Why Supernatural Spinoff The Winchesters Was Canceled After Only 1 Season

Supernatural
was an incredibly popular show from The CW, but the spin-off, The Winchesters
, only managed to get through one season before the show was unceremoniously canceled. Considering the remarkable success of Supernatural from 2005 to 2020, with 15 seasons of a show that only came to an end because the stars decided it was time to move on, it’s hard to imagine that the property would struggle to find life after the original series. However, that’s exactly what happened.

An effort to build on the original show and introduce a prequel series was quickly put into production in order to try and keep the excitement going for the world of Supernatural. So, in 2022, The Winchesters tells the story of Sam and Dean Winchester’s parents, back when they first began their journey to become hunters. However, the show did not get as much of a response as the studios hoped, and with other external factors in play, it was ultimately axed.

The Winchesters Was Canceled Amid Vast Changes At The CW

The CW’s Change In Leadership And Strikes Made An Impact

While underwhelming viewing numbers certainly played a factor in the show’s demise, a number of other details that were outside the show’s control also contributed to the series being shelved. For instance, when the series was released on The CW, the channel was undergoing a substantial change in leadership, with new executives wanting to take the network in a different direction, cut costs, and put their mark on what the network would produce going forward.

Around the same period of time, some of the channels biggest properties, the DC Arrowverse shows and other DC productions were also being wound down ahead of a major reboot for the DCEU. Instead of putting a show which hoped to gleam some of Supernatural’s original success on a pedestal, the network ultimately decided it wasn’t worth the investment and time to continue pursuing the project. And as a result, The Winchesters was shopped to other platforms and networks.

The Winchesters Failed To Find A New Home For Season 2

Despite Shopping Around Various Networks

However, while this may have been a good way to keep the show running, and considering the connection to the extremely successful Supernatural series, Hollywood was going through strikes at the time. Writers, actors, and many other supporters were pounding at the doors of top studio execs, making their voices heard. In the muddle of these tumultuous times, The Winchesters was not a priority for studios who were trying to get their houses in order.

Despite the show having a fully formed crew, actors, and an onward plan, the price tag of continuing an untested and unproven series proved to be too much of a risk, and the studios rejected the offer to purchase and host The Winchesters. Of course, this is a terrible shame for the cast and crew who were then left without that job, and for the Supernatural franchise as the one remaining connection to their show bit the dust, but it doesn’t have to mean the franchise is gone for good. Thanks to the ambiguous ending of The Winchesters season 1, there are ways to revive the Supernatural universe.

Why Supernatural Could Still Return After The Winchesters’ Ending

Supernatural Season 16 Is Still A Possibility

The Winchesters’ ending brought Dean, played by Jensen Ackles, back as a ghost, alongside Jack, who is now God after Chuck’s departure. Within this reunion scene, it’s made clear that the John Winchester and Mary Campbell from The Winchesters are not the exact same people who raised Sam and Dean, or will do in the future, but an alternate version of them, from the Supernatural Multiverse. And Dean has made it his goal to find a version of his family who can have their happily ever after.

Related

Should a possible Supernatural season 16 use The Winchesters’ main villain?

The Supernatural spinoff series The Winchesters was surprisingly revealed to take place in a different universe. The show also introduced the Akrida, which was a race created by Chuck, aka God, to wipe out any form of life in every universe if he could not do so. When Chuck was defeated in Supernatural season 15, the Akrida were set loose. While it would make sense for the villains to come to Supernatural’s universe if season 16 were to happen, the Akrida ended up being relatively underwhelming in The Winchesters, so Supernatural’s return would be better off without them.

For Supernatural to return with a season 16, it would need to make a decision around whether or not it addresses this connection, and Dean could talk about the time he tried to save other versions of their parents while he was dead, or they could ignore the series as non-canon altogether. Obviously, it would be easier to ignore the series, but to ensure the best, most comprehensive future for the series, it’s worth addressing the abnormality. Whichever way it goes, Supernatural could still come back with the original brothers who made the show what it was in the first place, Sam and Dean Winchester.

Your changes have been saved

My List

My Favorite TV Shows
My Watchlist

Created by Eric Kripke, Supernatural is a fantasy/drama series that premiered in 2005. The series follows the adventures of Dean and Sam Winchester – two men wronged by supernatural beings as children who now spend their days investigating and hunting demons, ghosts, and monsters across the United States. 

Release Date

September 13, 2005

Seasons

15

Franchise(s)

Supernatural

Writers

Eric Kripke
, Andrew Dabb
, Robert Berens

Directors

Philip Sgriccia
, John F. Showalter
, Robert Singer

Showrunner

Eric Kripke

Expand