Supernatural, one of the CW’s longest-running shows, is currently filming its 14th season. Though the fan-favorite has attempted to launch two spin-offs, the heads of the CW say they won’t attempt that again. According to TV Line, CW President Mark Pedowitz addressed the attempts during a press event for the Television Critics Association on Monday.
When asked what makes the show work and why spin-off attempts have been unsuccessful, Pedowitz said: “I am concerned… it may be [stars] Jared [Padalecki] and Jensen [Ackles]. And there may not be a franchise beyond that.” He added that he’d still like to hear any ideas the producers have acknowledging that “it [Supernatural] is a great franchise.”
Both spin-off attempts have been dubbed “back-door spin-offs” where the pilot or test episode is featured in the Supernatural season run. The first attempt was to be called Supernatural: Bloodlines. The theme for the show was that it would be a “sweeping drama about the mafia-esque monster families that, unknowingly to humans, run the underbelly of Chicago and who are being tracked by a newly minted hunter.” The pilot premiered in Season 9 but was never picked up.
The second attempt at a Supernatural spin-off garnered more fanfare. It was to be called Wayward Sisters, and would feature fan favorite Jody Mills, played by Kim Rhodes, as a sort of mentor to a group of troubled teens: Claire Novak (Kathryn Newton) and Alex Jones (Katherine Ramdeen), Mills’ surrogate daughters, the psychic granddaughter of Missouri Moseley, Patience Turner (Clark Backo) and dreamwalker Kaia (Yadira Guevara-Prip). The women would also be joined by Sheriff Donna Hanscum (Briana Buckmaster), who first appeared in Season 9. The backdoor spin-off premiered in season 13, and though there had been much excitement surrounding it, the CW chose not to pursue it.
“We were very happy with the women who were in the Wayward Sisters spinoff. We had a certain number of slots this year. So it just didn’t get there,” said Pedowitz. Supernatural will celebrate its 300th episode this season. Pedowitz added that the episode will be “heartwarming” but will also feature “murder.”
Though they chose not to pursue a Supernatural spin-off, the network will be airing one based off of the Vampire Diaries and the Originals, called Legacies. The series will follow Hope Mikaelson, a 17-year-old tribrid (werewolf, vampire, witch) as she tries to maintain her powers while attending the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted, which is run by Caroline Forbes and Alaric Saltzman.
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