I think post-5 Kripke was collecting checks and helping the team transition without him. I mean they literally kill him in one episode. After that, he seemed to just get residuals and drop in every now and then. The writing was just terrible after he left though. I know he didn't personally write that many episodes in 1-5, but his showrunning direction must have been what kept things grounded and on a consistent course.

He seems to be running the Boys like he did SPN and I think that's making people anxious. A big criticism of The Boys season 3 is that it ended just like it started and nothing really changed, just a lot of build up for nothing. To me that's exactly what happened in season 3 of SPN with Dean actually dying and going to hell. He seems to still write like he would for a network TV show instead of a streaming service, and he's said that he's planning to go to season 5 with the Boys. I think he's got good ideas and knows how to string stories along to keep them interesting until they can reach a final episode and come to a conclusion. I'd bet he'd be able to develop a well rounded epilogue to season 5 SPN if he got the chance.