First Photos From Supernatural Spinoff Wayward Sisters’ Backdoor Pilot Arrive

If you’ve also been traveling on “The Road So Far,” then you’d know Supernatural has introduced no shortage of memorable recurring characters over the course of its thirteen seasons. That said, you’d think one or two of them would be ripe for a spinoff, but, originally, The CW intended on going in a different direction.

Perhaps you’ll be able to recall the “Bloodlines” episode from season 9, which, if you’re unaware, was the network’s first attempt at a backdoor pilot. By that, we mean characters and concepts were introduced in the flagship series, with the intention of paying them off in the planned spinoff.

As it turned out, the experiment didn’t go over well with fans as it was more similar in tone to The Vampire Diaries instead of the series it was meant to complement. Not only that, but it violated rules already established by the longstanding mythology (example: a shapeshifter being able to change in the blink of an eye, something only the Alpha would’ve been able to do). So, thankfully, those plans were scrapped, but the network remained keen on the idea of a Supernatural spinoff if someone were to ever get the formula right.

With that, we’re pleased to say the second attempt at doing so sounds much more organic, with Wayward Sisters set to feature already established characters like Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes), Claire Novak (Kathryn Love Newton), Donna Hanscum (Brianna Buckmaster), Alex (Katherine Ramdeen) and the recently introduced Patience (Clark Backo) – as well as newcomer Kaia (Yadira Guevara-Prip). So naturally, we expect this to receive a warmer welcome from viewers than the “Bloodlines” travesty.

Fortunately, the only thing Wayward Sisters will have in common with its failed predecessor is that it’ll receive a backdoor pilot via the mainline series in the form of the midseason premiere set to air on January 18. Granted, that may be somewhat far off, but Entertainment Weekly has blessed us with a bounty of preview photos that can be viewed above.

In the meantime, be sure to check out Supernatural‘s midseason finale this Thursday on The CW.