After paranormal adventures that spanned 15 seasons, The CW’s mystery series Supernatural came to an end in 2020. Given the massive following the show had garnered over the years, it was welcome news when just two years later The CW ordered a prequel series, The Winchesters, set in the same universe and thus expanding the franchise. However, the reunion did not last long. After a 13-episode first season, the prequel series was abruptly axed by the network in a purging of scripted content under its purview.
The cancellation by the network, however, spurred original series star and executive producer Jensen Ackles to launch a strong #SaveTheWinchesters campaign to try to salvage the show, saying at the time, “There’s a lot of story to tell here and there’s a huge fan base that is very actively engaged and willing to support it.” In the end, despite the best efforts of the campaign team and the producing studio, Warner Bros. Television, the show has finally bitten the dust and is officially dead as it failed to find a new home.
Reacting to the development on Twitter, Jensen, who played Dean in the original series, expressed his disappointment while addressing the news. Ackles comments hint that systemic changes at the network and the ongoing WGA strike might have both contributed to the show taking an early bow. The post read:
“To all of you who watched, followed, and supported this story, THANK YOU. And to all those who brought this show to life… I couldn’t be more proud of what we all did together. But as they say… timing is everything. With a massive Network shift coupled with an industry strike… welp… that’s some unfortunate timing. Sleep well dear @WinchestersOnCW… until we meet again. Somewhere down the road.”
Death Is Not the End
Set in the 1970s, The Winchesters revisits the love story between Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) and John Winchester (Drake Rodger), who would later go on to marry and be the parents of Dean (Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) in Supernatural. Throughout the entirety of its short-lived run, the prequel series did an excellent job keeping tabs and connnections with the original show. There were a number of possibilities by which the show could have been saved. But ultimately, none of them materialized. Firstly was Amazon Studios, where Jensen and Danneel Ackles had moved their first look deal. Others were Netflix, which has been the longtime streaming home of the original series, and Max, which shares the same ownership as Warner Bros. Television, the show’s producing studio. But as the show’s creator, Robbie Thompson had said previously, “There’s so many more stories to tell and death has never ever stopped those characters.” The Winchesters might return someday, down the line.
Watch The Winchesters’ trailer and check out Ackles’ tweet below:
To all of you who watched, followed, and supported this story, THANK YOU. And to all those who brought this show to life…I couldn’t be more proud of what we all did together. But as they say…timing is everything. With a massive Network shift coupled with an industry… pic.twitter.com/qqDD9WC0KA
— Jensen Ackles (@JensenAckles) June 3, 2023