The outbreak of the pandemic coronavirus has had a huge effect on the world at large, with the entertainment industries being hit especially hard. This has completely upended the production of both movies and television shows, with many of the latter having been cranking out the final episodes for their seasons.
One of these shows was The CW's long-running Supernatural, which was finally planned to conclude this Spring. Unfortunately, because of the schedule changes and production shutdowns caused by the virus, fans will not see the end to the Winchester saga this April or May. Thankfully, the final episodes will eventually be produced, and the show's finale will not be forced into an abbreviated last season. In fact, with the remaining episode count, Supernatural will have the rare achievement of essentially having two final seasons.
Hellish Production
May 18 was the intended release date for the long-awaited final episode of the show, but that's no longer possible whatsoever. March 23rd saw the airing of the 13th episode of Supernatural's 15th season, which has been confirmed as the show's last episode "for awhile." The show had shot up to the season's 18th episode. However, these episodes will require extensive post-production editing. With production completely shut down as a whole for the show, it's simply not possible to get the finishing touches put on the episodes in time for a seasonal broadcast. Thus, the season will essentially end abruptly with last week's episode. In the show's stead, The CW will air new and old episodes of Whose Line Is It Anyway.
Other shows on the network, such as The Flash, are having their seasons abbreviated. The Flash, which would have ended its current season toward the end of May, will now wrap by the beginning of the month. To pad out its shortened season, as well as that of other shows, The CW is airing reruns of old episodes. Conversely, the second season of In the Dark will begin sooner than planned to fill in scheduling holes, while the network premiere of Stargirl has been delayed yet again.
Season 16?
Unlike the other CW shows, which are simply opting to abbreviate their seasons, Supernatural will eventually produce its remaining season. This will allow the story's final moments to be given their full glory, without having to be truncated. It also presents the unusual situation in which the show could, in essence, have two final seasons. There are a total of seven unaired episodes remaining in what would have been the end of Season 15. This is actually a fairly normal-sized episode count for a streaming season and not too irregular for a cable TV show season, either.
It's unlikely The CW will market these remaining episodes as an entirely separate season, especially since the last new episode wasn't an effective season finale. That being said, by the time the episodes resume production and are finally aired, it will likely be time for the newest season of television shows to begin. To take advantage of the peculiar airing situation that they have been put in, The CW could certainly emphasize these are the final seven episodes of the show ever. By having enough new episodes, as well as likely airing during a new airing season, Supernatural truly would have an unexpected season left in the chamber.
Airing Mondays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The CW, the final season of Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins and Alexander Calvert.