Alaina Huffman at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, April 2023.

Years after television sitcom Friends ended, Alaina Huffman remembers living in Los Angeles and noticing that every showrunner was attempting to pitch their version of the show. Every pilot that year was a take on Friends: a ‘new’ Friends, a ‘different’ Friends, Friends but ‘with a twist’... but that show is not something that can be recreated. The same goes for television fantasy drama Supernatural.

Huffman was introduced as one of the last remaining Knights of Hell, Abaddon, during the show’s 8th season. Although her appearances were brief, like many guest stars on the show, her legacy is infinite.

Supernatural was not her first time delving into the fantasy genre, having guest starred on shows such as Smallville and Stargate Universe. She is also no stranger to the convention circuit, saying that she has “earned her geek cred”.

“I was introduced to this world through the back door so I never really had the opportunity to experience it in other ways, but I’m in such gratitude for this and how it exists and the connection that it’s created,” she said. “It’s just really special.”

What she did not expect from playing Abaddon is the forever family she has gained.

“We just have a beautiful connection,” she said. “I can’t explain it but that’s the way it is. We’re just really lucky.”

Huffman has been a part of the Supernatural conventions hosted by Creation Entertainment as well as others hosted around the world. At her latest appearance at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, she spoke alongside Mark Sheppard and DJ Qualls in their panel, “Two Demons and a Werewolf: A Supernatural Panel”. She shared that the show changed her life in so many ways, including giving her the strength to leave an unhappy marriage.

She has a distinct memory of filming a movie in Montreal and having dinner with a co-star, she said in an interview after the panel. She told them, “I think I’m going to get divorced and I’m not scared because I know I have this beautiful family that will hold me.”

She added that she knew it sounded corny, but that it was a support system she never knew she needed.

“I feel really grateful for this show,” she said during the panel. “There’s so much strength I found through this experience that I wasn’t aware of; it’s beyond just an acting job. This Supernatural family for me has been profound in my development.”

She believes the year-round opportunities to see one another at conventions really makes their connections so genuine, as they might not have flourished without conventions. Actress Ruth Connell, known as Rowena on Supernatural, is one of Huffman’s dearest friends. Rowena and Abaddon never shared screen time together, yet they have formed a bond alongside many other talented, loving people.

She mentioned Connell reaching out recently asking how a meeting went. Misha Collins, who played Castiel, just sent over a podcast that he enjoyed regarding fandom to their family text chain. When Sheppard spoke during the panel about his son working on the latest Miley Cyrus record, Huffman recalled when she first remembered him beginning his musical journey.

It goes back to the quote said during the season three finale: “Family don’t end with blood”. Being a part of this family is almost hard to describe, but everyone who is part of it understands its importance. As Huffman said during the panel, “I feel like Supernatural is therapy. It has connected a lot of people.”

There will never be another Supernatural, but Alaina Huffman understands that Supernatural will always exist. Yes, syndication and streaming might not always be around, but it is more than just a show. It is a group of people that come together in so many ways to cherish something that is never-ending. It truly is a beautiful connection.