‘The Winchesters’ — Why you should watch if you’re new to the Supernatural Universe

If the void left by Supernatural still bothers you to this day, The Winchesters on CW is just the remedy you need to soothe your aching heart. 

Whether you are part of the #SPN fan base or simply looking for a thrilling and entertaining series, The Winchesters is the new hottest show from CW you can sink your teeth into. 

The Winchesters is a fun prequel to the thriller drama series Supernatural that lasted a historic 15 seasons on the CW. The Supernatural series premiered in 2005 and garnered an enormous cult following by the time it ended in 2020. While the current CW shows haven’t been topping the best series lists lately, The Winchesters seems to be here to change that. 

The Winchesters is a story about John (Drake Rodger) and Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) set in the 1970s. They are Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester’s (Jensen Ackles) parents, so it’s going to be a treat to see what the younger version of their parents were up to. With no phones and internet to help, we get an inside look into how hunters were able to protect the world from the supernatural in this period of bell-bottoms and high-waisted jeans. 

With great ratings and positive reviews so far, it’s no surprise that most Supernatural fans are excited about where this series is heading. If you weren’t swept up by the #SPN wave while Supernatural was airing, there are plenty of reasons why you should watch The Winchesters! 

1. No prior Supernatural experience necessary

What bothers some SPN fans about The Winchesters is the multiple changes they’ve made that are different from what we learned on Supernatural. But if you haven’t watched Supernatural, then you don’t have to worry about this. According to Supernatural season one, John Winchester started hunting after Mary was killed by the demon Azazel in their home. 

But in The Winchesters, Mary is forced to reveal she is a hunter after a demon tries to kill John. Years before they get married or even have kids. Throughout the first couple of episodes, Mary helps John learn about monster hunting as he looks for his father- who disappeared when he was four years old. 

So with this and more expected changes in The Winchesters, you don’t need to watch Supernatural to get the hang of this show. It might only confuse you. While the writers and Ackles, who is part of the production, are determined to stay true to the Supernatural lore, it’s clear they don’t want to be tied down by the decisions they made on that show.

2. Demon hunting from a female perspective 

Supernatural works very well thanks to the ensemble they created. The chemistry between Dean, Sam, and much later Castiel was gold. From the banter to their bromance, it’s clear they would go to hell and back for each other. 

But in The Winchesters, the focus is more on Sam and Dean’s mother, Mary Campbell. And it’s a breath of fresh air to see what it’s like for a woman to fight demons and give up an everyday life to save the world. Mary is clearly their group leader, probably because her parents are hunters, and she was born into that life. It’s evident in how she handles each case. 

While there were strong female leads we grew to love in Supernatural, like Jo and Rowena, they didn’t get as much screen time. The female counterparts would usually come in as love interests or only for a couple of episodes depending on the case they were working on. 

We also get to see what it’s like for ordinary people who have to carry the burden of loving a hunter. John’s mother owns a mechanic shop and has to accept John following in his father’s ( Samuel Winchester ) footsteps, which led to his disappearance years ago. It’s also interesting to see how she struggles to let John carve out his path while still coming to terms with Samuel’s disappearance.

3. The supernatural vibe

Even if you aren’t a Supernatural fan, The Winchesters is a stand-alone show you can watch without wondering what’s happening. It goes back to the basics of monster hunting that worked so well for the first seasons of Supernatural. It also has charisma and a certain charm that keeps viewers coming back for more. 

Supernatural was a wild ride right from the first episode. Throughout the over 300 episodes, Sam and Dean had to fight demons, rogue angels, vampires, werewolves, and even God himself to get their free will back. And while The Winchesters is just starting, you can tell they are planting the seeds for some scarier villains to come. 

Set in New Orleans, this monster-hunting pack has to fight the Akrida. The Akrida aren’t pretty compared to some of the monsters we’ve seen on Supernatural. They are bug-like creatures from another world determined to take over the earth. 

If you love supernatural mythology, this show will excite you right from the word go. Although we are still getting to know the cast, their future seems bright, at least if The CW doesn’t end up canceling this series like they’ve done to several fan-favorite shows in the past few years

While some facts differ from what we learned in the original series, The Winchesters is still interesting. It is intriguing, and the ensemble cast has believable chemistry that will keep you wanting to know more. But so far, we love the monster-hunting crew of The Winchesters. They’re fun yet vulnerable, and getting to solve murder mysteries with this gang always gives us more insight into who they are. If you are a Supernatural fan, you should definitely watch this spinoff!

After the midseason hiatus, The Winchesters returns to your screens on the CW on Tuesday, January 24th, at 9:00 pm ET.