The Winchesters, Walker: Independence, Gotham Knights Ordered to Series at The CW

Some very exciting news for all of us in the SPN verse today! The CW has picked up all three of its pilots, The Winchesters, Walker: Indepedence and Gotham Knights. All three have ties to Supernatural, making them all part of the ever growing SPN Universe. So let’s run down what we know.

For the first time, a Supernatural spinoff has gone to series after two failed attempts. The Winchesters is a prequel, telling the story of John and Mary Winchester, played by Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly respectively. The pilot synopsis states: “Supernatural prequel, told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester, follows the epic, untold love story of how John met Mary and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love but the entire world.” The series showrunner and executive producer will be Supernatural alum Robbie Thompson. Jensen Ackles and Danneel Ackles are also Executive Producers. The pilot was shot by Glen Winter, who has a rather large pedigree with CW sci-fi shows including Smallville, Arrow and The Flash.

As for Jared, Walker: Independence, the spinoff to Walker that he is executive producing, also is going to series. The pilot description is: ‘Walker’s origin story, set in the late 1800s, follows Abby Walker, an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins, a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt’s journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams. Our newfound family will struggle with the changing world around them, while becoming agents of change themselves in a town where nothing is what it seems.”

Katherine McNamara, best know in the CW world as Mia Smoak on Arrow, plays the role of Abby Walker and Matt Barr appropriately is playing Hoyt Rawlins. The show runners and executive producers are Seamus Fahey and Anna Fricke, both currently producers on Walker. In addition to Jared Padalecki, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore, and Larry Tend are also executive producers, the latter who also directed the pilot.

Finally, Gotham Knights, the latest DC Batman series, was also picked up. This gets a mention because one of the starring roles, Harvey Dent, is being played by our very own Misha Collins! The pickup of this pilot looked assured after Batwoman was recently cancelled. The series also stars Oscar Morgan, Fallon Smythe, Tyler DiChiara, Olivia Rose Keegan, Navia Robinson, Anna Lore, and Rahart Admans. This is the latest production for CW hitmaker Greg Berlanti, along with Sarah Schechter and David Madden executive producing.

While this is very exciting news for us, it should be mentioned that today also was a bloodbath for almost all of the remaining CW shows that were awaiting renewal. Normally the CW renews a majority of their shows, but with changes happening not only at Warner Brothers with the merger with Discovery networks and the still waiting official sale of The CW to Nexstar, it was clear that the days of easy renewal were over. The network is clearly cleaning house, thus hinting that there will be some big changes coming when the network changes hands. Cancelled today were Charmed, Dynasty, Roswell, New Mexico, In the Dark, Naomi, 4400, and Legacies, the latter being the show that beat out Wayward Sisters for a series slot 4 years ago. This officially brings The Vampire Diaries franchise to a close. This is on top of the recent cancellations of Batwoman and long running series Legends of Tomorrow. Only one series was renewed today, All American: Homecoming.

So, a lot of news here to absorb! Congratulations to Jared, Jensen, Misha, Danneel, and Robbie as well as all the others getting new jobs today. Our sincere condolences go out to the casts and crews of the shows that were cancelled today. We will have some follow up articles later sharing reactions about the pickups, not to mention the official series descriptions and where they fit in the upcoming schedule, which will be announced at the upfronts next week.