'Supernatural' carries on with its monster-busting band of 'Wayward Sisters'

During her eight years as a guest-star on CW’s Supernatural, Kim Rhodes’ mind would start racing when producers asked if she was free for another appearance: “Am I dying? OK, this time I’m dying. I’m really done,” she says of her character.

But she's still alive, and kicking creature posterior. In fact, Rhodes’ frequent gig as Sheriff Jody Mills, Sioux Falls’ finest and a loyal ally to monster-hunting brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), might become more regular. Rhodes and five other actresses — some new to the long-running horror-tinged drama — feature heavily in this week’s Supernatural episode (Thursday, 8 ET/PT), which doubles as a pilot for a potential female-centric spinoff, Wayward Sisters. (The title is a play on the Kansas classic-rock hit Carry On Wayward Son, the unofficial Supernatural theme song.) 

The midseason premiere finds the Winchester boys stuck in “the Bad Place” — and in a bad way, as usual — and the cavalry comes in the form of salty parental figure Jody, fellow sheriff-turned-hunter Donna Hanscum (Briana Buckmaster) and Jody's young charges, all orphaned by otherworldly tragedy: rebellious Claire Novak (Kathryn Newton), former vampire slave Alex Jones (Katherine Ramdeen), psychic Patience Turner (Clark Backo) and dreamwalker Kaia Nieves (Yadira Guevara-Prip). 

While Sam and Dean sacrificed for their world-saving, demon-killing jobs, Wayward Sisters explores “the idea that maybe it doesn’t have to be so all-or-nothing,” says writer Robert Berens, an executive producer on the new show if it moves forward next season. 

Supernatural first attempted a spinoff four years ago with Bloodlines, which introduced a new group of players in the Chicago underworld, but that project was “very unlike Supernatural,” says executive producer Andrew Dabb. Wayward Sisters is a more organically grown concept with “characters we love.”

Also helping the cause: the “steady drumbeat of a dedicated fan base” that’s been championing Wayward Sisters since its announcement at July’s Comic-Con. “It wasn’t just in our heads,” Berens adds. “There was this multiplicity of waywards, visions of this show that were out there — the thirst is real, so that was very much inspiring.”

With its core duo, Supernatural has given fans 13-and-counting seasons of complicated family dynamics (predating its network), echoed in the core relationships of Wayward Sisters. “It’s really kind of a special thing, this foster family of women,” Guevara-Prip says. “Humans are pack animals — you need someone to help you, to watch you, and you find that no matter what.”

Adds Rhodes: “Nobody pushes your buttons like your family, because they installed them, and this show is about the creation of family. They have all lost horribly and deeply, so they’ve got some rough edges and (their) defenses up. They support each other and sometimes conflict with each other.”

Wayward Sisters arrives in an era when women are standing up for each other and amplifying each other’s voices, making it a timely addition. 

“It’s about representation (and) women really just being people having to deal with problems as opposed to the mom or the victim or the damsel, that small character that pushes other plots forward," Guevara-Prip says. "It’s obvious that women need that, and men need to see that as well.”