The Winchesters at NYCC 2022
A friend of FANdemonium Network was in attendance at NYCC 2022 and got to see the panel and screening for The Winchesters. She provided us with notes which form the basis of this article. All opinions are hers.
Premiere Screening
Proceedings began with the screening of the pilot episode of The Winchesters, introducing the main characters in a similar way to Supernatural – Mary’s father is missing.
The actress who plays Mary (Meg Donnelly) didn’t seem as relaxed in the role as her counterpart John (Drake Rodger). They do have good chemistry though, and they work well off of each other.
John’s character jumps right into him finding out he’s destined for “monster hunting”. The actor seems to match Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s energy so far, so that’s good.
Love the sexually fluid character Carlos (Jojo Fleites), he adds humor and just a fun time when introduced. He made me laugh in his main scene introduction in the menu reading exorcism with John.
Latika – another regular character – seems like this show’s version of Bobby Singer from Supernatural. Played by Nida Khurshid, she works in a library and houses some of Mary’s weapons. Which I love. One of her parts in the episode towards the end with a magic box was played out a little silly. The fight scenes are good, the dialogue is pretty good too. I hope the actress that plays Mary grows more into her character and doesn’t force it so much.
Overall I thought it was a good pilot. I liked that they jumped right in with demons and monsters. There was a lot of action but also a good start to the larger story with John returning from war. The episode was good, and enjoyable, and kept me hooked. I can’t wait to watch the rest.
The Panel
The panel was really good. Jensen Ackles spoke mostly of how he and his wife Danneel came up with the show during Covid, outlining almost an entire season for it. The first episode fits closely with their vision and they are excited to see it come to life.
They stated that they aren’t altering timelines, this is not a revision for history as some fans have suggested it might be. They are simply showing the life of Mary and John coming together and how Dean and Sam came about in this lifestyle. Although the director said no member is safe.
There was a surprise announcement during the panel – Jensen’s old friend and Smallville co-star Tom Welling was introduced as playing Samuel, Mary’s father (previously portrayed by Mitch Pileggi in Supernatural). That seems exciting.
Drake Rodger said he was blown away by the number of supporters and followers who are looking forward to this as he also grew up watching Supernatural. Meg Donnelly was sobbing as she heard people’s reactions to the pilot. She is so happy to be a part of the Supernatural legacy.
Have you seen The Winchesters? What are you thoughts on the premiere episode?
