Supernatural viewers who’ve been missing being able to watch their SPN Family on television weekly can breathe a sigh of relief, as we are one step closer to being reunited with the monster-hunting clan now that Jensen Ackles’ spinoff, The Winchesters, just got a pilot order from The CW. Even better? Jared Padalecki’s Walker spinoff, Walker: Independence, also now has a pilot order (along with potential DC comics show, Gotham Knights), and Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are both super pumped!
What Jensen Ackles And Jared Padalecki Said About The Winchesters And Walker: Independence News
Supernatural fans will likely remember the feud that erupted between stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki when word of a possible spinoff from Ackles came out in June 2021, upsetting the fandom. Well, not only have the beloved co-stars long since made up (with Padalecki clarifying his initial response) , but both have noted that they are extremely excited for each potential new show (writer Natalie Abrams revealed the Gotham Knights news on Twitter). Ackles took to his Instagram to celebrate The Winchesters development, and made sure not to leave his “brother” Padalecki out of the festivities:
Awwww! You guys? They like each other again! In case you’re unaware, getting pilot orders for both The Winchesters and Walker: Independence is a very big deal. It means that those at The CW felt the initial ideas were appealing enough for them to want to see the concepts in action, and both are a bit closer to actually becoming real shows we can all watch.
As the title suggests, The Winchesters will focus on a young John and Mary Winchester (the parents to Sam and Dean) and their “epic, untold love story” of how the two met, eventually began hunting monsters, “and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world.”
Former Supernatural co-executive producer Robbie Thompson wrote the pilot and will also executive produce The Winchesters, along with Ackles and his wife / producing partner, Danneel Ackles (who played Sister Jo / Anael on Supernatural). While we don’t know who’ll be taking over the roles of John and Mary from Matt Cohen and Amy Gumenick (who originally portrayed them as young adults), the story will be told from Dean’s point of view, so Ackles will return to his character to narrate the series.
Meanwhile, let’s not forget that Padalecki had his own celebrating to do, as he’s an executive producer on Walker: Independence, which will, of course, be a spinoff from his hit series, Walker. Here’s how Padalecki reveled in the pilot news on Twitter:
Here goes!!#WalkerFamily #SPNFamily https://t.co/BbuwzVJCDC pic.twitter.com/a6hDEbj5NSFebruary 3, 2022
And “the highest of fives” you shall receive, sir! Padalecki kept it simple by just giving hashtag shoutouts to his “WalkerFamily” and “SPNFamily,” so that all the fans could easily see the news about both pilots. While The Winchesters will see Ackles narrate, we’re unlikely to have the same happen on Walker: Independence, or to see Padalecki should it go to series.
The Walker spinoff is a prequel set in the late 1800s and will follow rich Bostonian Abby Walker, who sees her husband killed before her as they journey West. Good ol’ Abby will be looking for revenge when she meets “lovable rogue” Hoyt Rawlins, and both will settle in Independence, Texas, a town filled with “diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams” in a place “where nothing is what it seems.”
I don’t know about you, but I definitely share the excitement of Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles! While we wait to see whether or not The Winchesters and Walker: Independence get series orders, you can see what’s coming in the next few weeks (or is already on) with our 2022 TV schedule!
