winchester

['Supernatural' - 'Two and a Half Men']

There have been a lot of either-ors on 'Supernatural' over the years.

Really, seriously, my new TV column debuts Wednesday, Sept. 1. That's my story and I'm sticking to it -- I'm not going to post again until then. Probably.

But once again a tasty TV morsel arrived in my email inbox and I just had to share it with my fellow 'Supernatural' addicts. It's the first photo from Season 6 of the show, which returns Fri., Sept. 24, 9PM ET on the CW. (Don't forget that the show moves to Fridays. Get those season passes in order.)

Behold Mitch Pileggi -- a.k.a. Grandpa Samuel -- with both Dean and Sam Winchester (Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki). Of course Dean met Samuel in a Season 4 episode, 'In the Beginning,' but both Winchesters will get to know their grandfather much better this season.

Pileggi, a reliably excellent character actor who has appeared on everything from 'The X-Files' to 'Sons of Anarchy,' will have a recurring role in Season 6 as a patriarch of the Campbell side of the family, which has been hunting weird and wild critters since the Mayflower landed. Corin Nemec and Jessica Heafey play other members of the Campbell clan in Season 6.

Below, you'll find the CW's description of the Season 6 premiere, 'Exile on Main Street,' which was written by executive producer and showrunner Sera Gamble and directed by Phil Sgriccia.

Creator Erik Kripke, and producers Ben Edlund and Sera Gamble talked a lot about Supernatural at Comic-Con on Sunday. The show is entering the fifth chapter in Kripke's five year vision. But check out this quote from the show's creator: "We're not going to stretch this one out past its expiration, we're not going to drag this one into a place it isn't. We're going to tell this one the way it's supposed to be told, and it's going to end, but another story can begin."

Imagine that. No pressure from the network to stretch it out and stall and add Nikki and Paulo to distract the audience for awhile. Letting a creator's vision play out as intended? How very ... modern of them. Less exciting is that Kripke was, well, cryptic as to whether or not he'd stay on for a sixth season should the show return; and it will.