SPN has one of the most loyal audiences of any show on television and does heroic work in a perennially tough time period. It has improved over last season among women and adults 18-34 this season, a remarkable accomplishment for a fifth-year show.
Executive producer Sera Gamble, who has been with the show since season 1 and is awesome, is poised to succeed him. Although Kripke will remain actively involved in the show — and not just in name only.
When I asked a CW representative whether creator/executive producer Eric Kripke would return for "Supernatural's" sixth season, I got a three-word reply: "Yes, he's back."