Supernatural & Empire series finales in question after coronavirus shut down

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Productions all over Hollywood have gone dark due to the growing emergence of the coronavirus but two series were almost at the finish line of their finals seasons and with production at a standstill, their final episodes are in serious limbo.

Although most networks have agreed that it's pretty much a wrap for them this season given that there is no soon-enough end in sight for them to return to work due the COVID-19 outbreak, a lot of those shows have the luxury of carrying over some of the remaining scripts into new seasons for the fall. In the case of Supernatural and Empire, that luxury isn't really on the table. Supernatural, which is in its final 15th season on The CW, is about 1.5-2 episodes short for its final season. The same is true of Empire, which is wrapping up its run on Fox after six seasons. The final run of episodes for both series is already airing on their respective networks so that doesn't give them the option to postpone their final seasons. 

The real dilemma here is since this is the final run for both shows, there isn't even an option to carry over the final two episodes into the fall season because they won't be a part of the new fall season. The CW and Fox could attempt to stagger out the episodes currently airing but given that the impact of the coronavirus makes it unlikely that productions can resume anytime soon, simply staggering the current episodes out may not be enough to buy them any real time to finish the episodes they need to wrap.

One idea being thrown around is that the episodes could air as special events. CBS' CSI made a similar move in September 2015 by airing its two-hour series finale months after the last regular episode of the drama from the previous season. A summer airing is also another possibility but, again, that comes down to when it will be deemed safe to resume filming. It's a tough spot for fans of both shows who likely want and need closure. This is especially true of fans of Supernatural who have been fiercely dedicated to Jared Padalecki & Jensen Ackles genre series for 15 seasons. They really deserve to see a proper end to that series.

The coronavirus almost disrupted another final season on The CW when The 100, which is ending its run after seven seasons, had to accelerate their pace on their last episodes before production was halted. There was a day or two left of filming on the series finale and they were allowed to finish that out last weekend without any problems. NBC's Superstore isn't facing a series finale problem but the season finale was meant to be a farewell for one of its stars, America Ferrera, who has decided to leave the show after the current season. It's unlikely they'll be able to shoot that episode this season but at least Ferrera has indicated she's game to wrap up her story in the new fall season if it comes to that.

What do YOU think the powers that be should do about the final episodes of Supernatural or Empire? Is the best solution to air them as special events at a later date?