Category:The Winchesters (Season 1)

The Story

Set in the 1970s, the prequel will center on the early life of John and Mary Winchester, with Dean as the narrator. Jensen said of the project:

After Supernatural wrapped its 15th season, we knew it wasn’t over. Because like we say in the show, ‘nothing ever really ends, does it?' When Danneel and I formed Chaos Machine Productions, we knew the first story we wanted to tell was the story of John and Mary Winchester, or rather the Supernatural origin story. I always felt like my character, Dean, would have wanted to know more about his parents’ relationship and how it came to be. So I love the thought of having him take us on this journey.

As to how The Winchesters will tie-in with Supernatural, Jensen explained:

: That’s kind of the exciting thing, in my opinion, is that the waypoints or the tentpoles that were established on the mothership, as we lovingly call it, those will get touched on. But we’ll get to those waypoints in a way that we probably didn’t expect. And that’s what we’re really having fun with is, like, the story is coming together. It’s not the washed version. It’s not the sugar-coated version of how mom and dad met. This is like what really happened.

But we do play into the moments that were discussed and that were talked about, just maybe in a slightly varied way that seems like, ‘Whoa, wait, we knew that happened, but I didn’t know that’s why it happened or that’s how it happened.

At Salute to Supernatural New Jersey 2022 a fan expressed concern about the prequel and Jensen said "Look I'm not some guy who hasn't been a part of Supernatural for 15 years. I'm not some random due that's coming in saying "I've got an idea". This story means a lot to me. There's also an entertainment value that's important to me and Robbie and everybody involved. So we want to service what has been established but we want to get creative in the way that we get there."

Timeline

• 3 February 2022: The CW had ordered a pilot for the series. The Pilot started filming in April in New Orleans.

• Filming for Season One is scheduled for July 25 to October 17 2022. Note: this has now been extended. End date tbd

• 20 May 2022: Meg, Drake, Nida, Jojo and Demetria along with Jensen and Danneel appeared at The CW Upfronts in New York to promote the series and debuted a first look trailer.

• May 12, 2022 The CW ordered The Winchesters to series.

• November 1, 2022 The CW, under new owners Nextstar is not giving a backend pickup to The Winchesters meaning it will only have 13 episodes in Season 1. No news yet on a Season 2 renewal.

Cast

• Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger have been cast to play Mary Campbell and John Winchester. Mary is 19 and described as having "been fighting the forces of darkness since she was a child. After losing someone close to her, the hardened hunter considers quitting the family business — until her father’s disappearance and the arrival of newcomer John Winchester forces her to lead a new team." John has "recently returned from Vietnam, the selfless and clearheaded John Winchester finds a new mission back home, where traces of his father’s past lead him to a secret organization and a whole new war as a hunter."
• The first two series regulars have been cast on the Show. Nida Khurshid will play Latika Desai who is "fiercely intelligent and braver than she believes... a young hunter-in-training whose research and problem-solving skills help her face her fears in battling dark forces. Jojo Fleites will portray Carlos Cervantez an "easygoing and confident, Carlos is a natural when it comes to fighting demons and a boost of positivity for the team as it takes on more serious threats."
• Demetria McKinney has been cast to play Ava who is "a studious and sharp bookstore owner who also takes interest in the mysteries of the occult." Demetria most recently has played Anacostia Quartermain in Motherland: Fort Salem.
• Bianca Kajlich will play John's mother Millie Winchester. Bianca played Sheriff Machado on Legacies.
• Bridget Reagan, known for her roles as Posion Ivy in Batwoman and Rose Solano in Jane the Virgin, has joined The Winchesters in a recurring role as DJ Rockin' Roxy is described as broadcasting "a wicked new sound" and having "an electric charm and a rapidly growing fanbase" although apparently not all of her fans are "of the human variety".

Crew

• John Showalter is a producer and director
• Richard Speight will direct an episode in October.
• At Jus In Bello Italy August 2022 Jensen said he was hoping to direct an episode later in Season 1 if his other commitments allowed. He also said that John Showalter, who directed many Supernatural episodes, was their Producer on site in New Orleans.

Episodes

External Links

Pre-broadcast interviews and articles

• Drake Roger introduces John Winchester
• Meg Donnelly talks about Mary Campbell
• Jojo Fuentes introduces Carlos.
• Jensen Ackles on How The Winchesters Will Navigate Supernatural Mythology 'In a Way We Probably Didn't Expect' by TVLine
• ‘Supernatural’ Prequel ‘The Winchesters’ In Works At The CW From Jensen & Danneel Ackles
• Jensen and Danneel Ackles to EP ‘Supernatural’ prequel: What to expect from ‘The Winchesters’ by Hypable
• Supernatural Spinoff About Young John and Mary Winchester, From EPs Jensen and Danneel Ackles, Eyed at The CW by TVLine
• ‘The Winchesters’: What We Noticed in the New Trailer by Nerds and Beyond
• Interview with the cast by Nerds of Color.
• Interview with Drake Roger by KsiteTV
• The Pilot of The Winchesters will air at New York Comic Con on Sunday Oct 9, 2022 starting at 2pm . It will be followed by a panel with Meg Donnelly, Drake Rodger, Jensen and Danneel.
• The New York Times named The Winchesters as one of its 40 TV shows to watch this fall.
• Meg Donnelly on the advice she got from Jensen on set.
• Interview with the cast by Nerds of Color.
• Meg Donnelly talks about The Winchesters to People Magazine.
• Filming of Season One of The Winchesters starts in New Orleans on 25 July 2022.
• Jensen took his daughter JJ to the premiere of Zombies 3 starring Meg Donnelly as Addison. Her "The Winchesters" co-stars Drake Rodger and Nida Khurshid. Jensen posted a photo on Instagram and said "Proud papa moment. Took JJ to her first “Hollywood Premier”. She walked the carpet like a pro (a pro that held on tight to her dad). Thanks to @megdonnelly @disneyplus and the whole cast of @disneyzombies for a super fun night. I’ll never forget it…and neither will she."
• Jensen says he wants an episode featuring "all the Johns".

REVIEWS

• Jensen, Danneel and Robbie Thompson talk about the origins of the show and making The Winchesters with EW
• Meg and Drake talk about working with Jensens, and their excitement for the show from etalk
• TV Pulse posted about differences between the original pilot they viewed, and a new version which has been sent to reviewers.
• A positive review from "Nerds and Beyond", who said "From the brilliant casting to the gusto with which Thompson dives right into the story, the gamble has completely paid off. The Winchesters is a confident, entertaining prequel with something new to say, a loving tribute to a beloved series that marks its own territory and more than justifies its existence."
• A video review by CW Spiral raved about the show saying "The Winchesters could be the most enjoyable show on tv of the fall season, perhaps even of the whole season." They added that the show is "shaping up to be damn good television, and I don't mean modern damn good television. I mean damn good television from the early 2000s, and that's the best type of damn good television you could hope for" .
• Vought HQ says that "While the pilot feels different to its predecessor, fans will be able to enjoy the expansion on familiar characters" and "the pilot is a good start and it is clear the dynamic of the group will be what propels the show through the mystery and since they have good chemistry with each other, that promises to be a treat to explore."
• In their review TVPulse called the show "something entirely new but with loving callbacks to the original show" and that "Those tuning in for an hour of supernatural mystery solving and demon slaying will no doubt be satisfied by what they see."
• A review by the Cosmic Circus was generally positive although it expressed concerns about the relationship of the show to the canon of Supernatural.