Former "Supernatural" showrunner Eric Kripke is hinting at the direction The CW's hit series will explore following its apocalyptic showdown between Heaven and Hell in Season 5.

Kripke and co-showrunner, Robert Singer, are now serving as hands-on executive producers as executive producer Sera Gamble takes the helm for Season 6. Gamble has been with the series since Season 1.

"I think I will certainly be writing an episode this year," Kripke said in an interview with EW.com. "I am also slated to direct an episode in February."

Kripke is looking to serve as a safety net for the series as Gamble takes the lead.

"Sera and Bob [Singer] are pitching episode ideas to me," he said. "Im in the room so far for every episode break. I pitch a couple of episode ideas, pitch a couple issues of how to fix some problems and some breaks. Im giving some script notes."

But what can audiences expect from Season 6?

"Castiel will be there," Kripke said. "Crowley will be there. [YAY!] The beloved characters will be threading into the story. But the great undiscovered country of 'Supernatural' is kind of right in front of our face: creatures and monsters.

"We have had so many creature episodes, but we havent actually explained where they came from -- [similar] to the way we have explored angels and demons. How do they feel about the situations they are in? Are they from here? Where did the first ones come from? How did werewolves and vampires and shape-shifters all begin anyway?"

Finally, Season 6 will feature the return of Mitch Pileggi ("The X-Files"), who plays the Winchester's grandfather.

"Hes representative of the other side of this exploration, which is that Sam and Dean have a family of hunters that they never knew they had," Kripke explained. "Their grandfather is the head of that family. Remember, its not the Winchesters who are famous hunters, its the Campbells. And we are saying that the Campbells are part of a timeline of hunters that have been there since the countrys origins.

"As Sera put it, they were hacking heads off vampires on the Mayflower. For Sam and Dean to really tap into a family history, which they never knew they had and again never really investigated before, is pretty interesting to us."

"Supernatural" returns to The CW Sept. 24. It airs Fridays following "Smallville."

The series stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins.