Stars of The Winchesters are praising Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles' involvement in the new series. Roughly a year after The CW flagship series ended its wildly successful 15-year run, original star Ackles announced that he and his wife Danneel were executive-producing a Supernatural prequel TV show focused on Sam (Jared Padelecki) and Dean's (Ackles) parents, John and Mary. Titled The Winchesters, the spinoff show also sees Ackles attached as a narrator, with the franchise's veteran writer Robbie Thompson contributing in a significant creative capacity. The CW handed out a series order to The Winchesters in May 2022, and now, the show is tipped to premiere on the network as a part of its upcoming fall slate.
As The Winchesters show trailer had indicated, the spinoff show will take viewers back in time to the year 1972, when John and Mary first met after the former returned from the Vietnam War. Mary is looking for her missing father when she encounters an imperiled John. And as she rescues him from a demon, the two are propelled into an unexpected, high-stakes monster-hunting adventure. Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly are leading The Winchesters cast as John and Mary, with Nida Khurshid, Jonathan Fleites, Demetria McKinney, and Bianca Kajlich appearing in key roles. Although the feel, tone, and premise of The Winchesters wholly depart from Supernatural's, the lead stars are still seeking guidance from the original cast, hoping to honor the legacy of the much-beloved parent series.
In a new interview with TVLine, Rodger and Donnelly shine some light on Ackles' involvement in the Supernatural spin-off show, detailing the support he provided them to prepare for their new roles. During the filming of the pilot, in particular, Ackles was on the sets daily, and he familiarized the new leads with the Supernatural universe, giving them useful advice and notes for approaching their characters. Read what Donnelly says below:
"He was on set every single day of the pilot, just like being super collaborative, giving us notes, telling us about the universe that we might not know about. So it was really good insight."
When the show was first announced, The Winchesters immediately ran into controversy after Padelecki called out Ackles for keeping him out of the loop about the prequel TV show. The stars were quick to resolve their differences, however, and Padelecki has since extended his support for the show. As for Ackles, his new roles in The Boys and Big Sky have been keeping him busy, yet he is intimately fulfilling his commitment to The Winchesters. But for when Ackles isn't available, the spin-off's cast leans into the performances and stories from the original show, drawing inspiration for their work. As Rodger acknowledges, Jeffrey Dean Morgan's portrayal as the adult John in Supernatural has really helped him prepare for his role, defining the path and trajectory his character will chart.
Although fans are passionately looking forward to the expansion of the Supernatural franchise, the continuity issues posed by The Winchesters have cast some doubts about the new show. Rodger and Donnelly's new comments about Ackles' association with the series should ease some of these tensions, as he obviously knows what he is doing and what loyalists expect from his prequel show. With both new and old stars working together, all the coherence issues will surely be addressed, allowing The Winchesters to properly fit into Supernatural's canon. To learn more, audiences need to keep their eyes peeled, as a release date announcement for The Winchesters seems to be just around the corner.
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