The Supernatural spinoff, The Winchesters, made one crucial mistake that doomed the show from the start. Premiering in 2005, Supernatural ran for an impressive 15 seasons, developing a passionate fan base along the way. As many know, the show centers on brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester as they travel across the country “saving people and hunting things.“ But what begins as a cross-country monster hunt soon turns into a battle to save the world, as Sam and Dean face off against demons and angels alike.
Almost immediately after Supernatural‘s divisive series finale, speculation began on whether the show would ever return. Before long, Jensen Ackles announced that he and his wife, Daneel Ackles, were working on a Supernatural prequel following a young Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) and John Winchester (Drake Rodger). However, when the first trailer dropped for The Winchesters, fans were quick to point out that the story didn’t match up with what had been revealed in Supernatural. The Winchesters’ finale explained the reason behind this, but the show may have been more successful if it had revealed the truth at the beginning.
The Winchesters’ Finale Revealed The Show Was Set In An Alternate Universe
The Winchesters Was Never A True Prequel To Supernatural
Dean Winchester returns in The Winchesters series finale, revealing that the events of the show have been set in an alternate universe. The Mary and John that viewers had been following for 12 episodes were not the same ones who gave birth to the Sam and Dean Winchester of Supernatural. Supernatural had already introduced the multiverse years before, revealing the existence of different versions of beloved characters. Additionally, with its finale reveal, The Winchesters explores what happened to Dean after his death in the Supernatural finale.
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8 Times Supernatural Broke Its Own Timeline
Supernatural developed a complex mythology throughout its fifteen seasons, and sometimes the show broke its own timeline or altered its own canon.
After Dean arrived in Heaven, he spent some time cruising in his 1967 Chevrolet Impala (affectionately nicknamed “Baby”). During this time, Dean began exploring the multiverse, searching for a version of his family that got a happy ending. Along the way, Dean discovers a threat to the entire multiverse, including the universe where Sam is still living out the rest of his life. This motivates Dean (and Baby) to help John and Mary save the day, giving the eldest Winchester brother one last chance to save the world and providing an opening for him to return in the future.
Dean Should’ve Visited The Winchesters’ Alternate Universe In Episode 1 Instead
The Winchesters Should’ve Presented Itself As An Alternate Universe Story From The Beginning
The Winchesters finale recontextualizes the entire season, turning it into more of an epilogue for Dean than a prequel to Supernatural. Unfortunately, this revelation came too late, as many viewers had already given up on The Winchesters by the time of its finale. Despite assurances from Jensen Ackles and the show’s creators that The Winchesters would not contradict Supernatural canon, it seemed to confirm fans’ worst fears. While the finale ultimately made up for some of The Winchesters’ failings, the show likely would have been more successful if it had revealed its big twist in episode one.
Although Dean appears in The Winchesters’ first episode (and narrates much of the series), the scene does not reveal that the show’s events occur in an alternate universe. This reveal would have established from the beginning how the show fit within Supernatural’s established canon and would have given viewers more reasons to watch. Dean’s death in Supernatural’s finale left many fans unhappy, and it would have been in The Winchesters’ best interest to advertise immediately that this was a continuation of Dean’s story.
The Winchesters Revealing The Twist Earlier Would’ve Made The Show More Interesting
The Winchesters Should’ve Embraced Its Alternate Universe Setting
Sam and Dean Winchester were always the heart of Supernatural, and they made even the mediocre episodes of the show worth watching. Meanwhile, the story of Mary and John Winchester had already been explored in Supernatural and was not something most fans had asked for. Giving Dean a larger presence in The Winchesters’ earliest episodes would have helped draw people into the show. It also would have been fun to see Dean pop up throughout the season, maybe narrating the differences between this universe and what he knew of his real parents.
I enjoyed The Winchesters more in hindsight after watching the finale, but I understand why some Supernatural fans bailed before they made it that far.
Alternate universe stories can undoubtedly be fun, but The Winchesters took way too long to reveal that this was the kind of story it was telling. I enjoyed The Winchesters more in hindsight after watching the finale, but I understand why some Supernatural fans bailed before they made it that far. Ultimately, The Winchesters would have been much more interesting if it had been clearly set up as an alternate universe series depicting a version of John and Mary Winchester who got a happy ending.
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- Release Date
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2022 – 2023-00-00
- Showrunner
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Glen Winter
- Directors
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Glen Winter
- Writers
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David Goodman
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8/10
- Release Date
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2005 – 2020
- Showrunner
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Eric Kripke
- Directors
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Philip Sgriccia, John F. Showalter, Kim Manners, Thomas J. Wright, Charles Beeson, Guy Norman Bee, Richard Speight Jr., Mike Rohl, John Badham, Steve Boyum, Amyn Kaderali, Jensen Ackles, Tim Andrew, Eduardo Sánchez, Jeannot Szwarc, P.J. Pesce, Nina Lopez-Corrado, James L. Conway, amanda tapping, J. Miller Tobin, Stefan Pleszczynski, John MacCarthy, Jerry Wanek, Ben Edlund
- Writers
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Meredith Glynn, Davy Perez, Raelle Tucker, Cathryn Humphris, Brett Matthews, Nancy Won, John Bring, Ben Acker, Daniel Knauf, David Ehrman, James Krieg, Trey Callaway
