Last week at the Television Critics Association press tour, CW president Mark Pedowitz made his thoughts public on the possibility of a spinoff to the network’s beloved horror series Supernatural, which is now filming its fifteenth and final season. Pedowitz says that he believes that the show should not have a spinoff as the heart of the series is the bond between Sam and Dean Winchester, who are played by Jared Padaleck and Jensen Ackles, respectively. Following Pedowitz’s comments, the cast of the show has talked on why they think past efforts to produce a spinoff to the show have failed.
The CW tried twice to produce spinoff series to Supernatural. The first, Bloodlines, would have centered around rival gangs of demon hunters and monsters in Chicago. The second, Wayward Sisters, would have followed a group of female hunters. Both series got backdoor pilots on episodes of Supernatural. While Bloodlines was largely panned, Wayward Sisters was met with a great deal of acclaim, shocking fans when the network decided not to pick up the series.
Commenting on Pedowitz’s opinion that Supernatural should not have spinoffs at a recent fan convention, Padalecki expressed disagreement, saying that he felt that the two backdoor pilots were top notch episodes. Padalecki feels that The CW chose not to move forward with both series because it didn’t make good business sense for the network at the time. While saying that it is humbling to be on television playing the same character for fifteen years, Padalecki says that some of his favorite scenes in recent seasons are those where he and co-star Jensen Ackles are not featured on screen. Padalecki feels that these scenes expand the show’s universe and is hopeful for a spinoff in the future that delves further into Supernatural’s fictional setting.
Alexander Calvert, who plays the Nephilim Jack, was a bit more cautious on if he thought that a spinoff to Supernatural could ever work. Calvert reminded audiences that the main reason he was hired in season 12 was so Padalecki and Ackles would have less screen time and, thus, be able to spend more time with their families. Calvert believes that his character is written to serve storylines that center around the Winchester Brothers, implying that Jack would not be interesting enough to carry his own show. Ackles also spoke briefly about the idea of spinoff series, saying that he felt that only one that could work would center around Misha Collins’s character Castiel and his angel allies.
Supernatural’s final season premieres on October 10.
