When Wynonna Earp first premiered on SYFY in 2016, the supernatural-tinged Western wasn’t necessarily fated for success. The series, originally based on the comic books by Beau Smith, had a lot to prove at the time of its release — and a lot of noise to break through in terms of the television landscape being at its peak. But the Emily Andras-developed adaptation declared itself as soon as its titular hot mess express of a heroine, played by Melanie Scrofano, got off a bus and walked into a little town called Purgatory.

From the beginning, Wynonna Earp was a show like no other, as quick on the draw with its humor as Doc Holliday (Tim Rozon) — yes, that Doc Holliday — and as equally unapologetic in its identity. While Wynonna wrestled with the weight and expectation of her demon-killing heritage after returning to her hometown, she also had to navigate the strain between herself and her little sister, Waverly (Dom Provost-Chalkley), who’d grown into a supernatural expert in her own right. The series might have revolved around ridding Purgatory of a different demonic threat every week, but it also found time to focus on relationships, whether familial or otherwise — Wynonna’s will-they-won’t-they with Doc, or Waverly’s burgeoning romance with county deputy sheriff Nicole Haught (Kat Barrell). No wonder the series quickly found a fanbase, who dubbed themselves Earpers and passionately championed Wynonna Earp throughout its four seasons to date.

Although 2021 marked a conclusion of sorts for the original show, there was still hope for a potential return, which came three years later. In February, Andras announced that Tubi had picked up a 90-minute special, titled Wynonna Earp: Vengeance, with the series’ main cast members all reprising their original roles. If this movie-length follow-up proves anything, it’s that the team behind the show hasn’t lost a step in picking up where the story and these characters left off — but there are also more than enough signs that Wynonna Earp could continue in some form, if everyone is still all in.

What Is ‘Wynonna Earp: Vengeance’ About?
Image via Tubi

Following the events of the original series, Wynonna Earp: Vengeance picks up with the members of Team Earp split up and making an effort to live ordinary lives. While Wynonna and Doc initially left Purgatory for a chance at happily ever after, it turns out that they’ve taken a page out of Bonnie and Clyde’s book, cheating and fleecing their way through casinos to secure the funds they need to settle down. Even though the couple has temporarily put down roots in Tombstone, Arizona (also known as the place where Wynonna’s ancestor, Wyatt Earp, famously made a name for himself), there’s still something missing for their happy ending to be complete — their daughter, Alice, who previously had been sent far away from any demonic goings-on to keep her safe.

Back in the Ghost River Triangle, Nicole Haught might be firmly established as the newly-promoted sheriff — and very much enjoying married life to Waverly — but it almost feels as if the newlywed couple have become too settled in their ways, especially in a place where the norm was once very much made up of the paranormal. Good thing there’s a powerful, demonic threat brewing on the outskirts of town, right? Vengeance’s new baddie (played by Karen Knox) is one of the most personal monsters that’s ever popped up in this world — one who has a surprising score to settle with Wynonna herself. After a particularly memorable debut, which doesn’t happen without some death along the way, Waverly desperately summons her big sister back to Purgatory. With her trusty leather jacket donned and her magic, demon-killing gun Peacemaker holstered, Wynonna returns to a town that might not be happy to see her but still needs her unique brand of crazy to take down this new evil.

Wynonna Earp was a show that originally endured due to its charm, rather than any large amount of money thrown at its budget. In that regard, Tubi’s feature-length follow-up special doesn’t diverge from a formula that still works. From a visual standpoint, Vengeance looks exactly like an installment of the original series — and it helps, of course, that it’s helmed by Paolo Barzman, who directed many episodes from Wynonna Earp’s initial run, with a script from series creator Andras. Another undeniable benefit of the special’s streaming platform is the fact that Vengeance doesn’t have to censor itself, and Wynonna Earp’s trademark wit and snappy exchanges get to pack even more of a punch when characters have the freedom to be unrepentantly cheeky.

With so many returning parties both in front of and behind the camera, the results are a sequel that feels like we’ve never left the world of Wynonna Earp, regardless of how much time has passed off-screen. Scrofano slips back into the role of gun-and-booze-slinging demon slayer without missing a beat, but she shines most in the more vulnerable moments Wynonna finds herself in after her return to Purgatory. Thanks to a fireside chat with Provost-Chalkley’s Waverly, a front-porch revelation with Rozon’s Doc, and a continuing odd-couple connection with Barrell’s Haught, Scrofano gets to lean into all of her character’s best and most endearing traits — including her softer side, even if it always comes out more reluctantly than her quippy humor.

In fact, Vengeance’s best aspects don’t even really have to do with the big demon threatening our faves, but the enduring chemistry that the main cast expertly wields to make us laugh, cry, and everything in between. Barrell and Provost-Chalkley have to balance WayHaught’s sweeter moments with the tougher conversations that have been a long time coming, but they do so in a way that proves they’re still one of the best couples on television. Meanwhile, Scrofano and Rozon balance simmering sexual tension with the underlying angst that continues to define Wynonna and Doc’s relationship, their shared looks speaking volumes when they can’t bring themselves to say what they need to aloud. But there’s no on-screen pairing in Vengeance that isn’t terrific — whether it’s Wynonna and Waverly starting a drunken brawl at a wake or Wynonna and Nicole begrudgingly working together for the greater good, every combination of these characters is as magic as it’s always been.

‘Vengeance’ Sets Up the Possibility of Even More ‘Wynonna Earp’

Wynonna Earp’s initial endpoint was arguably satisfying — between a WayHaught wedding and Wynonna and Doc riding off into the sunset together, a sequel would only have felt like the right idea if everyone was on board. Vengeance was not only worth the wait, with every main cast member perfectly at home in their roles again, but it shines as a true labor of love, in part thanks to cameos that emphasize how game everyone was to come back for more. As a successor to the original series, the special doesn’t use the plot as a way to just orchestrate a big reunion or skate by on vibes only; Team Earp has to deal with real stakes again, ones that lurk just beyond the boundary of the homestead, as well as the type of supernatural threats that won’t see every character making it through to the end in one piece.

That said, without treading too deep into spoiler territory, Vengeance ends in such a way that it feels like the door has been left open for a continuation, even if it isn’t another full season of the show. Why not allow the cast and crew to return for additional specials, giving viewers the chance to check in on what these characters have been up to occasionally? If the Earpers haven’t made their peace with the series ending by now, then Wynonna Earp: Vengeance is only going to make their rallying cry for a resurrection louder than ever.

Wynonna Earp: Vengeance premieres Friday, September 13 on Tubi.

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