The Winchesters episode 1 may inspire déjà vu for Supernatural fans - here's why. Rewriting Supernatural's known version of events, The Winchesters recounts the early years of Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) and John Winchester (Drake Rodger) before they became Sam and Dean's ill-fated parents. As the spinoff begins, missing fathers is the overarching theme. Mary is searching for her dad, Samuel, who mysteriously vanished while hunting the otherworldly Akrida. John, meanwhile, is still attempting to piece together why his own father disappeared into thin air years prior.
If that setup sounds familiar, cast your mind back to Supernatural's own pilot episode. The Winchester brothers' story began with Dean approaching Sam at college and revealing their father had gone missing during a hunting trip (not Akrida, but still...) Just as The Winchesters' pilot is all about John and Mary finding their fathers, Supernatural's pilot was all about Sam and Dean finding their father. In both cases, these paternal predicaments serve as launching-off points for the remainder of their first seasons. Sam and Dean spent much of Supernatural season 1 on John's trail, and as The Winchesters episode 1 ends, the hunt for Samuel Campbell remains similarly unsolved.
Why The Winchesters Uses Supernatural's Template
Supernatural saw several stabs at spinoff success sadly sink, and these attempts consciously deviated from the typical Supernatural formula. Bloodlines relocated to the big city for a paranormal gang war, then the Wayward Sisters' pilot struck a drama-heavy tone with an all-female cast. Neither got invited back to The CW for a full season (even if Jensen Ackles is right that Wayward Sisters should've been).
The Winchesters is doing the exact opposite by matching Supernatural wherever possible. The balance of horror, comedy and drama is almost identical, there's a rock 'n' roll aesthetic running throughout, and the Winchester family remains front and center of the action. Most of all, The Winchesters is a show where two hunters travel across the U.S. killing monsters and investigating mysteries with a few trusted allies in tow - exactly the same setup as Supernatural. It's no huge surprise that The Winchesters' pilot follows the basic premise of missing fathers that served Supernatural so well in 2005.
The Winchesters' Samuel Casting Hints At Another Supernatural Similarity
Sam and Dean might've started Supernatural searching for their father, but they eventually found him wedged down the side of the Impala's passenger seat. John Winchester then appeared in a handful of Supernatural season 1 episodes played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and enjoyed a prominent role in the climactic battle against Yellow-Eyes. The actor playing Samuel Campbell in The Winchesters has now been confirmed as Tom Welling, best known for his starring turn as a young Clark Kent in Smallville. Announcing such a recognizable and high-profile actor as Welling suggests Samuel will eventually play a feature role in The Winchesters season 1, echoing John's evolution through Supernatural's debut run.
Welling's casting does, however, create a potential inconsistency. Mitch Pileggi played Samuel Campbell in Supernatural season 4's time travel episode, which was set in 1973. The Winchesters takes place only a year earlier in 1972. Pileggi was in his mid-fifties when portraying Mary's dad, whereas Welling is currently in his mid-forties, so unless Samuel has an especially stressful 12 months, he'll look noticeably younger than he did in Supernatural. Still, with a complete rewrite of John Winchester's history underway, Samuel's age is hardly The Winchesters' biggest canon retcon.
The Winchesters continues Tuesday on The CW.