‘The Winchesters’ Review: Pilot is A Supernatural Failure

The CW’s latest addition "The Winchesters" is an ultimate bust, with poor writing and a cliché plot. The pilot fails in establishing an engaging prequel to the original cult-acclaimed series and falls flat in its delivery.

The CW’s longest running show "Supernatural" premiered in September of 2005. 15 seasons and 327 episodes later, "Supernatural" has cultivated and retained a devoted fanbase, changing the lives of fans around the country. Some devotees have gotten quotes and symbols of the show permanently tattooed on their bodies, while others have found community among fellow “Supernatural” fans, tuning in to every season for the comfort the characters provide.

A prequel to “Supernatural,” "The Winchesters" tells the epic, “untold” love story of John Winchester (Drake Rodger) and Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) as they hunt ghosts, demons, and other supernatural beings. What’s mildly confusing about this new show is that the original series has opened and already closed the story of Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padelecki) Winchester’s parents. "The Winchesters" seems to believe that "Supernatural" left John and Mary’s origin up for interpretation and aims to remedy a problem that does not exist. Furthermore, the prequel completely rewrites this established storyline. In "Supernatural," John knew absolutely nothing about demons, is saved by Mary, and falls in love; in "The Winchesters," both their fathers have gone missing due to "Supernatural" forces and they are forced to save the world together.

When the spin-off show was announced, fans and former cast members alike were caught off-guard. After the news broke in June 2022, actor Jared Padelecki tweeted, “Wish I heard about this some way other than Twitter. I’m excited to watch, but bummed that Sam Winchester had no involvement whatsoever.” From then on, it was pretty clear that this new CW show was off to a rocky start, but it would not stop some fans from wanting to tune in and re-experience the magic from the original series.

"The Winchesters" copies and pastes the "Supernatural" formula, but unfortunately falls short in making the show stand out. In the premiere of “Supernatural,” brothers Sam and Dean were reunited because, as Dean says: “Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.” In “The Winchesters,” John and Mary are united because both their fathers have gone missing while hunting demons, leaving a slew of perfectly laid out clues for them to uncover and have romantic tension over. Mary reuses Dean’s line, saying, “Dad called me from the road. Said he was being followed by demons and that he’d meet me at home, but he never showed.” As this recycled line of dialogue suggests, the show’s plot is unoriginal, unextraordinary, and ultimately boring: Viewers have already seen this story play out on screen hundreds of times before. Yes, daddy issues are interesting and, yes, they seem to be a staple in CW shows; however, the "Supernatural" writers have already made 15 seasons on this same plot. Furthermore, this prequel completely disregards the previously established origin of John and Mary, retconning it for one unrecognizable to original fans.

Even if you’re not a fan of the previous series and you just want to tune in for a fun, late-night watch, the show is difficult to follow. If "The Winchesters" is rewriting “Supernatural,” perhaps wanting to reach more fans is the reason. If that were true, there would be the usual CW flair, with jokes and genuine fun thrown into the pilot to make viewers pay attention. While other CW shows such as “Riverdale” and “The Flash” have a “so bad, it’s good” appeal, "The Winchesters" is a jumbled mess that forgets how to entertain its audience. Even when “Supernatural” lulled, the show still remembered how to amuse viewers by way of fun, fast-paced monster hunting and outlandish, recurring gags. Although "The Winchesters" seems to be reusing plot points from the original series, it does not borrow this beloved convention — save for two exorcisms set to classic rock music and poor fights shot in hilariously slow motion.

One of few scenes from this show that has any emotional resonance or major "Supernatural" magic to it was at the end when the camera cuts to Dean (Jensen Ackles) with his back against his infamous Impala, notebook in hand as he writes about his parents. Here, it is clear that Dean is on a journey to uncover how Mary and John got together. Although the story is changed and Ackles has aged, this scene felt intensely real, almost cinematic. Ackles’s return as Dean makes the pilot close to worthwhile. As he drives his memorable 1967 Chevy Impala off into gray skies and everlasting fields, he says, “Now, I know this story might sound familiar, but I’m going to put the pieces together in a way that just might surprise you.”

Perhaps this final scene is hinting that the writers of "The Winchesters" are leaving their roots behind and starting something new. The real question is: Are they headed in a good direction?

So far, this doesn’t seem to be the case.