Supernatural was never shy with its meta references, but it was still surprisingly wonderful when the show gave a nod to Jared Padalecki’s role on Gilmore Girls. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles as Sam and Dean Winchester were so well-cast and charming that it helped elevate Supernatural to arguably the best CW show of all time.
Prior to his career-defining time on Supernatural, Jared Padalecki played Dean Forester, Rory Gilmore’s (Alexis Bledel) first love interest, and was a recurring character in season 1 before becoming a main staple in the second and third seasons. It was the first major role of Jared Padalecki’s career, and it began five years before he became Sam Winchester.
Supernatural’s Huge Gilmore Girls Reference Explained
Supernatural Gets Meta About Jared Padalecki’s Gilmore Girls Role
Early in Supernatural‘s 15-season run, the series had a fun “crossover” episode where it paid homage to Jared Padalecki’s Gilmore Girls roots. Supernatural wasn’t shy of getting meta every once in a while with some tongue-in-cheek references throughout, and season 2, episode 18, “Hollywood Babylon” reminded audiences that Padalecki was once a star in Gilmore Girls.
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In “Hollywood Babylon”, Sam and Dean take a trip to Los Angeles to investigate murders on the set of a horror film, only to find themselves on the Warner Bros. lot, the production company behind both Supernatural and Gilmore Girls. The Winchester brothers take the studio lot tour, with Dean excited about everything they are seeing.
During the tour, the guide remarks on the Stars Hollow set from Gilmore Girls, and says that they may be lucky enough to spot one of the show’s stars. This is happening as the camera is fixed on Sam, a fun nod to his time on the show. Sam immediately gets off the trolley, which makes the joke even better.
Supernatural’s Gilmore Girls “Crossover” Was Unexpected, But Great
It Was One Of Supernatural’s Most Unexpected References
Given that Supernatural is essentially the complete opposite of Gilmore Girls as a show, virtually no one was expecting to get any sort of “crossover” with the series. Even with Jared Padalecki’s role in both shows and Warner Bros. as the production company, “Hollywood Babylon” was completely unexpected in the best way possible.
“Hollywood Babylon” was one of the first episodes in Supernatural where the show leaned into meta-commentary, breaking the fourth wall in a charming way. Being one of the first episodes to do it helped set it apart from other “crossovers” and references that would be included more frequently as the show continued for so long.
Supernatural‘s most popular crossover is arguably the Scooby-Doo episode, “Scoobynatural.”
The loving nod that Supernatural gave to the first major role of Jared Padalecki’s career is so great to see, especially since GIlmore Girls was consistently great across its 7-season run. Though the moment was nothing more than a fun reference, it is one of the most memorable meta moments in the entirety of Supernatural.
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Supernatural
8/10
- Release Date
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2005 – 2020
- Showrunner
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Eric Kripke
- Directors
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Philip Sgriccia, John F. Showalter, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, Charles Beeson, Guy Norman Bee, Richard Speight Jr., Mike Rohl, John Badham, Steve Boyum, Amyn Kaderali, Jensen Ackles, Tim Andrew, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeannot Szwarc, P.J. Pesce, Nina Lopez-Corrado, James L. Conway, amanda tapping, J. Miller Tobin, Stefan Pleszczynski, John MacCarthy, Jerry Wanek, Ben Edlund
- Writers
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Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway
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