Why The CW’s ‘The Winchesters’ Replacement Won’t Win Over ‘Supernatural’ Fans

The CW’s fall 2023 schedule has been released, but don’t expect The Winchesters‘ replacement to win over Supernatural fans. With the network’s rebranding, there has been a heavy focus on unscripted and acquired content, as well as sports, and the latter is what will be settling into the Supernatural prequel’s 8 p.m. ET slot on Tuesday nights, and it’s.

The CW has gone from being the network for teen dramas, superheroes, and the supernatural and is starting to become one fit for sports, and fans will get another taste of it this fall. Beginning on Tuesday, September 5, Inside the NFL will be showcasing football highlights and not demons. It will be the first time since the show’s premiere in 1977 that it will be airing on broadcast TV as it continues to highlight the great moment each week of the NFL season while also showing unseen angles and revealing behind-the-scenes audio of how it all went down.

It is definitely a change from The Winchesters airing on Tuesdays, or even Superman & Lois, which took over the time slot after the finale. While Supernatural fans probably won’t be into Inside the NFL, or at least as a fit replacement for The Winchesters, they can still watch the prequel on Max, which is better than nothing. It is still sad that the series failed to find a new home after its cancellation, but even if it did get renewed, it still wouldn’t have aired in the fall due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which is pushing all scripted originals to midseason 2024, possibly even later.

This is why The CW’s fall schedule is consisted of entirely unscripted and acquired content, plus sports, on top of the rebranding. All American and acquired AMC series 61st Street were both supposed to air in the fall but were pushed back due to the strikes. It’s unknown when the strikes could possibly come to an end, so for now, fans will have to get used to this new normal for TV while actors and writers fight for better compensation, as they so rightfully deserve. 

Fans were miserable when The CW canceled , especially since the prequel had so much potential. It does help that there wasn’t a cliffhanger, and there was closure while it also kept the door open for another season, but it still hurts. In the end, though, you can’t really replace the Winchester brothers, even if a show is about their parents.