it goes without saying that I would like to see more \"Supernatural\" - as long as Kripke is still in charge and managing the plot lines. There are other mythologies that can be explored and mined for a story arc. However, I do hope that they can keep the brothers together. They shouldn't make an \"X-Files-esque\" mistake of replacing a lead actor and still continuing. More characters can be added, but if the relationship between Sam and Dean is missing, there is no show.

The fifth season of \"Supernatural\" starts on Thursday, September 10th at 9:00 PM EST.