Wayward Sisters feature in ELLE pays respect to the fandom
In advance of Wayward Sisters’ backdoor pilot Thursday, ELLE ran a feature on the show that doubles as some nice fan appreciation.
Wayward Sisters, the highly anticipated spin-off of the CW’s longest-running show, debuted by way of a backdoor pilot in the season 13 mid-season premiere Supernatural on Thursday night. To mark the rather important moment, ELLE ran a feature titled (well, our favorite of a few headlines): “How One Fandom Willed an All-Female Show Into Existence.”
The writer, Emily Tannenbaum also highlights how the new show would represent some much-appreciated change for a series that, while sustained in large part by its female fans, has remained male-fronted and focused. The Wayward actresses that she spoke with commented on the unusual set environment as well as how the show will move beyond a “simplistic ‘girl power’ dimension” while remaining decidedly badass. And, executive producer Andrew Dabb reiterated that should Wayward get picked up, hiring women writers, directors and crew members will be an important focus.
As for the show’s origin story, Tannenbaum gives due credit to the force that is the SPN Family:
"But it wasn’t just the writers who put the pieces of Wayward together; it was fans, too. It is impossible to talk about the show without mentioning the fan-led “Wayward AF” campaign that canvassed for the show on Tumblr, in fan fiction, and during conventions. Even the name Wayward Sisters came from a term that originated from fans and the actresses, “Wayward Daughters,” itself a nod to the Kansas song “Carry On Wayward Son,” which caps every Supernatural season. “This is something [the fans] saw themselves in…and within that, they said, ‘We deserve more. We deserve to see ourselves, we deserve to celebrate ourselves, we deserve to explore what our selves could be in this world,'” says Rhodes, the longest-running Wayward actress on Supernatural."
Shout out to you, SPN fam, getting it done.
Next: 21 Supernatural episodes to watch to get ready for Wayward
The feature, which you should read in full, also covers nicely the history of the characters of Jody, Alex, Claire and Patience as well as Donna and Kaia and the ways — beyond the obvious — that Wayward Sisters will differ from Supernatural. Namely, the shift from a “road show” to a show with roots — and a show that turns Sioux Falls into a Hellmouth. Sorry, South Dakota.
Fans can expect an announcement in May as to whether Wayward will be picked up for a full series, so keep the pressure on with #WaywardSisters. It’s clearly working!