Supernatural is coming to an end, but could Sam and Dean’s departure finally herald the arrival of a spinoff series? With its forthcoming fifteenth season, Supernatural is concluding the Winchesters’ tale and the show’s final run will see the sibling hunters fight back against Chuck Shurley, a.k.a. God, after the deity’s shocking actions in the season 14 finale. Of course, to reach the 15 season mark is a huge achievement, and it’s only natural that The CW (Supernatural‘s network home) might seek to capitalize of the show’s success with a spinoff venture.
Two separate attempts at launching a Supernatural spinoff have been made. The first came in April 2014 with season 9 episode “Bloodlines,” intended to act as the pilot to a future series under the same name. Moving from the American Mid-West to the bright lights of Chicago, the spinoff would’ve focused on various monster species organized into mafia-like gangs, as each family struggled for control of the city. Surprisingly, this mashup of Twilight and Scarface failed to gain traction and the idea was scrapped.
The CW’s most recent effort to establish a Supernatural spinoff occurred during season 13. Bringing together popular characters from past seasons such as Jodie Mills and Donna Hanscum, this spinoff would’ve centered around Jodie’s growing group of strays known as the Wayward Sisters, as they embarked on a hunting career of their own. Although this pilot received far more acclaim that Bloodlines, The CW once again passed on the option to commission a full series. Not to be deterred, the network has since expressed a desire for a third Supernatural spinoff attempt.
Like Sam and Dean, the idea of a Supernatural spinoff just refuses to die, and if The CW do have a third attempt in the pipeline, Supernatural‘s imminent end could finally pave the way to success.
Few would disagree with the assertion that Sam, Dean and Castiel are the beating heart of Supernatural and, despite the show’s rich fictional world, this makes a potential spinoff tricky. That central trio has been the key difference between Supernatural and the myriad of other fantasy shows on TV, and the failure to find an idea that could make a Winchester-free spinoff viable was likely the presiding reason behind those two previous failures.
However, this problem only exists while Supernatural‘s main series is still running. Convincing fans to watch a new spinoff in addition to Sam and Dean’s own adventures was always going to be a tough sell, but offering a new Supernatural series to replace the outgoing show is a far more attractive proposition. When Supernatural season 15 draws to a close, fans across the world will be fighting back the tears, but that bitter pill will be far easier to swallow if a spinoff was confirmed to be in the works, and plugging the gap left by the main series should do wonders for the viewership of any potential future Supernatural project.
As well as comforting distraught viewers, the end of Supernatural also gives a possible spinoff far more freedom in terms of story and characters. While both Bloodlines and Wayward Sisters were set in specific locations, they would’ve been bound by the events of the main series. Nothing truly apocalyptic could’ve happened, because that’s the stuff Sam and Dean deal with, and the spinoffs would’ve also been prevented from making any game-changing moves that could impact the main series in any way. Once Supernatural ends, however, any future stories would have carte blanche to do as they please with the canon, the world and the characters, making a spinoff far more attractive to writers, as well as viewers.
Supernatural season 15 premieres October 10th on The CW.
