It’s been a bumper few weeks of news for Supernatural. First was the official confirmation that the show would receive a sixth season, series lead Jared Padalecki married his former co-star Genevieve Cortese, and now there is a new casting in the form of Max Headroom and Eureka star Matt Frewer, who will be playing the Horseman known as Pestilence.
Supernatural is a show that thrives on the performances of its guest stars, which have generally been of a particularly high calibre over the five years it’s been on the air. Below, we’ve listed some of our favourites; feel free to add your own in the comments.
Needless to say, spoilers abound.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Character: John Winchester
Episode: Pilot, Home, Scarecrow, Shadow, Something Wicked, Dead Man’s Blood, Salvation, Devil’s Trap, In My Time Of Dying, All Hell Breaks Loose
Season: One, Two
A perennial favourite with the fans, Jeffrey Dean Morgan hasn’t been seen since the second season, owing to his new super stardom, but there’s always a possibility he’ll return in the final episodes.
Amy Acker
Character: Andrea
Episode: Dead In The Water
Season: One
Amy Acker took a brief moment out from Joss Whedon productions to give a memorable performance in one of the best-shot episodes of the series as a whole.
Jessica Steen
Character: Kathleen Hudak
Episode: The Benders
Season: One
Even though the episode wasn’t one of Supernatural’s best, Steen had a solid role in this one, with a heart-breaking final line in the closing moments.
Lindsey McKeon
Character: Tessa
Episode: In My Time Of Dying, Death Takes A Holiday
Season: One, Four
The character of Tessa was an interesting one, given a welcome repeat performance from McKeon in the fourth season spectacular.
Alona Tal
Character: Jo Harvelle
Episode: Everybody Loves A Clown, Simon Said, No Exit, Born Under A Bad Sign, Good God Y’All, Abandon All Hope
Season: Two, Five
Although Tal’s portrayal of Jo started out a bit shaky, she became a decent character towards the end, particularly with her tearful goodbye to Dean.
Sterling K Brown
Character: Gordon Walker
Episode: Bloodlust, Hunted, Bad Day At Black Rock, Fresh Blood
Season: Two, Three
Gordon was always one of our favourite characters, and his descent into (further) madness was pulled off with aplomb by Brown.
Katharine Isabelle
Character: Ava Wilson
Episode: Hunted, All Hell Breaks Loose Part One
Season: Two
An interesting twist in the character turned one of the series’ mysteries into a moment of dramatic brilliance turned in by Isabelle.
Richard Speight Jr
Character: Trickster/Gabriel
Episode: Tall Tales, Mystery Spot, Changing Channels
Season: Two, Three, Five
We can only hope that we see more from Speight in the last episodes of the fifth season, as every episode he’s been in has been fantastic.
Tricia Helfer
Character: Molly McNamara
Episode: Roadkill
Season: Two
Tricia Helfer is already established as being a decent actress, highlighted by her unexpected and emotionally resonant performance in ‘Roadkill’.
Emmanuelle Vaugier
Character: Madison
Episode: Heart
Season: Two
One of our favourite episodes of the series owes a lot of its gravitas to the mature role played by Vaugier, exceptionally well done.
Lauren Cohan
Character: Bela Talbot/Abby
Episode: Bad Day At Black Rock, Red Sky At Morning, Fresh Blood, Dream A Little Dream Of Me, Jus In Bello, Time Is One My Side
Season: Three
Many hated Bela, but we actually quite liked the idea of the brothers being trumped now and again. The sad story of her character and the ambiguous end only added to it.
Steven Williams
Character: Rufus Turner
Episode: Time Is On My Side, When The Levee Breaks, Good God Y’All
Season: Three, Four, Five
We thought Rufus was just going to be an exceptionally cool bit character in season three, but we’re glad to see Williams made a few returns to the show again.
Traci Dinwiddie
Character: Pamela Barnes
Episode: Lazarus Rising, Heaven And Hell, Death Takes A Holiday
Season: Four
Dinwiddie was always going to return to the show, thanks to her strong debut as Pamela. We didn’t see her touching and poignant end coming, though.
Christopher Heyerdahl
Character: Alastair
Episode: Death Takes A Holiday, On The Head Of A Pin, When The Levee Breaks
Season: Four
Taking on the mannerisms and accent of his predecessor was a nice touch from Heyerdahl, who put in a great part as the deliciously evil Alastair.
Matthew Cohen
Character: John Winchester/Michael
Episode: In The Beginning, The Song Remains The Same
Season: Four, Five
Convincingly similar in appearance to Jeffrey Dean Morgan, we particularly enjoyed Cohen’s dual role as John and Michael.
Kurt Fuller
Character: Zachariah
Episode: It’s A Terrible Life, The Monster At The End Of This Book, Lucifer Rising, Sympathy For The Devil, The End
Season: Four, Five
It’s hard to come off alternately friendly and vicious, but Fuller manages it with consummate skill in every episode he’s in. Always a pleasure to watch, we’re sure he’ll be back.
Mark Pellegrino
Character: Nick/Lucifer
Episode: Lucifer Rising, Free To Be You And Me, The End, Abandon All Hope
Season: Five
How Lucifer would be played was always a big question mark at the beginning of season five, but thankfully, the wonderful Mark Pellegrino hasn’t disappointed us yet.
Hal Oszan
Character: Patrick
Episode: The Curious Case Of Dean Winchester
Season: Five
Ignore the forced accent, we really quite liked Patrick in the slightly hit-and-miss episode. For a one-shot appearance, it was pretty good.
Rachel Miner
Character: Meg
Episode: Lazarus Rising, Abandon All Hope
Season: Five
Meg’s new incarnation seemed much more sinister than the previous actress, although we suspect her extra-crispy new makeover might prevent her from returning.
Mark Sheppard
Character: Crowley
Episode: Abandon All Hope
Season: Five
This veteran of science fiction is invariably spectacular in his roles, and we’re hoping against hope that Crowley will be back in later instalments.
