Supernaturalis quintessential television, but even the long-running series couldn’t avoid falling into the backdoor pilot trap, which led to the show’s worst episode. Running for 15 seasons,Supernaturalis largely at the top ofthe best CW TV showsof all time, and the show’s biggest strength was with its main cast of characters, namely Dean and Sam Winchester, alongside Castiel. We were immediately drawn to them, and seeing them grow throughoutSupernatural’s 15 seasonswas very special. However, not all episodes were about Sam and Dean.
The CW is no stranger to attempting to launch spinoff shows from its most popular TV shows.The Arrowverse timelinefeatured multiple backdoor pilots, whileThe Vampire Diariessuccessfully launchedThe Originals. With how successfulSupernaturalwas for the network for so many years, it seemed like a no-brainer that the show could launch another successful spinoff. The results of one of their most infamous attempts proved otherwise.
“Bloodlines” Was A Backdoor Pilot For A Supernatural Spinoff That Never Happened
“Bloodlines” Features Monster Clans That Ran Chicago’s Underbelly
WhileSupernaturalis wildly popular, the franchise never really expanded in significant ways, with one alternate-universe prequel anda long-forgottenSupernaturalanime adaptation. That didn’t stop them from trying, though, asSupernaturalhad various other spinoffs in development over the years, includingSupernatural: Bloodlines, which was introduced in an episode of the main series. In season 9, episode 20, “Bloodlines,” Sam and Dean traveled to Chicago and learned that the city’s underbelly was run by mafia-esque clans of monsters, with one being shape-shifters and another being werewolves.
It was intended to launch into its own show following the characters' introductions inSupernatural, but that never ended up happening.Supernatural: Bloodlineswas created by Andrew Dabb, who served as one of the executive producers for seasons 9-15 ofSupernatural, as well as writing a significant number of episodes starting in season 4. The main cast would have reprised their roles for the spinoff, including Sean Faris (Never Back Down), Erinn Westbrook (Glee), Stephen Martines (The Vampire Diaries), and Lucien Laviscount (Scream Queens).
What Went Wrong With “Bloodlines” And Why The Supernatural Spinoff Was Scrapped
“Bloodlines” Is Supernatural’s Lowest-Rated Episode
Attempting to launch a new show through a backdoor pilot can be tricky to pull off, and “Bloodlines” failed to build any goodwill towards its characters or even the story itself during the episode. In fact,it is largely considered the worst episode ofSupernaturalever, sitting at a terrible 5.8 onIMDb, an entire point lower than the next.Supernaturalis at its best when focusing heavily on Sam and Dean. “Bloodlines” attempted to focus on everyone else, and it was just hopelessly boring.
The CW hadThe Originalslaunching around the same time, which made “Bloodlines” look even worse.
Supernatural: Bloodlinesended up being scrapped after it was announced to be released in April 2014. Though there was never any concrete reason for the show not moving forward, the most obvious answer is the reception to “Bloodlines.” If the first introduction to the characters that are supposed to prop up an entire new series fails so spectacularly, it can be hard to justify moving forward with it. Add to the fact thatSam and Dean are the main draws of the franchise, and their absence during parts of the episode is definitely felt.
“Bloodlines” Is One Of The Few Supernatural Episodes You Should Just Ignore Altogether
“Bloodlines” Is Supernatural At Its Worst
It’s hard to justify skipping episodes of any TV show, but “Bloodlines” is the perfect example of one that doesn’t need to be watched, especially for anyone who is doing a rewatch ofSupernatural. There is a lot of discourse around whether filler in shows is worth watching or not, but “Bloodlines” honestly adds nothing toSupernaturalat all, especially withSupernatural: Bloodlinesnever coming to fruition. Outside of seeing Sam and Dean for a bit, there isn’t a lot to enjoy with “Bloodlines.”
There is a lot of discourse around whether filler in shows is worth watching or not, but “Bloodlines” honestly adds nothing toSupernatural…
While the idea of warring factions of monsters seems interesting, The CW already hadThe Vampire Diariesand its spinoff,The Originals, running at the same time, making “Bloodlines” feel a bit redundant, especially when it was much worse than anything both of those shows ever did. It’s clear thatSupernaturalis so successful due to the strength of its characters and the connections fans have with them.Supernatural: Bloodlineswas never going to be able to live up to the Sam and Dean standard, and “Bloodlines” proved that.
Supernatural
Cast
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their ‘67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
