If you’re still a little distraught, Supernatural was removed from Netflix’s roster and moved to Prime Video instead, then consider switching to another streamer for a quick break between binge-watching. Yes, we all love Jared Padalecki And Jensen Acklesadventures as Sam and Dean Winchester, but if you’re looking for something familiar but hoping to mix it up a bit, consider giving The Winchesters a test. If you’re not ready to give up the world of Supernatural for now, you’re in good company. It was the same state of mind of the old Supernatural writer Robbie Thompson and even Jensen Ackles, who joined forces after the end of the flagship series to further expand this paranormal universe. Better yet, the full series can be streamed on HBO Max.
“The Winchesters” also serves as a prequel and sequel to “Supernatural”
You may have heard of The Winchesters a few years ago, but the buzz faded as quickly as it started. A spin-off of the flagship dark fantasy drama, this series takes place in an alternate universe of Sam and Dean’s world in the early 1970s. This was a bit of a spoiler for those watching the show live – and trying to figure out why the Winchester family timeline didn’t quite match up with the Winchester family timeline. Supernatural – but if you can see the show as an alternate version of John Winchester (Drake Rodger) and Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) from the start, you may enjoy it much better in the long run. Before becoming the eponymous power couple, John and Mary meet in their hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, just as John returns from Vietnam and Mary takes to the streets in search of her missing father, Samuel Campbell (played by Tom Welling). While they’re not “The Winchesters” yet, they’re clearly on the verge of adopting that shared last name.
As John discovers the world of hunting for the first time, he and Mary become closer by forming the “Monster Club”, their small group of like-minded paranormal warriors who fight the evils that continue to invade their Midwest home. Alongside John and Mary is tradition expert Lata Desai (Nida Khurshid), longtime demon hunter Carlos Cervantez (Jojo Fleites), and their older advisor Ada Monroe (Demetria McKinney). Together, they take on everything from terrifying werewolves who put Supernaturalthe best monsters to shame, vengeful pagan gods, scary jinn and even the return of Richard Speight Jr. as this world’s greatest trickster, Loki. Lots of classics Supernatural The tropes are still in play here, from the classic rock and general dynamics between its leads (albeit with more romantic chemistry), to the returning familiar faces and the overall premise, which heavily echoes Sam and Dean’s quest in the show’s first season. The expanded cast is certainly a positive point for this series, which does not take the road in the same way. Supernatural did.
While a working knowledge of the original series is preferable on some level, The Winchesters invents your own tradition and reinvents the wheel just enough so that part of the story you think you remember Supernatural becomes useless. Well, sort of. At the end of the short-lived series, The Winchesters serves as a coda to the controversial ending of the original series. While Jared Padalecki has publicly stated that “Carry On” was one of his favorite episodes, Jensen Ackles doesn’t seem to have felt the same way. Instead, he returns to The Winchestersacting as narrator for the entire series and appearing on screen as Dean a few times. Either way, this dark fantasy horror is a quick binge that will undoubtedly hold Supernatural fans between bouts of drinking, and he’s a great companion who is, in some ways, essential to a better, more fulfilling ending for Dean Winchester.
The story of John Winchester and Mary Campbell is one that ‘Supernatural’ never had time to tell
Without doubt, the strongest argument in favor The Winchesters is that it allows us to finally see John and Mary as they saw themselves. On Supernatural, Jeffrey Dean Morgan And Samantha Smith played older versions of these characters, but we rarely saw them together on screen. Even with the younger versions seen in the fourth and fifth seasons of the series, played by Matt Cohen And Amy Gumenickwe never really got to see their romance blossom. Although it takes place in a parallel world, The Winchesters aims to remedy this. The show largely focuses on John and Mary’s similar searches for the truth about their respective fathers.opening the door to John’s place as a legacy in the Men of Letters and Mary’s expanded role as leader of a team of hunters. But even as they discover these important truths about their lives and destinies, they grow closer and begin to fall in love – and it is here that the series finds its emotional anchor.
While Mary keeps her family secrets close to her chest and John still works through a broken engagement, The Winchesters puts these two on fire as they battle monsters, demons, and other paranormal creatures alongside their friends. As they more diligently pursue the truth about their fathers, their friendship naturally develops into something much more intimate. While Supernatural once revealed that Cupid was responsible for bringing John and Mary together to ensure the birth of Sam and Dean, The Winchesters makes no such claims, instead offering an alternative story in which the couple can find happiness and family on their own without the direct influence of otherworldly forces. Sure, the supernatural always brings them together, in a sense, but it’s a happy accident that leads, from what the title suggests, to a long-running romance that just might give the Winchester family the ending Sam and Dean always dreamed of.
The chemistry between Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly is another major draw of the sequel/prequel/spin-off.. Off-camera, Rodger and Donnelly have a romantic relationship, and while that doesn’t necessarily have to be the case for actors playing characters who are in love with each other, it certainly helps. Both men feel as natural on screen as their Supernatural predecessors, and when their professional partnership blossomed into something more romantic, audiences were delighted. Considering the show is called The Winchestersit was bound to happen at some point, although for many, it couldn’t happen soon enough. Unfortunately, Rodger and Donnelly’s on-screen chemistry wasn’t enough to keep the series on The CW.
‘The Winchesters’ only aired 13 episodes on the CW
First broadcast two years after the end of Supernatural, The Winchesters was supposed to be an exciting return of the franchise to The CW. With Ackles leading the charge in returning as Dean Winchester, surely fans would be tuning in to make this as big as the flagship series, right? The sad truth is that Supernatural never had much luck with spin-off projects, and The Winchesters It was another attempt that was abandoned long before it was time. While some fans claim that the show’s low ratings were the only factor (with some citing the show’s poor production as the final nail in the coffin), there’s more to the story than that.
“With a massive network change coupled with an industry strike…well,” Ackles wrote on X after the announcement, “it’s unfortunate timing.” The CW had been sold in 2023, and that year’s writers’ strike didn’t help either. It seems that fate is not favorable The Winchestersafter all, even after a strong finale directly related to Supernatural. Although fans tried to save the series afterward, nothing came to fruition. Maybe one day, if Supernatural were to come back, maybe Sam and Dean would be ready to catch up. The Winchesters story in a single, unique multiversal crossover? Then again, this may just be wishful thinking.
The Winchesters is available to stream on HBO Max.
- Release date
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2022 – 2023-00-00
- Network
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The CW
- Showrunner
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Glen Winter
- Directors
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Glen Winter
- Writers
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David Goodman
