Common Sense Media Review
By Joly Herman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Supernatural prequel charms, but it's grisly.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Winchesters
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In THE WINCHESTERS, a young man arrives by bus to his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas, haunted by flashbacks of the war he just left in Vietnam. His name is John Winchester (Drake Rodger), and his good-natured outlook is about to be further clouded by the darkness that surrounds his own father's past. In Lawrence, he meets an intriguing young woman, Mary (Meg Donnelly), who knows a lot more about the demons haunting their town than he does. Their librarian friend Latika (Nida Khurshid) and a wavy-haired musician named Carlos (Jojo Fleites) join them, casting holy water on demons and helping them find Mary's father. They careen from town to town in Carlos's van, hunting demons and trying to solve a mystery that proves to be a matter of life and death.
Is It Any Good?
This prequel to Supernatural has big shoes to fill -- can it follow in the long-running series' footsteps and gained a devoted following? Supernatural is a flirty, scary, action-packed romp that sees itself for what it is -- Scooby-Doo on steroids (the series even did an animated Scooby/Supernatural crossover episode, to the delight of fans).
The Winchesters' action starts quickly, giving little room for backstory, but the haste seems intentional. There's not any time for backstory when you're hunting demons, man! Yes, it's gory and scary, but if the formula continues to get it right, it's bound to be a proper recipe for fun teen viewing. Frights will scare, some flirty scenes will raise eyebrows, popcorn will disappear, and a little humor ("I figured you'd like your coffee the same as your world view...") will get the adults to stay in the room.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how in The Winchesters, teens must communicate with each other to successfully battle demons. How do you use communication to solve your problems?
Scary movies can thrill and bring viewers together. What about the real-life scary stuff that you see in the news? How do you cope?
The older teens in this show chase a mystery until they solve it. How do you persevere when you want to know the answer to things?
TV Details
- Premiere date : October 11, 2022
- Cast : Drake Rodger , Meg Donnelly , Bianca Kajlich
- Network : CW
- Genre : Science Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Fantasy ( Magic )
- Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : December 10, 2025
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