The campaign to save The Winchesters is over. According to a tweet from Jensen Ackles on Saturday, the Supernatural prequel series has failed to find a new home after The CW canceled the show on May 11. Attempts to shop the show around have come to an end. After thanking fans for their support, Ackles explained, “I couldn’t be more proud of what we all did together. But as they say…timing is everything. With a massive Network shift coupled with an industry strike…welp… that’s some unfortunate timing.” As disappointing as the end of the #SaveTheWinchesters campaign was for the fans, which had been launched by them only a few hours after the show’s cancellation was announced, Ackles concluded on an optimistic note, writing, “Sleep well dear @WinchestersOnCW…until we meet again. Somewhere down the road.” According to The CW’s most recent ratings, The Winchesters’ first season averaged 794,000 total viewers and a 0.2 demo rating (with Live+7 playback). Out of the 14 dramas The CW aired this past TV season, it ranked No. 6 in audience and placed in a four-way tie for No. 2 in the demo (behind only All American), TVLine reported.
Warner Bros. Television had been exploring options to replace the period drama in anticipation of its cancellation. It stepped up its efforts shortly after the CW officially announced that it was not renewing it for a second season, according to Deadline. Three major streaming platforms with ties to The Winchesters could have made a pickup possible. Max is owned by the same company as Warner Bros. TV, all seasons of Supernatural have been available on Netflix for some time, and Amazon Studios is now home to Jensen and Danneel Ackles’ company. Ultimately, no one stepped up to take the show on.
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The outlet reported that producers’ efforts were likely hindered by the ongoing writers’ strike, due to which networks and streaming services have refrained from making major pickup decisions since it is uncertain when a series can begin production. In a post-season finale interview, showrunner Robbie Thompson told TVLine, “There’s so much more story to tell about where these two kids go. And because now, as Dean says at the end of the [Season 1 finale], they have a chance to write their own story that doesn’t have to be necessarily what happened on our version of Supernatural, we have an opportunity to really go into some interesting places.”
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