Supernatural has been done for a little while now, but the mythology and stories surrounding it will live on in the prequel series, The Winchesters. When it was revealed that it would center on the story of Sam and Dean’s parents, John and Mary, and how they met, fans may have been perplexed. The parent show already explained how they met and revealed that John didn’t know about hunting until Mary’s death, so just how would this new series work? Well, franchise alum Jensen Ackles, who is one of the creative forces behind the new series, is revealing how it'll mix canon with new mythology.
Jensen Ackles previously explained that the prequel will tackle the Supernatural franchise’s mythos and add new elements. While doing so, he pointed out that the team would get to the waypoints established by the original series in a different way. Now, The Boys actor is adding to that sentiment, telling Variety just why he and wife Danneel Ackles decided to tell John and Mary’s story and how they wanted to approach it:
It is a great question, and it’s a question I’ve been asking myself for the past two years, since my wife and I first came up with the idea. We were sitting around when COVID hit going, ‘You know what would be cool? If we went back in time and we actually saw the story of mom and dad and how they met — but do it in a way that skews the narrative so that we hit those waypoints that we established on ‘Supernatural,’ but get you from A to B, B to C, C to D in a way that is really unexpected.’
The producer definitely has a tricky challenge ahead of him but, if anyone can nail the concept, it's him. And considering the manner in which the parent show ended, this was probably the best way to keep the Supernatural world alive.
Some may have mixed feelings about The Winchesters but, with Jensen Ackles working on the series, things seem to be in good hands. Ackles further discussed how he and his team are working to expand while also staying true to what's come before:
And then we found a way to continue that story in a way that might be surprising, but always keeping in our back pocket getting us back to the mythology that is established, which is not an easy task. It’s not an easy map to draw, but we’re doing our best.
As a fan of the original series, I was a little skeptical about how this series would work. I had reservations due to the fact that John and Mary’s story is already established, though I am curious to see how things come together. From the looks of the first trailer, it’s going to tell an interesting story. When it comes to fictional universes, I’m always up for digging deeper into mythology. Also, the love story between the two lead characters could make for some quality drama.
Jensen Ackles, who was pumped after the series got a pilot order from The CW, is set to reprise Dean Winchester in a narrator role for the spinoff. But could other franchise OGs make appearances? Richard Speight, Jr. and Rob Benedict, who portrayed fan-favorite characters Gabriel and God, respectively, shared their hopes of reprising their characters in the prequel series, noting that they “expect it” and they’re “excited about the possibility.”
Reservations aside, I'm cautiously hopeful that Jensen Ackles and co. can deftly balance the old and the new and create something unique. We'll see when the show arrives on The CW this fall. In the meantime, relive all 15 seasons of Supernatural by streaming them with the help of a Netflix subscription. You can also take a look at CinemaBlend's 2022 TV schedule for more on other shows that you can watch right now.
