Season 13 of The CW’s longest-running show,Supernatural,was meant to set up a backdoor pilot for the much-anticipatedWayward Sistersspin-off. However, after the episode aired in 2018, the series never came to fruition. The show was initially slated to revolve around two beloved and well-established characters, Sheriff Jody Mills and Sheriff Donna Hanscum, as they guided a group of “wayward” teenage girls to become monster hunters like Sam and Dean Winchester.
In typicalSupernaturalfashion, each young girl was orphaned at some point due to a supernatural incident. They eventually found their way to the female-centered foster family created by Jody and Donna. With the upcoming prequel toSupernatural,The Winchesters, set to air in October, this failed pilot deserves another chance.
TheSupernaturalUniverse is vast and ripe with material for a multitude of spin-offs, which begs the question as to whyWayward Sisterswas not kept in the fray. According toDeadline, CW president Mark Pedowitz didn’t believe the potential series was “creatively where it needed to be,” ultimately leading to its demise. It was the second attempt by The CW to expand theSupernaturalUniverse.
Four years earlier, during Season 9 of the series, another backdoor pilot titledBloodlinesaired, but to no avail. Despite two previously failed spin-off pilots, The CW’s third attempt at a spin-off is happening, and fans are excited. Wouldn’t a properly developedWayward Sisters series have the same effect and excite the fanbase asThe Winchestersseems to be doing? The concept is worth exploring.
The Supernatural Universe Would Benefit from More Female-Driven Perspectives
In the early years ofSupernatural, complaints of misogyny were not uncommon. The show relied on overused tropes and cliches when it came to showcasing its female characters. While there were hidden gems along the way with fellow hunters, such as the mother-daughter duo, Jo and Ellen, many female characters were simply a means to an end and ultimately fell flat.
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Fans will recall that the opening scenes involve a screaming female. However, as the show progressed over its 15-year span, they slowly learned from their mistakes. They introduced strong, multifaceted female characters such as Mary Winchester, Rowena, Jody Mills, and Claire Novak. All of which were integral parts of the show’s storytelling rather than characters restricted to the sidelines.
Jody Mills and Claire Novak specifically brought a uniquely different perspective to the series and were slated to be focal points of the now-axedWayward Sistersspin-off. Jody Mills was an intelligent, small-town sheriff who learned about monsters and hunting thingsvia Sam and Dean. She managed to adapt quickly and faced a few monsters on her own. Claire Novak was the smart, witty, and somewhat troubled teen who discovered the world of supernatural things when her father, Jimmy Novak, became the vessel for the angel Castiel. Exploring the dynamics of this de facto mother and daughter team was exactly what theSupernaturalUniverse needed to counter its early mistakes.
Furthermore, with a greenlight on theWayward Sistersseries, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, who played the Winchester brothers, would surely be able to make a few cameo appearances and reprise their roles as Sam and Dean. Bothstars have statedon many occasions that neither is finished playing the monster hunting duo.
The Winchesters Prequel Could Create Some Continuity Issues Whereas Wayward Sisters Would Not
The story of Mary and John Winchester has been rehashed quite a few times over the history of theSupernaturalseries. While many avid fans grow more excited about the premiere of the spin-off slated next month, there are some valid questions regarding the continuity of the existence of such a prequel. When theSupernaturalpilot aired back in 2005, John Winchester knew nothing about monsters.
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Only after the death of Mary at the hands of the Demon Azazel did he take on the family business of “saving people and hunting things.” While Jensen Ackles, who is an executive producer on the show as well as its narrator,promises fansthe show “may not be what you expected,” it is worth noting that a memory wipe for John would be a bit lame.
Despite assurances from Ackles, the potential for continuity errors seems massive, given what fans already know about John and Mary. Rather than retelling previously establishedSupernaturalcanon, a spin-off such asWayward Sisterswould allow for a wider net to be cast within theSupernaturalUniverse. Furthermore, given its placement within the original show’s existence, it wouldn’t pose the same inherent threat to continuity asThe Winchesters. Such a series would create fresh ideas and richer storylines for beloved characters as well as new ones.
However, given the hype surroundingThe Winchesters, set to air on July 25, 2025, maybe its success will give otherSupernaturalspin-offs likeWayward Sistersthe second chance they rightfully deserve.
