While some dedicated Supernatural fans are quite skeptical of this prequel spin-off series, Jensen Ackles has gone to great lengths to show his respect toward the original show. While The Winchesters follow a different timeline, the canon authenticity of its contents has been assured, and the creators have even included some unexpected treats for their age-old fans to enjoy.

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The iconic Supernatural symbols remain untainted, such as the anti-possession emblem, demon warding spells, and Men of Letters logo, but as Dean makes a point of mentioning (more than once), the audience can also expect some surprises along the way. Besides the obvious "Soldier Boy" reference (which has more to do with The Boys than Supernatural), Jensen Ackles provides some Easter eggs amidst the script and scenery, in homage to his most devoted fans.

This article contains spoilers from The Winchesters, episode 1, currently available on The CW (free to stream the day after each episode's release date.)

10 Dad's Gone On A Hunting Trip

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters Mary and John Winchester, main cast

"...And he hasn't been home in a few days," is a line that has stuck in the Supernatural fandoms' minds since the very first episode, and it seems that The Winchesters have adopted a similar strategy. This time around, John gets a taste of his own medicine after his missing father sent him on a wild goose chase, whereas Mary's narrative echos Dean's initial introduction to the SPN audience.

The romantic plot and young-adult group dynamic freshen things up enough for The Winchesters to make this Supernatural trope their own, without creating a tedious "been there, done that" vibe.

9 Slaughterhouse Five

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters Slaughterhouse Five

It turns out that the little love story that John shared with Dean about how he met their mother rings true, although certain details were eloquently altered to make things sound more "normal." According to their father, he had a chance encounter with a beautiful young Mary at a "Slaughterhouse Five" show, although the way he tells it sounds much more like a date than anything suspicious.

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In The Winchesters' series of events, the pair quite literally bump into each other outside of the cinema screening the iconic sci-fi war movie, but neither John nor Mary participates in viewing the film. The prospective lovebirds share quite a few scenes outside of this venue in the first episode alone, as they ever-so-slowly start becoming friends.

8 Little Chewy Pieces of Heaven

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters John and Mary

Sam and Dean may be brothers, but they certainly don't have a great deal in common, and their taste in treats is one major discrepancy. While it's clear from their constantly contrasting diets (salads and smoothies vs. burgers and pie), it's no surprise that the boys have differing sweet tooth tastes too, whereby Dean finds licorice to be simply heavenly, and Sam abhors the flavor.

Apparently being a Licorice Lover runs in the family (for one brother, at least), as both John and Mary share this acquired taste as well. If Mary had stuck around a little longer after her resurrection in Supernatural, she could have shared a box of licorice with her son too, but it seems only John gets that special treatment.

7 In My Room

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters The Bunker The Men of Letters Dean Winchester Jensen Ackles

Die-hard fans are well aware of how hard Jensen Ackles took Supernatural's ending, and he even gave them a glimpse of behind the scene footage of an emotional farewell to the Bunker. It is clear that his team has spared no expenses in creating the same vibe that the iconic hidey-hole had for the next generation (or is it previous?) to enjoy, as they explore the Men Of Letters hideout for the first time (again.)

The Bunker holds a lot of memories for the Supernatural fandom and was essentially the first safe haven that the boys ever had. Dean couldn't contain his enthusiasm regarding his first opportunity to decorate his very own bedroom, and it became their base of operations from Season 8 onwards.

6 Kiddo

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters Charlie Bradbury Dean Winchester Jensen Ackles

John's mom has a catchy nickname for her son which has evidently been passed down through the generations and subsequently adopted by Dean many years later. Even though "kiddo" is not the most unique moniker in the world, it sounds strangely familiar to acute ears, and then Dean's red-headed "lil' sis" pops into fans' heads.

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Arguably the most beloved female character in Supernatural (and one with the longest track record of appearances) is the quirky side-kick, Charlie Bradbury, whose sudden death caught everyone by surprise. Dean blames himself completely for her demise (with Sam helping him along the guilt trip), and for that term to be used once again during a loving embrace between family can only be in hommage to his dearly departed friend.

5 A Little Slice of Kevin

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters Kevin Tran, Sam and Dean Winchester Jensen Ackles

When Kevin Tran was left to fend for himself in Season 8, he got rather creative with his strategies and surprised Sam and Dean with the iconic water-to-the-face gag, but this time around, with a Holy-Water-Pistol. No less than one season later, this youthful Prophet was tragically killed, barred from heaven, and left to suffer in the Veil for several years.

God only deemed the poor boy worthy of ascension in Season 11, and for such a sweet innocent young man to struggle unnecessarily did not sit well with many fans. Jensen made sure to pay his respects to the fallen hero (and his kickass mom) in the spin-off series in a classically comical way with Carlos' assistance, with some handy squirt guns in tow.

4 How It Ends

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters John, Sam and Dean Winchester Jensen Ackles

John seems to find this whole Hunting business rather exciting and while it may be honorable for him to want to save people, those with more experience in the matter urge him to reconsider his involvement. To emphasize the dangers of being a Hunter, Carlos states that "the only thing worse than how it begins, is how it ends;" and Supernatural fans know exactly how things turned out for this Winchester.

Poor John dies twice at the hands of the demon, Azazel, and voluntarily sacrifices his soul to Hell for the sake of his family. The elusive Samuel Campbell (Mary's father) also had a role to play in the matter, although in his defense, the grumpy Hunter was possessed at the time.

3 Saving People, Hunting Things

The Winchesters Supernatural Prequel

Even though "the family business" does appear to predominantly originate from the Campbell's side of things, it is a Winchester who coins the legendary catchphrase and teaches it to his sons. The first time John says this expression is during a passionate debate concerning his future as a monster-killing hero, and those words evidently left quite an impression on the young man.

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The Winchester Family motto is so iconic that it has been used as a book title, "Supernatural: Mini Guide To Saving People and Hunting Things," which would be the perfect addition to any dedicated fan's collection.

2 Monster Under the Bed

Supernatural Dean Winchester Season 4 Episode 6

Unlike Rihanna's lyrics dictate, Sam and Dean knew better than to make "friends with the monster that's under [the] bed" and not just because most kids are naturally cautious of such things. A particularly painful memory from their childhood demonstrates John's tough-love approach to parenting, and how much it contrasts with the young John's empathy for Mary (who received the same treatment.)

When the young Sam and Dean shared their fears with their father, they were equipped with weapons and self-defense techniques, scaring the living daylights out of them even further, and providing little comfort.

1 Driver Picks The Music

Supernatural Easter Eggs in The Winchesters Dean Winchester Jensen Ackles

Dean traveling solo means that there is no "Shotgun [to] shut his pie hole," however, Supernatural fans get the reference nevertheless. It was wonderful to hear the rocking 80s tunes that adorned each and every Supernatural installment make a return in the spin-off, because well, it wouldn't be quite the same without it. Whether or not Sam shared the same taste in music as his brother is irrelevant, as there was always a Zeppelin-styled soundtrack blasting through the radio (except for that one time Sam snuck Jason Mann's “Vision” onto the playlist).

Attentive viewers may have also noticed that the Impala is fitted with the "KAZ 2Y5" number plates from the first season of Supernatural, which represents the brothers' hometown of Kansas and the beginning of their Hunting relationship. This also suggests that Dean's timeline in The Winchesters occurs before he partnered with Sam because, once those boys teamed up, Dean rarely ever went on solo missions again.

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