5 Supernatural episodes whose IMDb ratings are not justified

Supernatural lasted for fifteen seasons and became the longest-running horror show on television. Over more than 300 episodes, audiences delighted in the balance of horror, comedy, and family drama.

A measure that fans use to rank individual episodes is through the ratings system from IMDb, where viewers can rate each episode. These ratings determine how new viewers come to the show and which episodes are regarded as classics.

Yet, not always do ratings reveal the whole story. Innovatively told episodes or those with powerful emotional resonance have surprisingly low scores. Others coast on novelty or marketing to higher scores than most discussions imply they should receive.

Reddit forums and IMDb review boards regularly illustrate this disparity, with fans freely discussing why particular installments are under- or overappreciated.

Let's look at five particular episodes where the IMDb ratings seem to be at odds with broader reception. Through the intersection of IMDb ratings and fan feedback, it illustrates how perception and rating do not necessarily coincide.

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Supernatural episodes where IMDb ratings don’t match fan opinion

"Baby" (Season 11, Episode 4) – IMDb 9.4/10

"Baby" offers a complete story through the eyes of the Impala, Dean's car, which has been at the center of Supernatural from the start. Rather than traditional camera composition, the whole story takes place in and about the car.

Most of the fans on Reddit call it "a love letter to the Impala" and one of the most original episodes ever made. Even though its 9.4 rating is good, debates tend to say it should be even greater heralded as an achievement in the series' history. Agreement is that the rating, while high, still undervalues its value in relation to other highest-rated episodes.

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"Don't Go Into the Woods" (Season 14, Episode 16) – IMDb 7.7/10

Late in the run, fans commonly complained of waning momentum. But this episode went back to the show's monster-of-the-week origins with a horror-based creature hunt.

Several community threads call it "classic Supernatural," evoking the tone of the early seasons. Its 7.7 IMDb rating indicates middling approval, but the forums indicate that figure underrates the episode. Fans cite a good horror component and tension as reasons why it should stand with better-rated mid-season episodes.

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"Changing Channels" (Season 5, Episode 8) – IMDb 9.5/10

Sam and Dean are shoved into parodies of TV shows by the Trickster in this episode. It combines humor, meta-commentary, and significant insights into the grand scheme. The 9.5 rating for the episode places it as one of the highest in the series.

However, fan commentary is frequent enough that it is uniquely higher even than most others and so worthy of note above a score. In fan discussions, it is considered a milestone that influenced the way subsequent episodes tried out structure.

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"ScoobyNatural" (Season 13, Episode 16) – IMDb 9.6/10

This Scooby-Doo crossover animated episode from Supernatural attracted gigantic attention at the time of its broadcast. Viewers loved the novelty, and the IMDb rating indicates their excitement. But in online arguments between communities, viewers tend to label it as "fun but shallow."

On Reddit polls, some argue that it usurped more emotional or deeper episodes with lower ratings. The disproportionately large rating appears to be an accumulation of nostalgia and the crossover element rather than the weight of storytelling.

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"Bloodlines" (Season 9, Episode 20) – IMDb 5.8/10

Among the many experiments attempted within Supernatural, few are remembered as poorly as “Bloodlines.” The episode dropped viewers into a Chicago storyline about rival monster families, sidelining Sam and Dean almost entirely. Fans felt the departure from the show’s tone and characters was jarring, and discussions online often cite it as one of the series’ weakest installments.

Strangely, its IMDb score of 5.8 doesn’t fully reflect that perception, as many in the fandom regard it with far more frustration than the numbers suggest. The installment was ultimately meant to test the waters for a spinoff, but its cold reception ensured that no follow-up materialized.

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If you want to revisit Supernatural with a critical eye, these episodes are the ones that best reveal how IMDb ratings don’t always tell the full story.