The Winchesters has been canceled by The CW -- but Jensen Ackles isn't giving the show up without a fight.
Responding to the news of The Winchesters' cancellation, Ackles issued a call to action to fans of the show on social media. "Looks like we got work to do. #SaveTheWinchesters #spnfamily," the actor/producer wrote. Ackles subsequently shared a video in which he and the cast of The Winchesters express their desire to continue the show's story. In the video, Ackles encourages audiences to "show what this fandom is made of" and help "find The Winchesters a new home."
Alongside Jared Padalecki, Ackles starred on the popular television series Supernatural, which aired on The WB/The CW for 15 seasons from 2005 to 2020. Padalecki and Ackles played brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, a duo of paranormal investigators. Following Supernatural's conclusion, The CW green-lit The Winchesters, a prequel/spinoff series focusing on Sam and Dean's parents. Ackles served as an executive producer on The Winchesters, as well as reprised his role as Dean to serve as the show's narrator.
The Winchesters premiered on The CW in October 2022. Its debut season ran for a total of 13 episodes, concluding this past March. For two months, the show has been in a state of limbo, with fans uncertain if the Supernatural prequel would be renewed for Season 2. However, it recently came to light that The CW had indeed canceled The Winchesters after one season. The network also pulled the plug on its modern re-imagining of the 1970s TV series Kung Fu after three seasons.
The Winchesters and Walker: Independence Search for New Homes
Interestingly, while Padalecki is not involved in The Winchesters, he is in the exact same boat as Ackles at the moment. Padalecki currently stars as Cordell Walker on Walker, The CW's reboot of the 1990s CBS series Walker, Texas Ranger. The CW's Walker spawned its own prequel series, Walker: Independence, which premiered on the network the same month as The Winchesters. However, the Walker prequel would ultimately meet the same fate as the Supernatural one. While The CW has renewed Walker itself for a shortened Season 4, the network hs also opted to cancel Walker: Independence after one season. In a statement, executive producer Padalecki said that he and his team are "aggressively" trying to find Independence a new home.
At the time of writing, All American (which is currently in the midst of Season 5) is The CW's only scripted drama besides Walker to be renewed for a new season on the network. Its spinoff series, All American: Homecoming, concluded its second season back in March and is still awaiting word on a renewal. Similarly, DC fans are still waiting to see if Superman & Lois and/or Gotham Knights will be renewed for new seasons. (Superman & Lois is currently in the midst of Season 3, while Gotham Knights is currently airing Season 1.) Meanwhile, fellow DC series The Flash is nearing the end of its ninth and final season, while Riverdale is in its seventh and final season. The fourth and final season of Nancy Drew premieres later this month.