Supernatural Stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles Can't Stop Landing New Roles

Fifteen years of ganking monsters will either burn you out or hardwire you for more work. In Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles' case, it was the latter. Since Supernatural wrapped in 2020, both Winchesters have barely stopped to breathe — bouncing between networks, franchises, and the occasional reunion that winks right at longtime fans.

They ran over 300 episodes together from 2005 to 2020, and by the end, Padalecki was pretty clear he was never really closing the book on Sam. He talked about how the set turned into a genuine family — the kind where, after 15 years, the only people left were the ones who truly wanted to be there. Ackles felt the same and immediately put his money where his mouth was by spinning up a prequel.

'It's a long journey. I don't think it's ever going to be over. It's just going to go away for a while. I don't know how long.'

Here's how the two have kept busy — and kept crossing paths — since the Impala took its final lap:

• Walker universe (The CW): Padalecki stayed put at the network and headlined the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot from 2020 to 2024, also serving as executive producer. The show spawned the prequel Walker: Independence, where he slipped in for a quick, uncredited cameo in one episode. Ackles swung by Walker from the other side of the camera as a director — and even popped up onscreen as Miles Vyas. Very TV-land move, and a fun one.
• Fire Country franchise ( CBS): Season 3 introduced Padalecki as Camden Casey in a three-episode arc designed as a backdoor pilot. The potential spinoff, Fire Country: Surfside, would follow him as a California firefighter trying to pick up the pieces after his brother dies in the line of duty.
• The Boys-verse (Prime Video ): Ackles detonated his Dean image with Soldier Boy — and that left turn set up even more. He gets his own prequel series, Vought Rising, and he already dropped in on the Gen V spinoff. Padalecki is stepping into the chaos too with a role in The Boys season 5 — the show's final run — alongside fellow Supernatural alum Misha Collins. It's also a reunion with creator Eric Kripke.
• Untitled CBS medical drama : After teaming with showrunner Anna Fricke on Walker, Padalecki re-upped with her for a new CBS project about a headstrong country doctor who practices a very off-the-cuff, improvisational style of medicine. It's in development under his first-look deal, and CBS officially opened a writers' room in late 2025 to keep pushing it forward.
• Big Sky (ABC): What started as a guest spot in season 2 turned into Ackles joining the main cast as sheriff Beau Arlen, sharing the screen with Reba McEntire.
• The Winchesters (The CW, 2022–2023): Ackles took Supernatural back to the 70s with a spinoff about Sam and Dean's parents — set in an alternate continuity. He narrated as Dean and executive produced alongside his wife, Danneel Ackles. It's a clever way to play in the sandbox without stepping on 15 years of lore.
• Tracker (CBS): Ackles signed on as Justin Hartley's onscreen brother, Russell — a neat Smallville reunion if you remember Ackles' stint on that show. His arrival also came with a few playful Easter eggs for fans paying attention.
• Countdown (Prime Video): Ackles stars as Mark, an LAPD cop pulled into a hush-hush task force made up of undercover agents from across federal and local agencies. Their first case? A brazen, broad-daylight murder that kicks off the whole conspiracy.

Bottom line: the Winchesters didn't exactly ride off into the sunset — they just swapped the trunk full of salt and iron for packed calendars and a surprising amount of crossover. And if you believe Ackles, that Supernatural door was never locked in the first place.