The Winchesters
A prequel spin-off of Supernatural set in an alternate universe.
The Winchesters is an American dark fantasy drama television series developed by Robbie Thompson. It is a spin-off of Supernatural (2005–2020), set in an alternate universe within the same multiverse as the parent show. The series follows a group of young monster hunters formed in 1972 by Mary Campbell and John Winchester, the future parents of Supernatural's main protagonists Dean and Sam Winchester. It premiered on The CW on October 11, 2022, and concluded on March 7, 2023; in May 2023, the series was canceled after one season.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Dark fantasy / Drama / Mystery
- Based On
- Supernatural · Eric Kripke
- Developer
- Robbie Thompson
- Starring
- Meg Donnelly / Drake Rodger / Nida Khurshid / Jojo Fleites / Demetria McKinney / Bianca Kajlich
- Narrator
- Jensen Ackles
- Composer
- Jay Gruska / Philip White
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Num Seasons
- 1
- Num Episodes
- 13
- Executive Producer
- Jensen Ackles / Danneel Ackles / Robbie Thompson / Glen Winter / David H. Goodman
- Editor
- Hilary Bolger
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Set in the 1970s, Dean Winchester narrates the story of how his parents, John Winchester and Mary Campbell, met, fell in love, and fought monsters together while in search of their missing fathers. The main cast includes Meg Donnelly as Mary Campbell, Drake Rodger as John Winchester, Nida Khurshid as Latika Desai, Jojo Fleites as Carlos Cervantez, Demetria McKinney as Ada Monroe, and Bianca Kajlich as Millie Winchester. Recurring characters include Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester (narrator), Tom Welling as Samuel Campbell, and Bridget Regan as Rockin' Roxy, among others. Guest stars from Supernatural include Gil McKinney as Henry Winchester, Rob Benedict as Tango, Richard Speight Jr. as Loki, Charles Shaughnessy as Jack Wilcox, Ruth Connell as Rowena MacLeod, Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer, and Alexander Calvert as Jack Kline.
Reader's Guide
The Winchesters was developed as a prequel to the long-running series Supernatural, focusing on the parents of its main characters. It was executive produced by Jensen Ackles, his wife Danneel Ackles, and Supernatural writer Robbie Thompson. The pilot was ordered on February 3, 2022, and the series was ordered on May 12, 2022. Filming took place in New Orleans from April 2022 through December 15, 2022. The series had the most-watched series debut during the 2022–23 season for The CW and was also the most-viewed premiere for the season. Despite this, it was canceled after one season. Producers attempted to shop the show to other outlets, but by June 2, 2023, all efforts had ceased. Ackles blamed the network shift and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. On August 31, 2023, a crew member filed a lawsuit claiming safety measures were ignored, leading to the crew member being struck by lightning. Critical reception was mixed: Rotten Tomatoes reported 100% positive from 8 critic reviews with an average rating of 6.9/10, while Metacritic gave a score of 49 out of 100, indicating mixed or average reviews.
Did You Know?
- Jensen Ackles reprised his role as Dean Winchester as the narrator and made a physical appearance in the first episode.
- A crew member filed a lawsuit on August 31, 2023, claiming they were struck by lightning after being told to continue filming despite lightning in the area.
- Contrary to some claims, the series did not have the most-watched series debut during the 2022–23 season for The CW.
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