Supernatural, WB/CW
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Caution: spoilers.

Okay, there was this couple, John and Mary Winchester, and they had two young sons, Dean and Sam. One night, some sort of evil force killed Mary, and since then, John has been searching for it. In the course of his search, he and his sons encountered plenty of supernatural things, and did whatever they could to put a stop to whatever evil stuff those things were doing, I guess. I dunno, we never got to see any of that. Cuz right after Mary dies, the show skips forward to Sam, all grown up, finishing up college, and preparing to enter law school. However, Dean (who never stopped working with their father) shows up and asks for his help in finding their father, who left a message, but has disappeared. Sam wants no more part of that old life, but he agrees to help this one last time. They don't find their father, but they do get rid of a spirit that had been killing people, and find another clue about their father's whereabouts. Sam goes back to school, but it seems the same evil thing that killed his mother all those years ago, now killed his girlfriend, Jessica. So he leaves again with Dean, to look for their father, and along the way, y'know, do the same sort of stuff the three of them did while the boys were growing up...

By the end of the first season, Sam and Dean do find their father, and the three of them confront the Yellow-Eyed Demon, who was responsible for Mary's death. They now have in their possession a gun created by Samuel Colt, specially made to kill demons. But... things don't go so well. Season 2 begins with the three of them in the hospital, but I don't want to reveal anything about what happens at that point. All I'll say is that from now on Sam and Dean will once again be hunting supernatural creatures without the help of their father. However, I should also say that occasionally we see other hunters, some of whom are helpful and some who may even be enemies. One friend they can count on, however, is a guy named Bobby Singer, who knew their father, and who knows alot more about hunting than Sam and Dean do.

We also learn that Sam is one of a number of special children, with different powers just beginning to emerge, and the Yellow-Eyed Demon has plans for them, which will be revealed by the end of the second season. After that, the demon (Azazel) won't be a threat himself anymore, but a gate is briefly opened which releases hundreds of other demons from Hell, and so a war is coming. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean have lots of other problems to deal with, as well as regular hunting. There's also an FBI agent named Henricksen who occasionally shows up, in pursuit of Sam and Dean, who he considers killers, not knowing anything about what they really do.

Season 3 mostly involves the consequences of something Dean did to save Sam, which will eventually result in Dean going to Hell. Sam wants to stop this, but Dean's mostly just trying to enjoy the time he has left (one year). We also meet a demon named Ruby (who we like), who wants to help Sam and Dean, though Dean doesn't trust her. She gives them a knife that can kill demons. And there's a con artist/thief named Bela (who we like), who often runs into the guys, since she searches for supernatural items which can fetch a great deal of money from certain collectors. Plus, there's a powerful demon named Lilith, who has her own evil plans, and causes a great deal of trouble.

Season 3 ends with Dean in Hell, but at the start of season 4, he wakes up in a coffin and digs his way out, a few months after having gone to Hell. He had no idea how he had come back to life, but before long he learns he was brought back by an angel named Castiel, who says God ordered him to do it. Because they have plans for Dean. Meanwhile, Sam has been hunting demons without Dean, but he's had some help from Ruby (now in a new host body). Dean isn't pleased when he finds out about this, and less so when he learns that Sam has been using his increasing supernatural powers to send demons back to Hell. But anyway, for the time being Sam and Dean go back to working together, though their relationship is strained.... Anyway, there are standalone episodes, but the overarching plot of the season involves Lilith breaking a series of seals that keep Lucifer confined to Hell. Sam and Dean try to stop her, but they're constantly failing. And their relationship continues to get more strained, as Sam continues to secretly work with Ruby, to enhance his own demonic powers, in the hopes of finally killing Lilith.

Um, what else? We see Castiel fairly often. We also see an associate of his, an angel named Uriel, who has no patience for Sam and Dean. And eventually we meet another angel, Castiel's superior, Zachariah. We also meet a fallen angel named Anna (who we like), and a guy named Chuck, who gets visions and writes books about Sam and Dean, and there's a demon named Alastair who Dean knew while he was in Hell. And we learn a bit about the time he spent in Hell, which... well, a great deal more time passed for him than passed on Earth, and some terrible stuff happened, but I won't spoil it. Still, Dean has alot of angst over it. Anyway, eventually... Sam and Ruby work together against Lilith, which turns out to be a mistake, though I won't say why. Meanwhile, Zachariah and Castiel stop Dean from stopping Sam. Dean... is meant to ultimately stop Lucifer, but that's only after Lucifer has risen, to start the Apocalypse. Castiel ultimately turns against Zachariah and helps Dean, but it's too late. At the very end of season 4, Lucifer does in fact rise, though we don't actually see him, as yet.

The main plot of season 5 is that Dean is meant to become a vessel for the archangel Michael (but first he has to say yes to this), while Sam is meant to become a vessel for Lucifer (again, he has to say yes; meanwhile, Lucifer has a temporary vessel). There's this whole thing about how Michael and Lucifer are brothers, just like Sam and Dean. And they have daddy issues, just like Sam and Dean, except of course that their father is God. There's also a third archangel, Gabriel, who we eventually see, and his identity is rather surprising. Anyway, Sam and Dean desperately try to find some way to stop Lucifer without either of them agreeing to become vessels. Castiel is on their side, and so is Bobby, of course. Eventually they learn that Lucifer can be returned to Hell, if they obtain the rings of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, which serve as a key when combined. Though it's still not much hope of victory. Meanwhile, there are occasional stand-alone episodes, as always, which aren't directly tied to the major story arc. And... there are various twists along the way, and we see some old characters show up occasionally. Naturally, there's always a bit of humor, but this season is the most dramatic and darkest yet, of course. And... it was originally meant to be the final season, the end of the story that was originally conceived by the creator, but... it got picked up for a sixth season, though things will be different. And I look forward to seeing how that all works out....

Of course I've left a great deal out. But the show just keeps getting cooler, more complicated, and more bad-ass, every season. And that's all I can say for now.