The Winchesters will grip you tight and raise you from perdition.
The CW's Supernatural spin-off, premiering Oct. 11 on the network, is set to follow the original monster hunters, John and Mary Winchester (played by Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly, respectively), as they begin the family's tradition of "saving people, hunting things."
And although this duo parallels their future sons, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), The Winchesters will be starting with a larger group of hunters, as John and Mary meet fellow hunters Carlos (Jojo Fleites) and Latika (Nida Kurshid) along their dramatic journey.
"We are embodying a lot of what Supernatural did, at the same time, Supernatural was a two-hander," The Winchesters showrunner Robbie Thompson told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Sept. 21. "That family expanded as characters like Castiel (Misha Collins) and Bobby (Jim Beaver) and others came in, but we're starting with a larger family."
The spin-off will also be taking inspiration from the first few seasons of Supernatural, Thompson added, where the hunters fought "monsters of the week" in addition to having a "big bad" for the entire season. Looks like the Chevy Impala will be getting some decent miles.
But Thompson acknowledged that "you can't recreate Supernatural"; instead, the spin-off will be shining "a light on new corners of the Supernatural universe."
To help prepare the new leads for this monstrous task, Padalecki and Ackles—who will be executive producing and narrating the spin-off—have welcomed Rodger and Donnelly into the Supernatural family by having a few welcome dinners with the stars.
"This isn't just coming on to a new thing, this is something that has 15 years of intense storytelling and you guys are a representative of this thing that we built, of the family," Ackles recalled of the pep talk. "There's a big population of people that are very protective of the story."
Ackles joked, adding that he "didn't work my ass off for 15 years to have you kids come in here and f--k it up." So, no pressure!
The Winchesters premieres Oct. 11 on The CW.