After four seasons, Supernatural has never been hotter and it’s already been renewed for season five. So why do the show’s stars and creator want to call it quits?

Created by Eric Kripke, Supernatural revolves around the Winchester brothers and their ongoing battle against demons, and any other hellion you can think of. Older brother Dean (Jensen Ackles) followed in the footsteps of his demon-hunting father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) while Sam (Jared Padalecki) tried to make a break from the family business and lead a normal life. When Sam’s girlfriend is killed in a similar manner as his mother and the brothers’ dad disappears, the good-looking heroes set out on a crusade of their own.

Recurring characters are played by Jim Beaver, Genevieve Cortese, Misha Collins, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, Samantha Ferris, Julie McNiven, Nicki Aycox, Alona Tal, Samantha Smith, Sterling K. Brown, Chad Lindberg, Robert Wisdom, Charles Malik Whitfield, Adrianne Palicki, Fredric Lehne, and Colin Ford.

With the series’ mythos and world fully established, why would the show’s creator, Eric Kripke, and the stars want to end the series? Well, Kripke says that he’s always envisioned the Winchester boys’ story as a five year arc and intends to keep it that way. He recently told Entertainment Weekly, “Despite what the network and the studio may or may not want, I don’t have more than five seasons of story.”

Though it’s unlikely that the CW execs will be ready to let one of their most successful shows go, they may not have a choice. Kripke says, “I certainly would be willing to make sure there are enough villains and heroes around to continue a new story line, and I would be around to answer a few questions — that’s it. I’m outta here. There’s no way I’m doing season six.”

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If that were to happen, Supernatural might have to shift focus to Bobby, a demon, the angels, or some new characters. The contracts for Kripke, Ackles, and Padalecki all expire after next season and the actors aren’t planning to stay either.

While the actors love the show and their work, they’re tired of the grind. Ackles says, “We don’t live at home. We don’t sleep in our own beds. Our families aren’t here. Our friends aren’t here. Our girlfriends aren’t here. To do it for another five years, or whatever, I don’t know if I could handle it.”

Padalecki agrees, “I enjoy working, but what’s the point? Do I just want to keep on doing photo shoots and work so I can get more famous so I can do even more photo shoots and work and fly to more places to do more press? …I get sick of talking about myself.” The actor says he doesn’t want the show to become cheesy, with the characters becoming too old to realistically do their jobs. He says, “I think I’d rather leave [the viewers] wanting more than get to the point where they boo you off the stage.”

CW President Dawn Ostroff says that, if the show continues to be popular, she’d certainly want the show to go on. She feels however that it’s too early to address making that a reality. In truth, the small network might even not have the resources to make that happen. As Ackles says, “They’d have to back up a Brinks truck.”

While last week’s episode culminated in a huge fight between the two brothers, you can expect next season’s finale to be even bigger. Kripke is planning to end it all with the battle to end all battles, one between heaven and hell. Ironically, that little fight sounds about as hard as it’s going to be to get a sixth season of Supernatural.

Image courtesy CW.