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The CW’s Reasoning for “No” to SUPERNATURAL Spin-Off WAYWARD SISTERS, How Fans Can Still Help

At the CW Upfronts this week, the president of the network, Mark Pedowitz, explains the decision to pass on WAYWARD SISTERS, and fans remain unappeased.

The idea of Wayward Sisters began as a wish from Supernatural fans. A female family (that does not start, nor end, with blood) of hunters who team up to fight monsters and consequently expand the world of Supernatural? I’m completely on board. Regrettably, the decision-makers at The CW are not.

Confused fans became even angrier with Pedowitz’s reasoning for saying “no.” He claimed the show “had great material” and that those at The CW are “big fans of [Wayward Sisters’] characters and the women who played those characters,” but that they “did not feel creatively that the show is where [they] wanted it to be.”

“The show is [not] where [they] wanted it to be.”

So, a show that explores the lives of women far beyond their (romantic or otherwise) relationships with men is not where The CW wants to be. A show highlighting the bravery and imperfections in women and representing them as real, fully-encompassed characters is not where The CW wants to be. A show that portrays two female main characters who are over the age of 30 as wise, bad-ass fighters is not where The CW wants to be. A show that appears to include at least two characters who are LGBTQA+ is not where The CW wants to be. A show that unites people of various races and backgrounds and celebrates their loving relationship is not where The CW wants to be.

If you want to go beyond representation and inclusion, fine. Let’s talk money.

Pedowitz also stated that The CW “felt [the network] had a better shot with Legacies.” What is Legacies, you ask? Why, it’s a spin-off of The Originals, which is a spin-off to the recently-ended series, The Vampire Diaries. Is your head spinning yet?

The Originals has only had a handful of episodes air in its current (fifth) season, but all struggled (and most failed considerably) to obtain a 1.00 million in ratings, with an rough 0.3 million in viewers 18-49. Believe it or not, those numbers are on-track to match the previous four seasons’ stats.

Supernatural just ended its (whopping) 13th season, and averaged 1.69 million viewers per episode. Wayward Sisters’ backdoor pilot episode pulled in 1.85 million viewers–that’s the seventh highest-rated episode in season 13. A couple others on that gleaming list? The season premiere and “Scoobynatural”–the much-anticipated animated crossover with Scooby-Doo.

It is no secret that Supernatural rakes in plenty of money off-screen, too. There is oodles of licensed Supernatural merchandise on the market. The biggest deal is likely with Hot Topic. Beyond “merch,” Creation Entertainment offers over a dozen Supernatural conventions each year. Would fans buy the heck out of Wayward Sisters merchandise, too? You betcha. (You should see the fan-based art and items out there!) Would fans spend hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars to go to conventions that include the Wayward ladies? They already are.

It’s not to be forgotten that when the backdoor pilot of Wayward Sisters was set to air in season 13 of Supernatural, Pedowitz professed, “I’ve seen it; I like it, but the fans determine…Nothing is perfect but the real question is whether fans will go watch it if the boys aren’t in it.”

Well, Mr. Pedowitz, the fans showed up. We watched. We tweeted/Facebook’d/Instagram’d. We asked for more. So, where were you?

Upon hearing The CW’s decision to skip over Wayward Sisters for fall 2018, I still had hope that maybe they would hear our roar one more time and give it another shot. Maybe we wouldn’t get a full 23-episode season, but why not a 13-episode one? Why not a mid-season or summer pilot? After hearing Pedowitz’s explanation, I’m feeling far less optimistic that Wayward Sisters will find a home on The CW. However, that does not mean I’ve given up.

Netflix and The CW/Warner Brothers have a impressive deal. Netflix gets recently-completed seasons of The CW’s shows eight days after their season finales air. Netflix and Warner Brothers also recently made a deal to go forward with a pilot season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina [The Teenage Witch], which was originally in talks to air on The CW. Maybe–just maybe–Netflix can be our wayward girls’ home.

So, what can you do give Wayward Sisters hope?

  1. Contact Netflix via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, expressing why you want the show/what the show means to you. Request the show on their website.
  2. Contact Warner Brothers Television via TwitterFacebook, and Instagram also expressing your love for the show.
  3. Contact The CW via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, e-mail request, and phone: 1-818-977-2500, and keep showing your support of the show!
  4. Sign the (extremely successful) petition started by fan @Georgia_Heapyx.  
  5. Use the hashtag “#SaveWaywardSisters” far and wide on social media platforms and keep an eye out for fan-based projects to gather and show our support.
  6. Don’t stop talking about the show. The possibility of a full series can hang in the air for a long time. Keep it afloat. Together, we continue the fight.

(cover photo source) (gif photo source)

By Lara

20-something. TV addict. Reader. Writer.

6 replies on “The CW’s Reasoning for “No” to SUPERNATURAL Spin-Off WAYWARD SISTERS, How Fans Can Still Help”

Not Netflix. CBS and other networks are starting that streaming crap. Airing the Star Trek series but you have to pay to watch it. Sorry not sorry I’m not interested. I’m not paying to watch a show I can watch for free not only on CW but TNT. I’d love for Wayward Sisters to air but unfortunately CW’s leadership are a bunch of idiots.

When I started watching Supernatural I asked myself who was the idiot who let it air. Because up til SN and after it their shows are jiggle wiggle fluff trash that is why tv viewership is down despite the BS the execs are floating of fan’s short attention spans and rather watch online.

I’d love to watch something like Wayward which has SN’s brains upstairs one not downstairs. The original spin off failed not due to the lack of the boys but a character nobody know or cared about yet we were supposed to immediately treat him as we would the guys, Jody, Donna, etc.?

CW may of changed bosses but they’re still the same. Trash reality, trash drama’s about people we could give a flying fuck about. Wayward had characters we cared about, we know and love and gladly would welcome on our TV’s weekly. Unfortunately CW is following the same path WB and UPN did all fluff no substance.

I tried Diaries and quickly lost interest, never watched Originals and could care less about some dumb vamp/witch hybrid teen who thinks the world revolves around her.

One other thing fans can do is not support, watch or stream any of the CW’s new shows! NONE! Show the CW that they cannot manipulate the fans into watching what the CW feels we should watch! The CW has proven their own hypocrisy and insulted women everywhere in their refusal to pick up WS! SPN has been supremely successful while focusing mostly on men. The smart, diverse WS could do the same for women but the androcentric CW won’t allow it! This is unacceptable and cowardly! The CW took a risk with SPN so why not take one for Wayward Sisters? Because it’s about women? And two women over 30 at that? The fans have spoken; we will support the show so the CW should give it to us! #SaveWaywardSisters

Honestly I think wayward would be a fantastic show!!! I would like to watch legacies too!!!
I think wayward had a great pilot!

Vamp/were not witch and I am sprry but half of what u said is incomprehensible. I still don’t know if u like wayward or not.

It is their right. Their channel. Their ideas. Their decision
I support wayward. I campaign. I fully warn them on.airI but this??? This don’t help. It has to be peaceful. This rage and name calling is everything echo ruin the posibilities of the show

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