Jensen Ackles had been trying to re-home The CW’s fantasy drama.
The stars of Supernatural have spoken out on the cancellation of prequel series The Winchesters, which won’t be continuing past its first season.
The fantasy drama chronicles the love story between Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) and John Winchester (Drake Rodger), who would eventually go on to parent the demon-hunting brothers of the original series.
Last month, The CW announced it would not be renewing the show for a second season, amid a major pivot towards unscripted and low-cost programming at the once-dominant youth network.
However, there had been hope that The Winchesters would continue at a streaming service, with the original series maintaining strong popularity on Netflix, where all 15 seasons are available in the US.
Supernatural co-star Jensen Ackles served as executive producer and narrator on The Winchesters and led a social media campaign to save the show, with some fans hoping his existing relationship with Prime Video could bring about a rescue.
However, the actor has now confirmed that attempts to find a new home have been unsuccessful, citing unfortunate timing as the key factor as negotiations were wedged between The CW’s restructure and the ongoing writers strike.
He tweeted: “To all of you who watched, followed, and supported this story, THANK YOU. And to all those who brought this show to life… I couldn’t be more proud of what we all did together.
“But as they say… timing is everything. With a massive Network shift coupled with an industry strike… welp… that’s some unfortunate timing. Sleep well dear, Winchesters… until we meet again. Somewhere down the road.”
To all of you who watched, followed, and supported this story, THANK YOU. And to all those who brought this show to life…I couldn’t be more proud of what we all did together. But as they say…timing is everything. With a massive Network shift coupled with an industry… pic.twitter.com/qqDD9WC0KA
— Jensen Ackles (@JensenAckles) June 3, 2023
Fellow Supernatural alum Misha Collins, who had expressed an interest in reprising his role of Castiel in The Winchesters, also responded to news that the show had met an early end.
“I know the whole Winchesters team poured their hearts into this project and I do sincerely hope that this is just another crossroads on the long Supernatural journey and that there is a long road ahead,” he said in a social media post.
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At the time of writing, The CW has cancelled almost its entire slate, with exceptions being sports drama All American and western reboot Walker, which features Supernatural’s Jared Padalecki in the title role.
Fans are anxiously awaiting word on Superman & Lois, Gotham Knights and All American: Homecoming, which the network is yet to announce a decision on, but its thought that at least one will live to see another season.
Check out more of our Fantasy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
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