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‘Supernatural,’ ‘Arrow’ makers: CW dramas ending on a high

Aug 5, 2019 | 1:03 AM

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — The makers of “Supernatural” and “Arrow” say they’re bringing the CW shows to a close at the right time.

“You don’t want to be the last person at a party, even if it’s the best party on the planet,” said Jared Padalecki, who’s paired with co-star Jensen Ackles as the evil-busting Winchester brothers on “Supernatural.” Its 15th season, debuting Oct. 10, will be its last.

“Arrow” producer Marc Guggenheim also compared the superhero show to a gala that’s still going strong. Its eighth and final season with star Stephen Amell begins Oct. 15.

“We all would much prefer to go out on a high note, and go out while people are still talking about the show rather than being, like, ‘That show’s still on the air?'” he said.

While the “Supernatural” stars felt it was time to end their long run, Ackles told a TV critics meeting Sunday that taping the final episodes will be difficult.

“I’m just hoping to stave off the emotion until at least episode 19, 18, somewhere in there,” he said. “And then who knows what’s going to happen? It’s going to be a big shift in a lot of our lives.”

CW President Mark Pedowitz saluted the 15-season run as a “remarkable achievement.”

“As we always said … when they were ready to stop, we will stop. And for them and for Stephen Amell on ‘Arrow,’ these shows will go out the way they were supposed to go,” he said. “But if you can convince them to come back, I’m open.”

Ackles speculated this may just be a break in the “Supernatural” journey, although CW’s attempts at spinoffs haven’t succeeded.

“Am I saying there’s something in the works? No. Am I saying I would be open to having a conversation about this in the future? What is the harm in that?” said Ackles, who plans to take his character’s well-worn boots with him as a souvenir.

“Arrow” star Amell was asked how to square his recent claim of a happy ending for the show, despite rumours that his character Oliver Cromwell, aka Arrow, doesn’t survive.

“That’s not a spoiler,” Amell replied, prompting Guggenheim to jump in.

While a character did tell Oliver that he’s going to die, the producer said, there’s more than one way to consider possible outcomes. He then proceeded to muddy the waters.

“When I read about this online and people are asking us questions, they’re thinking about things in a very binary way, that the ending will either be X or Y. And all I would say is, I think we have Z planned,” Guggenheim said.

In its final season, “Arrow” will be part of what CW is billing as the biggest crossover yet for its shows drawn from the world of DC Comics. Titled “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” the story will unfold from Dec. 8 to Jan. 14 on episodes of “Supergirl,” ”Batwoman,” ”The Flash,” ”Arrow” and “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.”

Lynn Elber, The Associated Press