The Kripke era refers to the seasons of Supernatural helmed by its creator, Eric Kripke. It encompasses Season 1 up to Season 5. The first five seasons contain the exposition of the main characters of the show, and, although contained season-long story arcs, actually built up to a climactic five-season arc about supernatural forces working to usher in the Apocalypse. Kripke himself originally named the plan for his show the "five-year plan", covering the first five seasons of the show, all leading up to the events in Swan Song. The show was supposed to end at this point but Kripke handed over the role as showrunner to Sera Gamble for Seasons 6 and 7.