S1 Spoilers and Speculation

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x01: "The Beginning in the End"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James and Alex Matthews


7/1/17: The Story Begins - Six months after suffering a tragedy, Jake Farrell (Cody Christian) and his mother Annie (Liza Weil) move back to her home town of Winchester Bay, California, a small town suffering the recent loss of eighteen-year old Shane Wise (guest star Tom Maden). Jake's first days at Winchester Bay High School brings him into contact with various people whose lives touched Shane's, including his sister, Eve (Sarah Hyland), popular jock Pete Jensen (Franz Drameh), bullied outcast Charlie Matthews (Dylan Minette), and Jake's own cousin, Lucy Hill (Grace Phipps). Jake also catches the attention of budding photojournalist Tracy Vargas (Camila Mendes), when he tries to join the school's struggling newspaper, the Winchester Tribune, helmed by the vicious Maya Raymond (Lindsey Morgan).

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x02: "The Autopsy of Shane Wise"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James & Alex Matthews

UPDATED 22/01/18:
- Maddie Hasson debuts as "Melissa Carlyle", having been absent in the previous episode.
- Morena Baccarin debuts in her recurring role as "Doctor Rachel Vargas", mother to Tracy Vargas.
- Clark Gregg appears for the first of two small guest appearances as "Stuart Rees", stepfather to Shane and Eve Wise.

7/1/07:

- This episode will include a series of 'flashbacks' that focus on Tracy's life several months ago.
- A main character absent from the premiere will be introduced in this episode. Their arrival is said to have a dramatic impact on both Jake and Tracy, before eventually intersecting with Eve's.

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x03: "The Funeral"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James

UPDATED 03/02/2018:
- TheVPN has released an official synopsis of the episode:

WE ARE GATHERED HERE TODAY - The town of Winchester Bay comes together to mourn the loss of Shane Wise and support his family at his funeral. Jake (Christian) and Melissa (Hasson) get better acquainted, while Tracy (Mendes) deals with her own personal baggage at seeing them together. Charlie (Minette) and Lucy (Phipps) commiserate over the absence of a mother in each of their lives, while an emotional Eve (Hyland) offers Pete (Drameh) an olive branch. Annie (Weil) meets History teacher Josh Ryan. Maya (Morgan) discovers a clue that could finally help the Tribune team get a handle on why Shane died.

8/6/17

- The episode will take place over the course of one night.
- The Tribune will officially welcome a new member.

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x04: "Time to Let Go"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James

Updated: 7/10/17
- Title revealed

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x05: "All We Got"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James

8/8/17- Title Revealed.
- The episode will serve as the mid season finale.
- The episode heavily features Charlie.

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x06: "Fall Ball"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Alex Matthews

UPDATED 22/01/18:
- This episode will be an extended length episode, running slightly longer the usual.
- Several main characters dark secrets will be revealed.

7/1/07:
- This episode is set to be Eve centric.

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x07: "Truth & Consequences"
Produced by: [/b]The VPN
Written by: Matthew James

UPDATED 22/01/18:
- Title revealed (The previous title, "Civil War(riors)" has been changed to a change in story direction)

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x08: "The Last Day"
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James


[Updated - 02/18/2018] Title Revealed

[Updated - 02/18/2018] Spoilers:
- This episode will break away from the main story.
- This episode will serve as a Flashback episode. Revolving around Jake's final days in New York, and Shane's last days alive.
- We'll finally get to meet Jake's brother.

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x09 - Swan Song (Part One)
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James

[Updated - 02/18/2018] Spoilers:
- Title Revealed
- This is the first of a two-part episode.
- A member of the Tribune will sacrifice themselves for the truth.

[Matthew James]

Episode #1x10 - The End of The Beginning (Part Two)
Produced by: The VPN
Written by: Matthew James

[Updated - 02/18/2018] Spoilers:

- Season Finale
- This is the conclusion of the two-part season finale.
- Answers will be revealed.
- A storm will hit Winchester Bay.

[Matthew James]

VSGuide Exclusive: Meet The Parents!

The freshman series of the "Winchester" relaunch finally finds it's feet and has added a few new recurring cast members to it's roster.

First up is Morena Baccarin ("Gotham", "Firefly", "Homeland") who will join the cast to play 'Rachel'. the mother of main character Tracy Vargas, portrayed by Camila Mendes. Series Creator Matthew James describes her as "smart, loyal and stubborn". She will also be involved in the main 'mystery' arc of the series due to her work as a Medical Examiner employed at the Sheriff's station. She will be working closely with Sheriff Hill on solving the town's shocking death. She's set to make her first appearance in the second episode, "The Autopsy of Shane Wise".

Also revealed is that Clark Gregg ("Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.") and Susan Walters ("Teen Wolf", "The Vampire Diaries") have been cast as Stuart and Madelaine Reese-Wise, the parents of Eve and Shane. While step-father Stuart will be a well respected lawyer who generally wants what's best for his step children, Mrs Wise will be a stay at home mom, heavily involved at the high school leading the school's PTA board. 

[Alex Matthews]

VSGuide Exclusive:
Role Call at Winchester Bay High School

The freshman season of the "Winchester" reboot adds some more to it's ensemble as it casts several well-known actors as the faculty of Winchester Bay High School!

"Arrow" star David Ramsey will take on the role of Principal Arthur Wallace, who must deal not only with the students, parents and teachers on a whole, but also with the effect that the death of a popular student has on the school in general.

He will be joined by Ian Bohen ("Teen Wolf"), Nolan North ("Pretty Little Liars") and Kelly Hu ("The 100", "Hawaii 5-0"), as 'Mr Josh Ryan', 'Coach Eric Harmon', and 'Ms Miranda Tsing', each of whom will recurr throughout the 10-episode first season.

[Alex Matthews]

VSGuide Exclusive:
Meet the Law of Winchester Bay!

With the new focus on the "Winchester" reboot being a murder-mystery, the long arm of the law will be making certain appearances during the season, and VSGuide can reveal that Dennis Leary ("Rescue Me", "The Amazing Spider-Man") will be that presence!

Leary will be portraying 'Sheriff Conrad Hill', the chief of police in the small town of Winchester Bay, who is more used to the occasional under-age drunk-driving incident, or missing dog report, then a full-scale murder investigation. He is also the father to 'Lucy Hill', portrayed by Grace Phipps ("Vampire Diaries", "Nine Lives of Chloe King"), and uncle to 'Jake Farrell', portrayed by series lead Cody Christian ("Pretty Little Liars", "Teen Wolf"). Described as 'stern, tough but fair', he will have to juggle the jobs of finding a killer and the reason for a young man's death, while also helping his daughter deal with the fallout.

Leary will make his debut in the premiere, titled "The Beginning in the End".

[Matthew James]

CASTING NEWS:
THE HALLS OF WBHS CONTINUE TO FILL

VSGUIDE has just discovered that the halls of WBHS are continuing to fill up starting with two new characters who will be making their first appearance in the series mid season finale, and return for the duration of the season. Julia Garner (Perks of being a Wallflower, Ozark) and Santiago Segura (Scream) join the series freshman year.

Garner will play a student named Darcy Abbott, a hospital volunteer who will help one of our characters through a difficult time in their life, and Segura will play new student Carlos Lopez, he's a fresh face at Winchester Bay High, who is open with his sexuality, a fact not everyone is okay with. he like Jake has a thing for standing up for the voiceless. 

When asked about the conception of the characters James said "We knew we didn't want to have a show that only focused on the seven or eight kids that appear in the opening credits. High School is full of people, mostly other kids, so of course we wanted those lives to intersect with our main characters, both Darcy and Carlos come in and kind of flip things on their heads, in ways you wouldn't expect." He continued to explain "Both characters will be all about 'hope', the hope of being okay with who you are, and the hope that things have to get better when they're at there darkest."  

[Alex Matthews]

CASTING NEWS:
NICK ROBINSON ENROLLED AT
WINCHESTER BAY HIGH SCHOOL!

The exclusive news has come down to VSGUIDE that "Jurassic World" and "Love, Simon" star Nick Robinson has been involved in the coming-soon "Winchester" reboot!

Robinson is playing the character of 'Bruce Olsen', another junior at Winchester Bay High School, and best buds with 'Pete Jensen', played by former "Legends of Tomorrow" star Franz Drameh. Robinson was seen on set filming with Drameh, and the two were apparently thick as thieves! According to a source in the "Winchester" production offices, "Nick came in for his audition, read and tested a scene with Franz, and we knew straight away that this was who we needed to play Pete's wing-man!"

The character of 'Bruce' appears briefly in the upcoming premiere, which currently does not have an air-date, beyond 'soon', and will recur throughout the season. 

[Alex Matthews]

CASTING NEWS:
"VAMPIRE DIARIES" ALUM CANDICE KING
BOOKS GUEST ROLE!

A former Miss Mystic Falls is coming to Winchester Bay, California, on a television screen near you! Candice King, formerly 'Caroline Forbes' on hit CW series "The Vampire Diaries" has a booked a guest role as 'Betty Hart', a news anchor and occasional roving reporter for the local news station. Although not involved in the investigation that runs through the course of the season, she will occasionally pop up in her capacity as the local residents connection to the ongoing case. 

Candice will first appear as 'Betty' in the upcoming premiere episode...

[Alex Matthews]

SCHOOL'S IN! "WINCHESTER" REBOOT

FINALLY GETS PREMIERE DATE!

The doors of Winchester Bay High School will finally open! Yes, VSGuide has the fantastic news that the reboot and retooled coming-of-age by Matthew James finally has a premiere date. 

That date: January 20th 2018! What better way to start the new year then with the release of the eagerly anticipated first episode of the drama series that, while it will deal with elements of a mystery, in the style of hit CW series "Riverdale", at it's core, is about a group of teenagers dealing with the challenges life throws their way as they navigate the dangerous halls of High School.

"We're really excited to finally begin our run, it's been a long time coming," James told us at VSGuide, "There are so many twists and turns throughout this first season, I hope everyone can keep up with what we have planned."

"Winchester" stars Cody Christian as 'Jake Farrell', Camila Mendes as 'Tracy Vargas', Dylan Minette as 'Charlie Matthews', Grace Phipps as 'Lucy Hill', Franz Drameh as 'Pete Jensen', Sarah Hyland as 'Eve Wise', Maddie Hasson as 'Melissa Carlyle', Lindsey Morgan as 'Maya Raymond' and Liza Weil as 'Annie Farrell'. They are supported by Denis Leary, Morena Baccarin, David Ramsey, Susan Walters and Nolan North. 

In the run-up over the next month till the premiere date, VSGuide will be back periodically with interviews with the lead cast members and the more recurring guest actors. The first will be a joint interview with Cody and Camila. So stay tuned!

It's currently expected that "Winchester" will run for five straight weeks, before taking a hiatus, after which, they will return with the final half of the 10-episode first season. 

[Alex Matthews]

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW!

CODY CHRISTIAN AND CAMILA MENDES 

TALK "WINCHESTER"

VSGuide sat down with the two main leads of the rebooted "Winchester", Cody Christian ("Teen Wolf", "Pretty Little Liars") and Camila Mendes ("Riverdale") to talk about their characters, the upcoming season, and what we should expect.

VSGuide: Hey guys, thanks for agreeing to this joint interview. 
Cody Christian: Happy to be here!
Camila Mendes: Definitely. It's about time someone came to talk to us! [laughs]

VSG: So, to get started, what can you tell us about what viewers should expect from the show?
CC: It's going to be a roller-coaster ride, so strap in tight!
CM: [laughs] Yeah, we may be playing high-schoolers, but we get up to some crazy Veronica Mars-style s**t, for sure. 

VSG: Interesting. So, "Veronica Mars" is an influence on the show's direction?
CM: Yes and no. I mean, this season we have the whole murder mystery angle going on through the ten episodes, but that doesn't mean the same thing will happen if we get a second season. 
CC: Yeah, the producers and writers have talked a little about some of the ideas they have for later story arcs, and they're exciting, but they don't stick to the same formula. But this season is very much about the core group of characters coming together to answer questions you'll find out about in the premiere. 

VSG: Okay, let's talk about your characters. Cody, you're playing Jake Farrell, and Camila, you're Tracy Vargas. How would you some up your characters for us?
CC: Screwed up. [laughs]
CM: 'Damaged', that's the word Matthew [James, showrunner and series creator] used when we talked about Tracy in the audition. All the characters have a lot going on in their lives when we meet them, no-one is the picture perfect version of an American high-school student in a small town. 
CC: Yeah, it was very important to both Matthew and Alex [Matthews, executive producer] that these kids feel very real and reflect the problems and traumas many kids these age may have already suffered in their lives. 

VSG: Can you give us an example?
CC: Well, not to give too many spoilers, but my character, Jake, he's suffering from a major loss of a family member that's caused his life to completely swerve off course. That's why his family has now moved to Winchester Bay. 
CM: I don't think any of the families of the main characters has what they call the 'normal' family, do they? I could be wrong, but if there are any, it's in the minority.

VSG: What can you tell us about the 'murder mystery' angle you talked about earlier? How does it work to bring the characters together?
CC: You see straight off the bat that the death of Shane Wise has had a domino effect on not just the school, but the whole town, and our characters decide they need to find out what happened. 
CM: Tracy and Jake, they both work for the school paper, and it's a small team, so they learn to rely on each other as they start to uncover what it was that lead Shane to his death. It kinda feels like a game of 'Clue', as we whittle our way through the suspects, and there are times it feels like everyone is a suspect!

VSG: It sounds very similar to the first season of "Riverdale". 
CM: There are definite parallels, but the characters are so different, the settings so disparate, it really helps distinguish the two shows. I mean, Tracy is the antithesis of Veronica. Veronica comes from money, she's used to a certain lifestyle, she had to make a big adjustment when she moved from New York to Riverdale, but Tracy, she's much more grounded and realistic, very earthy and in some ways, jaded by what she's been through. 

VSG: Okay, since Camila brought up the character she's most recently known for, Cody, let's do the same with you. How would you compare Jake with your character from "Teen Wolf", Theo Raken? 
CC: Well, Jake isn't a budding sociopath, that's for sure. He's just a kid getting over a major loss in his life, trying to make up for some mistakes he made in the past, standing up for the little guy, and figuring out his place at the school, and in this new town, in general.

VSG: We're all aware that this is the second iteration of "Winchester". Should we expect any callbacks to the original series?
CC: Oh, there are tons! I mean, many of the character names were re-used, while a few, like Jake, are new characters inspired by an original series character. 
CM: Tracy's name was originally still 'Ford', but when I got the role, they decided to give it a more Brazilian twist to reflect my own background, which I thought was a great idea. 

VSG: Very cool! I'm sure our viewers will be hooked by the end of that first episode!
CC: Fingers crossed!
CM: Yeah, we want to come back for a second season, we're having a blast making this series.

---

More cast interviews to follow in the next few weeks. Sorry for the long delay in releasing this one, real life is a b***h!