Jensen Ackles Says the End of Supernatural Was a 'Really Sad Goodbye' After 15 Years

Jensen Ackles is sharing gratitude for 15 years of Supernatural.

In a conversation on Late Night with Seth Meyers, Ackles, 44, thanked the audience (and his Supernatural fan base) for keeping the show alive so long.

Throughout his 15 years on set, Ackles remarked that his costars became more like "family."

"I spent birthdays and we spent holidays and we — there was just — we went through so much together as a crew and a cast that by the end of it, it was a really sad goodbye, but something that we all felt like we really earned."

RELATED: Jared Padalecki Says He and Jensen Ackles Are 'Always Brothers' Following Supernatural Prequel Upset

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In reminiscing on what the show meant for his career, Ackles — who played Dean Winchester on the series —  spoke of the show's longevity. "I think we topped out at 327 episodes of prime time television," he said, "which was a long, long run."

Though he emphasized the word "long," Ackles admitted the experience on Supernatural was incomparable to other acting experiences "It was fantastic. There was a reason why I think we all stuck around, though, because we just truly enjoyed it."

Supernatural premiered in 2005 and aired its final episode in November 2020. The show wasn't ever officially canceled by The CW — instead it ended at the discretion of the show's cast.

RELATED: Supernatural Fans React to Series Finale After 15 Seasons: 'I'm a Wreck'

It isn't the end of Supernatural as a whole, though. Ackles is in the early stages of development on a prequel series titled The Winchesters. Despite taking its name from the show's leading brothers, Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester) wasn't informed about the project. At the time, he said he was "gutted" to learn of the series.

Behind the scenes, Ackles and Padalecki appeared to talk it out, though. "@JensenAckles and I had a great talk, as we do often, and things are good," Padalecki, 39, tweeted. "The show is early in the process with miles to go."

"We've travelled a lot of roads together, and sometimes those damn roads have bumps. Bumps don't stop us," he added. "Once brothers, always brothers."