Season Five will consist of 22 episodes and currently airs on Thursdays at 9:00 pm in the United States beginning September 10, 2009. Season Five is rumored to be the last season, due to Eric Kripke's statements over the years that he has planned for the show to run for five seasons.Despite this, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles have contracts for a sixth season, if the CW chooses to once again pick up the show.The fifth season revolves around the fight to stop Lucifer and save the world from the Apocalypse.On episode 10 “Abandon All Hope” Castiel finds Crowley, and with Jo's help the brothers enter his house. To their surprise Crowley shoots his henchmen and gives them the Colt, stating that he wants Lucifer dead because he believes that eventually Lucifer will kill all demons after the humans are dead. Back at Bobby's place, Bobby photographs himself, Sam, Dean, Ellen, Jo and Castiel, as he believes that this might be their last night on earth. When the team arrives in Missouri, Castiel sees Reapers everywhere. He tries to find out why they are there and is captured by Lucifer, who tries to convince Castiel to join him, while showing that his own temporary vessel Nick, overpowered by Lucifer's presence inside him, is dying. Meg arrives and sends hellhounds after the brothers and the Harvelles, and while trying to help Dean, Jo is fatally wounded. While taking shelter in a hardware store, Dean calls Bobby, who tells him the Reapers are in town because they are waiting for their boss to show: the angel of Death, one of the Four Horsemen. Realizing she won't recover from her wound, Jo suggests they build a bomb to blow up the hellhounds, using her as bait to lure the demonic dogs.

Ellen volunteers to stay behind, too, so she can let the hellhounds in and set off the bomb while Dean and Sam escape. After a tearful goodbye with Dean, Jo dies in Ellen's arms, who then blows up the building, killing herself and the hellhounds. The brothers find Lucifer in the middle of summoning Death, and Dean shoots Lucifer with the Colt. However, he is healed instantly and reveals that there are only five beings the Colt can't kill—and he happens to be one of them. Lucifer sacrifices several demons to summon Death, stating that "they're just demons". Meanwhile, Castiel manages to free himself from his trap and takes the brothers to Bobby's. There, Bobby throws the picture showing them all into the fire, and, together with the brothers, grieves silently over Jo and Ellen's death.