The CW has put the final nail in the coffin of The Winchesters, canceling the Supernatural prequel series after just one season. Also falling by the wayside is Kung Fu, which comes to an end after three seasons. As part of the network’s latest shake-up, the decision has been made to cut loose two of the only scripted shows that remain on the network.
Making the announcement, The CW’s statement read:
“As we reimagine the new CW, we had to make some tough programming decisions. We thank our partners at Warner Bros. and the casts and creative teams of ‘Kung Fu’ and ‘The Winchesters’ for all their hard work, creativity and dedication.”
The Winchesters debuted as a promising spin-off from fantasy horror series Supernatural, which saw star Jensen Ackles returning as Dean Winchester to tell the story of how his parents met and joined forces to save the world from demonic destruction. However, the show didn’t quite manage to hit the heights of its predecessor, even if creator Robbie Thompson was quietly hopeful that there could be a chance of more. He previously said of the show’s season two chances:
“I’ll say that both our partners at the studio and network have been focused on the same. It is a time of uncertainty for all of us. We don’t know. But what we do know is the task at hand in front of us and we’re really focused on putting forth the best story that we can.”
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Kung Fu Has Survived Longer Than Most New Shows at The CW.
Joining The Winchesters on the scrap heap is Kung Fu, the reboot of the 1970s show of the same name starring Olivia Laing as Nicky Shen, a Chinese American who’s personal crisis sends her on a journey to a monastery in the China to find herself. On making her return to San Francisco, she discovers the city has become crime central with a dangerous Triad ruling over citizens including her parents.
The series originally debuted in 2021 and proved to be a hit for the network, but over the subsequent seasons – the last of which aired its finale on March 8 – viewership slipped quickly under 1 million and the writing was on the wall considering The CW’s recent purge of underperforming scripted shows. Having made it to three seasons, Kung Fuhas managed to last longer than many other network-based series.
In the last few days, The CW has renewed Jared Padalecki series Walker for a fourth season, although prequel show Walker: Independence is among those that will not be returning next season. Similarly, All American has also been given a stay of execution for another season, but there has yet to be an announcement about spin-off show All American: Homecoming. The fate of DC shows Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights is also still hanging in the balance, but following the purge of the Arrowverse and all other DC franchises, there are not many people expecting to see either series return.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
