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After a breathtaking run of 15 long years, The CW’s Supernatural wrapped up its journey with heartfelt and tearful goodbyes in the fall of 2020. However, the longest-running fantasy show ever had a few more stories to tell, specifically, what happened before Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean’s (Jensen Ackles) dad went out on a hunting trip? What was the origin of the Winchesters, and how did the whole storyline of Supernatural come to be? All these questions will be laid to rest in the upcoming Supernatural prequel, The Winchesters, a loving tribute to the fans who can’t get enough of the notoriously famous family of hunters, courtesy of Jensen and Danneel Ackles.
Supernatural spinoffs have been in the talks for quite some time now. In 2014, Supernatural: Bloodlines was scrapped early in development at The CW. Something similar happened to another promising concept, Wayward Sisters, which was canceled in 2017 after two years of development before even getting a pilot episode. The news of rejected spinoffs greatly disappointed the fans, until The Winchesters received the green flag, becoming the first Supernatural spinoff show to officially receive a series order.
An idea that Jensen and Danneel Ackles conjured up during the 2020 pandemic lockdown, The Winchesters stares into the history of the Winchester family, specifically, John and Mary Winchester, the parents of everyone’s beloved hunter brothers, Sam and Dean. Even though they weren’t physically present during most of the original series, their influence is present in basically all of the storylines. There have been several hints at the origins of the hunting family, from the mysterious Men of Letters to Mary’s own history as a hunter, but never a proper look into how they got into this life-threatening line of business. The Winchesters will expand on our knowledge of John and Mary’s humble and violent beginnings, and possibly, glimpse further up the Winchester family tree.
The Winchesters Season 1 has already wrapped filming, therefore it's high time we gear up for the return of our favorite family of demon-killing, vampire-slashing monster hunters. Let’s have a brief look at everything we know so far about the upcoming Supernatural prequel series, The Winchesters.
Editor’s Note: This piece was last updated on October 8 to add the latest Trailers and Casting information.
Watch the Official The Winchesters Trailer
The official trailer for The Winchesters was released on May 19, 2022, though it has since been removed from The CW's official YouTube. The clip begins with a narrative from Dean Winchester himself, taking notes while leaning over the family’s famous 1967 Chevrolet Impala, wondering about his parents, and how they must have gotten together. The trailer also features several callbacks to the original series, including the secretive Men of Letters, and Mary contemplating the family business of being a hunter. They are joined by two more young hunters, who were absent from the original series, in a quest that involves vampires, werewolves, and demons, quite familiar to the fans of the popular CW franchise. However, the story showcased in the trailer might seem a bit different from what the fans remember from Supernatural, which we will discuss in the next section. We also got another trailer for the show in August 2022 (which is featured above). This was followed by yet another trailer released on September 13. A couple of clips and teasers for the series have also been released, including ones focusing on John, Mary, their romance, and the early days of their story, as well as one explaining the Men of Letters. Check out the latest trailer here:
What Is The Winchesters About?
Supernatural fans are quite familiar with who the Winchesters are. In the parent show, they have been portrayed as humanity’s last line of defense, the ones who keep the balance of good and evil in check, mere mortals who regularly tussle with demonic and sometimes godly entities. However, all of their knowledge, skills, and fighting spirit, were passed down to them, as they inherited their family legacy, though in an indirect way as they discover during the events of Supernatural. So what was this legacy?
The Winchesters looks into the life of John Winchester and Mary Campbell, the parents of Sam and Dean, and how these two very different individuals come together to set the path for their children. Set in 1972, the trailer shows a young John, played by Drake Rodger, returning from the Vietnam War, perplexed about his life’s purpose and the mystery surrounding his father’s mysterious disappearance. His chance meeting with Mary Campbell, portrayed by Meg Donnelly, changes his perception of the known world, as he comically tries to "help" her in a fight with a demon.
Mary has her own issues to deal with, reconsidering her job as a hunter after the death of a close friend. However, she is pulled back into her role as her own father goes missing. The "missing dad" phenomenon brings the two protagonists together, something that also forced Sam and Dean to work together at the beginning of Supernatural. However, one may complain about the inconsistency of this storyline with the Supernatural canon, where Mary initially hated John until they were struck by a cupid’s arrow (quite literally), and John knew nothing about hunting until Mary’s death at the beginning of Supernatural. These can be explained later on in The Winchesters, via a memory-erasing scene by an angel, a deal with a demon, or time-traveling as we are aware of the various universes and timelines already existing in the Supernatural universe. Given the nature of the show, anything is possible!
What Is the Release Date of The Winchesters?
Season 1 of The Winchesters has wrapped filming in New Orleans according to Danneel Ackles’ Instagram. The first trailer revealed that the first season of The Winchesters will arrive in the Fall of 2022. Since then, we've had confirmation that the series will premiere on The CW on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. According to the network's full lineup for fall 2022, all episodes of The Winchesters will air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
Who Are the Cast and Crew of The Winchesters?
The Winchesters is created by Jensen Ackles and his wife Danneel. Having closely followed the lore of Supernatural themselves, the couple is bringing the story of Sam and Dean’s Mom and Dad to the screen, with the blessings of the original creator of Supernatural, Eric Kripke, who is currently busy with The Boys. While Ackles reprises his role as Dean and functions as the narrator for the series, both of them serve as executive producers alongside writer Robbie Thompson (Supernatural) and Glen Winter, the latter of whom directed The Winchesters’ pilot episode.
Though Jared Padalecki has mostly remained silent regarding his involvement in the project, owing to him being kept in the dark during the early phase, Misha Collins and Ruth Connell have both teased their return to the franchise. Hopefully, we will get to see Sam in the series as well, because the show wouldn't truly be The Winchesters without him.
Meg Donnelly plays a young Mary Campbell, the brothers’ mom, who at the age of 19 considers leaving the family business and leading a peaceful life, until her fateful encounter with John and the subsequent disappearance of her dad. Drake Rodger portrays a youthful John Winchester, Sam and Dean’s father, whose path intersects with Mary on his quest to find out more about his missing father and the secrecy around the Winchester legacy.
Bianca Kajlich will play Millie Winchester, John’s mother, who tries to protect her son from the dangers of the supernatural world, hiding the family’s true heritage. But she knows nothing she does will prevent John from going after his long-lost father. Nida Khurshid appears as Latika Desai, a brilliant hunter-in-training who joins Mary and John in their quest to find answers about their missing fathers. Jojo Fleites plays Carlos Cervantez, a confident natural-born fighter. He is the much-needed comic relief that the team desperately needs in dire situations. Demetria McKinney plays Ada Monroe, a bookshop owner with a predilection for the occult, who will be the main source of supplies for the young hunters as they fight their way through the supernatural. Jane the Virgin's Bridget Regan has also been cast in the series, reportedly appearing in a recurring role as Rockin' Roxy, an up-and-coming DJ.