Jensen Ackles fights for the future of the Supernatural prequel The Winchesters, also throwing his weight behind his former co-stars’ CW series.
Supernatural star Jensen Ackles is fighting for the future of CW programs made by himself and his former co-stars. The series, which starred Ackles and Jared Padalecki as monster-hunting brothers Dean and Sam Winchester and Misha Collins as the angel Castiel, ran for 15 seasons on The CW before going off the air in 2020. All three stars now have new CW shows that are in jeopardy, including the Ackles-produced Supernatural prequel The Winchesters and the Padalecki-produced prequel Walker: Independence, both of which were just canceled. There is also Collins-starring Gotham Knights, which has yet to be renewed for season 2.
Wednesday on Twitter, Ackles continued his #SaveTheWinchesters campaign to try and convince The CW to bring back the Supernatural prequel.
For all those pushing to help. We do greatly appreciate you. 🫶🏼#SaveWalkerIndependence #RenewGothamKnights
And of course…#SaveTheWinchesters https://t.co/tJXycKZGjt
— Jensen Ackles (@JensenAckles) May 17, 2023
However, he took the opportunity to throw the weight behind his former co-stars’ shows as well. The post was a quote tweet on a post from Padalecki about saving Walker: Independence, and Ackles threw in a demand that the network renew Gotham Knights for a new season for good measure.
The Situation at The CW Explained
The complications with The CW’s upcoming season began in early 2022 when the network was put up for sale by its former parent company, who claimed that it had never made a profit since it began in 2006. The majority of The CW’s shares were then acquired by the media company Nexstar, who were essentially paid to take charge of the company. During this process, many CW series (including DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Dynasty, and Legacies) were canceled while others (like The Flash and Riverdale) announced that their next seasons would be their last.
The situation got more dire when an internal Nexstar announcement revealed that they only intended to keep fewer than five of their current scripted programs for the 2023-2024 season. So far, they have made good on that intention. Only the Walker flagship series and All American have been renewed, and every other series has been canceled. Three shows remain on the bubble: All American: Homecoming, Gotham Knights, and Superman & Lois.
While the Supernatural franchise and its cast have been the core of The CW for nearly two decades, that could swiftly change. Should Gotham Knights be canceled, Padalecki’s Walker season 4 (which has a shortened 13-episode order) will be the only remaining vestige of the formerly huge franchise. It remains to be seen if the fan campaigns, led by the stars themselves, make a dent in The CW’s current slash-and-burn policy.
