Five seasons in, Jensen Ackles had spent years working closely with the regular and guest directors of “Supernatural.” During a Q & A session (via Assignment X) Ackles explained which directors were particularly influential when it came time to direct his first episode:
“I love to watch [the late] Kim Manners’ episodes. He was a director who I thoroughly looked up to, both on and off the set. Also, Bob Singer has been an amazing mentor for me. And it’s not in like a certain style or a certain way – it’s really just in the small, little subtleties.”
Both Kim Manners (“The X-Files,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) and Robert Singer (“Midnight Caller,” “Smallville”) were crucial contributors to the show, joining in the very first season as directors and producers. In directing some of the shows earliest and most beloved episodes, the duo helped to establish the aesthetic and visual style of “Supernatural. Manners is responsible for directing 17 episodes of the show before his death in 2009. His work included fan-favorite episodes like “Dead In The Water,” “Mystery Spot” and “Lazarus Rising.” Singer directed 48 episodes of the show, sticking with “Supernatural” from beginning to end: some notable episodes include “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” “Scoobynatural,” and the series finale, “Carry On.”
