Review: Supernatural: Season 7 / Cert: 15 / Director: Various / Starring: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Jim Beaver / Release Date: Out Now

For a series that seems to live eternally under the threat of cancellation, Supernatural has got some real staying power.

The Winchester brothers Sam (Padalecki) and Dean (Ackles) return in the seventh season and there is quite literally no rest for the wicked, or the righteous come to that. Castiel (Collins) has now declared himself God and has taken it upon himself to wander around and strike down anyone who he sees as unworthy or evil. His wrathful journey does not last long, however, as he also absorbed the Leviathan as well as the powers of a deity, and they don’t want to be kept locked up.

Escaping, seemingly killing Castiel in the process, the Leviathan possess other bodies and seeks the Winchesters out, determined to kill them. Sam and Dean equally want to fight fire with fire and Dean becomes obsessed with the idea. When they discover a facility that the Leviathan have built, they are surprised to find out that it is being used to destroy cancer.

The problem is that whilst this is the case, it’s all part of a grander plan to turn humanity into a perfect food source. Castiel returns and they set out to kill the Leviathan and their leader, Dick Roman. Dean and Castiel succeed, but are sucked into Purgatory as a result, leaving Sam to deal with Crowley alone. It’s not the easiest of seasons for Sam, suffering hallucinations of Lucifer and the ghost of Bobby telling him that reality is an illusion and that he is still stuck in Hell with him.

This certainly is not the easiest entry point for a viewer for this series if you haven’t picked it up before, and some of the special effects look like they have been lifted from an early season episode of Buffy. But, and it’s a big but, you don’t have a genre series reach its eighth season (which has just aired) without good storytelling and strong characters. Supernatural has both and in a world where networks are quick to press the delete button – Firefly anyone? – it’s nice to have a series that you can rely on.

Wry humour, stand out episodes that weave comedy and horror, and a fulfilling story arc are the strong points. There are less entertaining ways to spend your evenings than with the Winchesters.