Supernatural To Return in Fall 2020

In the current entertainment production shutdown caused by the COVID-19 global pandemic, most networks and streamers are keeping their scheduling plans to themselves—that is, if they have even decided upon them. But, today, The CW announced their plans for the fall and winter, which will include the airing of the final seven episodes of Supernatural Season 15, aka the final seven episodes of Supernatural ever. (Until the inevitable reboot.)

Supernatural Season 15 is now scheduled to return in Fall 2020, CW president Mark Pedowitz said today during the network’s press call (via Variety).

“We hope they will be able to start shooting sometime in late summer, early fall,” said Pedowitz of the plan to finish shooting Supernatural (via The Wrap). “If not, we will become flexible and rearrange our scheduling.” While there are still seven episodes left to be finished and air, only two episodes have yet to be shot.

“I think everybody, the studio, the executive producers, Jared, Jensen, and Misha, all want to end 15 years the right way,” said Pedowitz. “So it is important that these two episodes they’ll be shooting will be done the way they want to do them. We’ll just wait it out. We are very much attached to this.”

Most of The CW‘s shows will not be returning in the fall, but rather in January 2021. The later start to the season, which usually launches in the fall, will not affect the number of episodes, added Pedowitz, which means, if it is a TV series with a typical 13-episode of 22-episode season, it will continue to have that number, despite the later start.

Moving forward, this means that the traditional season will not end in May, as is customary, but rather in July or August, with May acting as a “midseason” point. This will mean that, for most traditional TV series, there will be a very short break between the 2021 and the 2021-2022 seasons, the latter of which is expected to launch in October 2021, returning The CW to the “normal” season calendar.

It’s unclear which shows, other than Supernatural, will film the yet-to-be-produced episodes of their “current” seasons. Pedowitz hinted that some of the CW shows’ current seasons will film the episodes that were not produced due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but which ones will take this path is unclear. Presumably, some could choose to come up with a new story plan, as any episodes that are shot, will be part of the 2021 season.

Come Fall 2020, Supernatural will return to Thursday nights at 8pm ET. Following its finale (*sobs*), in January 2021, Jared Paladecki’s new show, Walker, will take that programming slot.