Two Takes: Why We Want The Winchesters to Stick Around 

It’s common knowledge the CW dropped the ax on a few series we were all hoping would get the greenlight for additional seasons. The one we’re going to discuss here — and we happen to be the most connected to — is the Supernatural prequel known as The Winchesters.

After the cancellation news, the show’s EP/boss, Jensen Ackles, unleashed a message on the twitter-verse to ignite the show’s (and his) considerable and vocal fanbase. The mission? Nothing short of saving The Winchesters. The Texas actor quote tweeted an EW article saying: “Looks like we got work to do.” 

His tweet instantly caused waves and reactions from Ackles’ friends and the fans who watched and enjoyed the first season of the series. The “Save The Winchesters” hashtag trended for quite a while, at one point, racking up over 70,000 tweets. 

Ackles tag-teamed his tweet with an instagram message that came complete with an emotional video seemingly edited, exported and uploaded in record time to help gear everyone up for the good fight. 

Photo Credit: Matt Miller/The CW

For this fight, we are resurrecting our Two Takes articles to discuss the reason why we love The Winchesters and feel it should be saved. We’re hoping a streaming platform will take a chance on a show that has so much going for it. So, come on, Prime Video, Netflix or even MAX. Make it happen, mmmkay?

[WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD]

Tina: OK, Cortney. Time to dust the cobwebs off of Two Takes and do our part to help #SaveTheWinchesters. The mothership that is Supernatural has always elicited feelings of hope, loyalty, inspiration and devotion. That didn’t just stop at 15 years and 327 episodes of television. It’s kept going and going and going. 

But before we get into the nitty gritty of our love and devotion, let’s first talk about our road to The Winchesters so far. Because our experiences are different. I first started watching Supernatural during the first season way back in 2005. The show quickly proved it had the power to inspire so I ended up blogging the show for about eight or nine seasons, first for TVGuide.com then my own site, TV Goodness. And when The Winchesters started, I was there. It didn’t hook me right away, but eventually it did. And when I watched the season (hopefully not series) finale, I knew I had to get you into it. I hope you don’t mind. 

Cortney: Mind?! Not in the least! I’ve loved every second of this wonderfully intense, fully immersive Supernatural universe catch-up the past few months! And yes, that’s where our stories differ. For you it’s been years, for me, months. So, I know you know all of this since you’ve been my SPN guru every step of the way, but for the readers, here’s my backstory. Starting in early-to-mid-2022, you began suggesting we watch Supernatural together and even though I was a big fan of Jensen from The Boys and later Big Sky, I was hesitant to start — 15 seasons feels so overwhelming!! Especially for a show I knew nothing about! 

So, despite your nudges and the fact I trust you implicitly on all things TV, I dragged my feet. And dragged my feet. And dragged my feet some more on meeting Dean and Sam. But when fall 2022 came around and The Winchesters debuted, I decided to give it a try as a way to dive into this world. And like you, it didn’t hook me. I liked some of the characters and saw the potential, but I just didn’t feel connected to it and I knew that there were a lot of references and easter eggs going over my head so I felt like I was missing out. After an episode and a half, I decided to put a pin in it and potentially return to it someday down the road… and I am so grateful I did.

Photo Credit: Robert Falconer/The CW

Cut to late December 2022, when all our other shows were on winter break, I finally decided to rip the bandaid off and get started on Supernatural. I assumed we would watch one season and then put it back on the shelf until our other shows went on another break, at which point we’d get to the next season and so on and so forth. Of course, best laid plans and all because I was almost immediately hooked and by early April, we had finished all 15 seasons (I’ll let the readers do the math on how many episodes that was per night!), during which time I laughed, I cried, I got mad, I got inspired, I watched panels and parodies and learned how dedicated the fanbase is, and I developed a level of enthusiasm and investment that felt far more deeply-rooted than a few months and made me wish it wasn’t over yet. 

Tina: Don’t forget about the gag reels we watched after we finished each season. 

Cortney: Oh gosh, how could I have forgotten the gag reels?! After each season finale, the screen had barely cut to black before we were already on YouTube looking for the line-flubs and random dancing and friendly teasing! I absolutely love when casts really genuinely like each other and get along and can laugh on set, so those gag reels were definitely the icing on the cake at the end of each season. Which is just another reason reaching the end was so bittersweet, but fortunately, you had been spoiler-free gushing about The Winchesters and suggested we start it right after and given how right you were about the original, I knew better than to question you (not to mention I wasn’t ready to leave the Supernatural world quite yet) so we jumped right in. 

Photo Credit: Matt Miller/The CW

And I have to say, it was a TOTALLY different experience than when I originally watched the premiere. All the references made sense and I felt more invested in the characters and I was excited to see the team take down monsters (which meant nothing to me on my first watch) and everything had more depth and meaning than the first time around. Of course I also had more questions, but we can get to those later. Suffice it to say, I was totally on board and as soon as the final episode cut to black, I knew we needed more. More of the amazing main characters. More of the amazing supporting characters. More of the characters we didn’t see enough of. And more of the mothership characters, both those who appeared in the first season and those who will hopefully appear in the next. All of which I’m sure we’re about to discuss as we resurrect Two Takes after a five-year hiatus to help #SaveTheWinchesters. Where do we want to go next?

Tina: I will say, upon binging Supernatural with you and then following it up with another run at The Winchesters, it made for an even better, more emotional experience. Not sure why other than I had re-immersed myself in the universe and it had been a while since I had consumed more than an episode or two at a time. I was super attached and The Winchesters enabled that attachment to continue. 

The folks behind Supernatural have tried the spinoff thing before. First with the very skippable Bloodlines and then with the very robbed of its existence that was the Wayward Sisters. Robbed, I tell you! I don’t mind admitting when I first heard the spinoff that would actually make it to air would focus on John and Mary Winchester, I was a bit concerned or skeptical. Mary was a major presence on the mothership, especially in the last few seasons. John’s spirit lived on through his boys the entire series. Plus, he made an appearance in the 300th episode. Did we need more of these two? I wasn’t so sure. But I clearly needed to eat my words. I am happy I trusted Mr. Jensen Ackles, his wife Danneel Harris Ackles and executive producer Robbie Thompson and got on board with the fact we were getting a John and Mary history lesson. Or should I say getting an exploration of their greatest hits — the early years (or so we originally thought)? What did you think of this laser focus on John and Mary circa the 1970s? I really think it started with the casting. 

Photo Credit: Matt Miller/The CW

Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly won me over pretty quickly. While their characters took time to gel (I actually thought that John and Lata had more chemistry at first), I really saw why John and Mary were destined to be the mom and dad of our favorite demon-hunting and super hot brothers in any and every reality. 

And even better than that, it was clear how Rodger and Donnelly were true leaders on and off the set. They were so excited to talk about The Winchesters. They took the time to learn about the intricacies of the mothership and its fandom. Drake used to watch and be a fan of the OG series. Plus, they regularly put themselves out there on social media, especially on Instagram. And they weren’t afraid to poke a little fun at Jensen’s expense when it came to his social media know-how, or should I say don’t-know-how? Yes. I’m okay saying that.  

Cortney: Yess, I’m so glad you brought this up. As I mentioned above, I absolutely love it when casts adore each other and are friends and can tease each other in real life, I genuinely think you can feel that come through on the screen in a show like this, and the fact that they committed themselves to truly do right by the history of the show and the very dedicated fandom, I don’t think you could’ve asked for better for a show like this. Ultimately, I think that is a big part of the reason that the #SaveTheWinchesters campaign took off in the way that it did.

Photo Credit: Eliot Brasseaux/The CW

But back to Mary and John. You mentioned being skeptical at first and I have to say that I agree; however, for slightly different reasons. For me, seeing John and Mary together in the 300th episode of Supernatural for the first time at that age and seeing the connection they still had after all those years apart actually made me want to see more of their backstory. I just loved that episode and their scenes together. My concern for the spinoff was more from the casting side. Supernatural did such an amazing job casting a strong, young Mary for those Dean time-travel episodes and she was so fresh in my mind that I worried I wouldn’t be able to see the spinoff Mary without comparing them. 

Photo Credit: Dean Buscher/The CW

And then with John, Jeffrey Dean Morgan has such a specific energy and presence that is so John to me that I struggled to imagine how they could cast someone as a lead in a series who I would truly believe could grow into Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s John. As we both know, there are many shows that cast younger versions of familiar characters either within the show or as part of a spinoff and sometimes they absolutely hit the nail on the head (most recently with Queen Charlotte) and other times it’s so off and unbelievable that it takes you out of story. So going in, those were my concerns – will I be able to see OUR John and Mary in these new actors. Of course, if I knew then what I know now thanks to that episode 13 twist, it wouldn’t have been as much of a concern, but as things were, those were the thoughts running through my head.

Fortunately, just as they did with you, Meg and Drake won me over pretty quickly. While they weren’t exact replicas of our John and Mary, there was still something about them that made it easy for me to see their potential to reach that point. Of course, John was a bit further when the show started since he was new to the game, but the essence was still there and like you, I definitely saw their chemistry grow as the season progressed. But these two were not the only characters that drew me in. 

What I really, really, really loved about this show is how much of a true ensemble it is and how strong each of the actors and characters are. You and I watch a lot of shows with big ensemble casts and on average, I will say that I don’t always love all the characters. Not saying it doesn’t happen, it does, but it’s more the exception than the rule. Usually I really really love some characters and think one or two characters are the weak link and I find myself far less interested when they come on screen. And yet, with this show, I feel like everyone was so layered and well fleshed out, and executed in a way that I felt invested in practically everyone’s journey. And you could pair any of the two of them up and really believe in the friendship and see the uniqueness in each connection, which is rare and another thing that I loved. 

Even the supporting characters, which I have to take a second to give props to the creative team here for how exceptionally well they integrated the supporting characters, mainly Millie and Ada. 

Photo Credit: Eliot Brasseaux/The CW

I can say without hesitation that Millie is one of my favorite characters on the show and I feel like she could’ve easily been slotted into the thankless mom role, only there to provide the Winchester family backstory or to tell John to be safe and provide moral guidance. But thankfully, the writers bypassed that cliche and made her so much more, putting her in the middle of many battles and not just for the sake of being there but to really bring her own unique skills and talents in a way that no other character could. In my eyes, she was a major part of the Scooby gang and I loved that. Ada as well. Granted, she was missing for a chunk of the season when she was off with Samuel, but I still loved every time she joined the team and was able to work her magic. Both literally and figuratively. To me, they really added to the cast. 

Tina: Since you started discussing Ada and Mille (we’ll get to Carlos and Lata in just a bit), I’m going to pipe in here. Yes, the adults were an integral part of the gang. Not just talk-tos. Robbie Thompson and his writing crew (we are pro writers here at TV Goodness. Hopefully, the writers’ strike will end soon in FAVOR of the WGA) gave Demetria McKinney (Ada) and Bianca Kajlich (Millie) several chances to shine. And I loved that for them and for me. To see the connection Millie and her son John have was wonderful. And to find out the story behind Ada’s son, well, it was heartbreaking but it added to the character’s depth. I didn’t love that Ada went MIA for episodes, but I was still impressed with what we learned about her and her strength and her story. Okay, back to you.

Cortney: I completely agree. Great points to highlight and I’m hopeful that if it gets a second season, we’ll get more of Tony. I would love to see him join the team on a semi-regular basis, in addition to actually seeing the relationship between him and Lata bloom, rather than just hearing about it. 

On that note, let’s move over to Lata and Carlos and what Nida Khurdish and Jojo Fleites brought to those roles. This friendship was everything to me. There was something about it that just felt so natural and brought me such joy. Especially the rapid-fire bickering that can only happen between true friends. The scene outside the van where they’re discussing Carlos and Anton was one of my favorites. And then the “I told you,” “no, I told you” scene where they officially found out John and Mary were together: another favorite.

Not to mention, the fact they each had their own emotional and fleshed-out backstories and we got to meet people from each of their pasts, which once again, being that they’re not Winchesters, could’ve easily been minimized or overlooked. I just appreciate the creatives so much for seeing the value in that. There is so much more I could say about why I adore Carlos and Lata, Tina, but I know they’re two of your favorites as well, so I’ll pass the baton.

Photo Credit: Eliot Brasseaux/The CW

Tina: Don’t mind if I do. The Carlos and Lata characters are new to this multi metaverse. Well, somewhat new. There was a mention of a Carlos on the mothership. Well, Carlos and Lata are my favorite friends on The Winchesters. They’re beautiful. They’re full of light. They’re magical. They’re complex. They’re both surprising. And they both give great dialogue. Learning about each of them was a joy. Carlos was such a well-drawn character. And, by the end of the series, we had a better sense of how much of a rock star Lata was. JoJo and Nida stood alongside Drake and Meg and they gave back all the love fans had been showing them. So it didn’t matter whether Carlos was singing or facing his military past; and whether Lata figured out how an ancient artifact would work to their benefit or whether we learned about her traumatic past. The two besties became integral and valuable members of our little Scooby Gang. I want their stories to continue.

You know what else I’d like to see continued? Bringing back familiar faces from the OG series. We ended up getting drive-bys from the likes of Loki, Rowena, Henry Winchester, Bobby Singer and Jack. There’s the potential to see so much more. So this show needs to come back and slay us with amazing returns. Don’t you think?

Cortney:  100%. There are many reasons we need another season of this show, but this is one of the big ones for me. And according to an interview I read with Jensen, they’ve already started working on ideas to bring back more mothership alums, including those who have reached out to him saying they wished they could’ve been part of season one, which I love. The ideas are there! The interest is there! It needs to happen! But before we get to my “wish list” of familiar faces for season two, let’s revisit those who graced our screen in season one. 

While every one of the returns gave me all the nostalgia feels, I have to say that Loki may have been my favorite. Possibly because he was such a driving force and integral part of his episode as the weekly foe, but also in part because I always find his episodes to be so clever and well done. Not to mention that Richard Speight Jr. always brings it. And this time was no exception. 

That being said, I also loved Rowena working alongside Ada, the return of God!Jack and Bobby, the amazing rescue by Baby (who’s return made me VERY emotional)… 

Tina: Yessssss. Baby. I felt goosebumps when I saw her again. She’s so ingrained in the very fabric of Supernatural. And for her to make the jump to The Winchesters, it was everything to me, too. 

Cortney: Right?! Many shows have tried to make vehicles “characters”, but few, if any, have succeeded in the way that Baby did for me. I saw her as a loyal character (perhaps the most loyal) and her episode continues to be one of my favorites.  And of course, you can’t have Baby without the familiar face we had been waiting for all season long, Dean. Where to start with Dean?? 

Photo Credit: Eliot Brasseaux/The CW

We could probably write a whole article on him, but I’ll do my best to keep it brief and start by saying I loved absolutely everything about his return. You and I have had many conversations about the Supernatural finale and our feelings about how everything played out, so when you told me that The Winchesters finale built upon that in a way that you felt gave you closure, I was eager to see what exactly that looked like. First off, I’ll say, seeing an older Dean Winchester in the finale was everything I had hoped for and more. 

Something about seeing that he’d “aged” and his style progressed despite being in heaven, just brought me an odd sense of peace. But what really hit home for me was the fact that this was the same Dean that we knew and loved. He and Baby weren’t just cruising in heaven while chaos reigned down below. He was still working to make the world (or should I say worlds) a better place and to protect those he loved. That is quintessential Dean and I loved seeing that even though he had died (far too soon in our opinions), he hadn’t been completely sidelined. I could go on and on about this, but I know you have strong feelings so passing it over to you. 

Tina: I mean what can I say about Dean Winchester that hasn’t been said already? At first I was satisfied with his series premiere appearance, and his narration in the various episodes of The Winchesters. And then the photo of the mystery guy popped up within the story and my excitement quadrupled. And then what they did with him in the finale, was beyond epic. 

Image: Warner Bros. TV/MAX

First of all the peacoat and turtleneck and the longer hair — I know for some it took them out of the story, but I was cool with it because we all know Dean likes to dress in the wardrobe of whatever time he finds himself inhabiting. And the Robert Redford circa ‘70s style he chose to emulate was a chef’s kiss look. For that alone I’m grateful to the show for enabling Dean to be Dean and make sure his brother is safe to live his life free from global/multiverse disaster-level type situations and beyond. 

I’m a fan who didn’t despise the Supernatural series finale. But I also love the notion that being dead didn’t stop Dean Winchester from having an impact. It’s totally plausible he would do whatever it takes to keep everyone safe. That’s who he is. And being in heaven isn’t going to stop someone like him. So by the end of The Winchesters finale, I felt… I don’t know. I felt at peace. And it gave me a sense of closure for the character I didn’t know I needed. Actually, the first time I finished the finale I laid in a fetal position for about fifteen minutes afterward and processed what I had seen. There may have been tears. After that, the peace came. Embarrassing but true.

Cortney: I love that. I can’t say there was a fetal position happening here, but there definitely may have been tears. Especially when Dean spoke of “writing your own story” and then seeing him give John his first journal and Mary the colt, both critical elements in the original.  And I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention what Dean’s return brought not only to the show, but also to the gag reel. The Winchesters’ gag reel was filled with so many gems of Jensen joking with Jim (Bobby) and Alex (Jack) and Tom (Samuel), as well as the main cast, which had me laughing out loud even after multiple watches and once again, added to the experience. 

But back to Dean, you summed it up perfectly and I don’t think there is much for me to add besides to say that even though his appearance did give me a sense of closure to his Supernatural story, it’s not the type of closure where I feel there is no more story for him in the world of The Winchesters. The impact he had on the team in the finale was big and I think there is definitely more that they will want to know about the concept of multiple worlds (which was a genius twist that clarified so much of my confusion in one fell swoop) and why “James Hetfield” was so emotionally invested in their survival. I mentioned above that I had a wish list for familiar faces I want to see in season two and Dean continues to be at the top of that list. 

Photo Credit: Diyah Pera/The CW

Additionally, I would love to see Charlie. I think she, Carlos and Lata would make a fun trio. I would also love to see Jody, Donna and Eileen. Not sure how that would work given the timeline, but I adore them all and they are badass women and I need more of them. Next up, Ellen. Millie reminds me of Ellen a bit so I feel like the two of them would hit it off. 

And I definitely felt like we lost her too soon in the original. Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s John. I know seeing him with Drake’s John would mess with the laws of the universe and probably cause the earth to start rotating backwards, but I think it would be fun to see him with Millie and some of the other characters. As far as foes, I think Billie/Death would be a nice addition to this world, as well as a “younger” Crowley, who I feel was cut too abruptly on the mothership. 

And finally, coming back to Jensen in a non-Dean capacity, I’m hopeful a second season will also mean a chance for Jensen to step behind the camera and put on his director’s hat once again. I know you and I both loved many of the creative choices he made when he directed episodes of the original, including “Atomic Monsters” and “Weekend at Bobby’s”, so I would love to see what he comes up with on The Winchesters. 

Photo Credit: Eliot Brasseaux/The CW

Tina: I’m with you on Jensen being able to direct The Winchesters someday (soon). It better happen. And I would also love to see how they’d be able to fit Sam and Cas in since they were such major forces in our reality. I don’t want to see the same versions. I want them to give us new spins on these various characters.

Overall, for me, my takeaway from why I hope the show continues in some form or fashion on another channel / platform / network or whatever… It’s because I love the characters that we’ve known for almost two decades like Dean, Mary and John. I love the characters we were introduced to like Lata, Carlos, Millie and Ada. And even more importantly, I adore the people who play them. It’s the individuals who poured passion into their roles in front of the camera and behind the scenes. I didn’t think they would pull off The Winchesters. And they did. I’m so happy I was wrong. And I own that. The future is limitless thanks to discovering this version of Mary and John aren’t the Mama and Big Daddy Winchester we’ve learned about for years. I would love the opportunity to get to know them and their pack even further. Make it happen, people! 

We have faith that The Winchesters will carry on. #SaveTheWinchesters