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The thing about Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki’sSupernaturalis that once you fall in love with the Winchesters, it is practically impossible for you to get over them. The show has a total of fifteen seasons but we binge-watch them time and again as if it’s the first time. After all, it is our comfort show, alright. Yes, even with favorite characters dying and leaving us bawling in our pillows. (We are looking at you, Charlie!)
The unfortunate part about it all, though, is that while they tried their hardest to make spin-offs that would live up toSupernatural’s legacy, none of them could even come close. Whether it wasThe WinchestersorWayward Sisters,they just didn’t have the spark the OG show does. In fact, Jensen Ackles himself tried to cook up a spin-off of sorts but things didn’t really work out.
Jensen Ackles Decided to be Productive During Lockdown
When the pandemic hit planet Earth, we were all cooped up in our homes making fancy coffee and baking bread. However,Jensen Ackleswanted something more from his life. You wouldn’t expect a man who has spent more than half his life working in the entertainment industry to be content with having so much time off, that too against his will, would you?
“People don’t quite understand what 22 episodes are like”: A TV Legend Quit Supernatural after Season 5, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles Had to Power Through Alone
That’s when he had an idea to film him and his wife, Daneel Ackles, revisiting some iconicSupernaturalepisodes, straight from the comfort of their home. The biggest selling point of this “spinoff” was that whileSupernaturalwas obviously the actor’s second life, his wife had only seen a handful of episodes, despite being on the show herself.
Ackles got this idea fromJohn Krasinski’sSome Good News.During his appearance on theInside of Youpodcast, Ackles recalled,
Funny enough, during the lockdown last year, 2020, remember when [John] Krasinski did that ‘Some Good News’ thing? It was just from home and his kids were decorating the background and stuff. I saw a few episodes of that and it gave me an idea. I’m just there with Daneel and the kids. We’re just trying to not lose our minds. I can’t stay idle. Gotta do something creative.
While this seemed like every fan’s dream coming true, the idea never came to fruition due to a very valid reason.
Why the Spinoff Never Happened
It goes without saying that when the lead actor of your show has such an idea, the studios would want in. While it was supposed to be a fun and niche thing, TNT and CW were hawking the idea as if it was the best thing in the world.
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Suddenly, Ackles was offered to turn his little idea into a full-blown show with ten episodes, all to be released on broadcast television. Despite the actor having already shot the pilot withMisha Collins, he soon realized that he didn’t want this to turn into another job.
So we actually shot a pilot. We set up all the iPhones and iPads and made a set. We had Misha [Collins] call in as a Zoom guest and we critiqued his first episode, ‘Lazarus Rising’. We went and did an entire pilot. All of a sudden, TNT and CW were like, ‘We want it. We want you to do 10 episodes, one a week and we’re going to air it on broadcast television.’
After waiting for months to film the final two episodes ofSupernaturaland joining the cast ofThe BoysasSoldier Boy, Ackles passed on the show for good.
On the 2022 podcast episode, he said,
This was a year ago and I was like, ‘I can’t produce 10 episodes of television while I’m on lockdown with three kids. Just to have this conversation I’ve drugged all three of them and they’re in a pile in the other room. That’s not tenable. So we graciously passed but that led to some other cool stuff.
Luckily, Richard Speight Jr. and Rob Benedict who played the angel Gabriel and the literal God on the show got together to do something similar. The podcast is titledSupernatural: Then and Nowand was released just earlier this year with Ackles andJared Padaleckiguest starring on it, along with others.
Supernaturalis available to watch on Netflix and you may streamSupernatural: Then and Nowon Spotify.
Mishkaat Khan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2256
A connoisseur of all things horror, fantasy, and the occasional chick flick, Mishkaat has been penning pieces for FandomWire since 2022. She started off as an intern and has worked her way up to a Senior Writer with over 2000 articles to her name.Outside of entertainment, she has also written well-researched medical content as a freelance writer and has experience in social media management.When not writing, you can find her relaxing with a romance novel and a tall glass of iced coffee in her hand or watching re-runs of ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Office.’
