Creator Eric Kripke originally planned for the show to last only five seasons, but due to increased ratings from the fourth and fifth seasons, the CW network renewed the series for a sixth season. Kripke has confirmed he will not be returning as showrunner; however, he will still remain as a hands-on executive producer, leaving Executive Producer Sera Gamble to take over the reins. Gamble said the sixth season of the show will focus on the brothers’ relationship. The season will steer towards the format of the early seasons with “lots of meat-and-potatoes closed-ended episodes, and…a season-long story arc to weave in”. According to a press release by the CW, Heaven and Hell are now in “complete disarray”, forcing Sam and Dean to reunite to “beat back the rising tide of creatures and demon-spawn” that “roam across a lawless and chaotic landscape”