The Untold Truth Of Wynonna Earp

If you happen to love Westerns, science fiction, and spooky, paranormal TV shows, you've probably discovered the SyFy cult favorite series Wynonna Earp. The show is based on the comic book series of the same name, but it's packed with original characters and new storylines.

Wynonna, who happens to be the great-great granddaughter of Old West lawman Wyatt Earp, has finally come back to her hometown of Purgatory, where she must work to break her family's curse. The outlaws that Wyatt killed, also known as revenants, have reincarnated, but Wynonna has been given the power to send them back to Hell using her ancestor's magic gun, "Peacemaker." With the help of Wyatt's ageless friend, Doc Holliday, her sister Waverly, and local sheriff Nicole Haught, Wynonna must purge her hometown of the demons that have plagued her family.

The show's unique premise, the genuine chemistry amongst the cast, and the positive portrayal of strong female and LGBTQ+ characters have drawn in millions of fans. Let's explore how the series differs from the comics, where the series is actually filmed, how fans helped to save Wynonna Earp from cancellation, and other interesting stories from behind the scenes!

(Warning — there are spoilers below.)

Wynonna Earp's story began back in 1996, when writer Beau Smith published the very first comic featuring the character. But when Smith began working on the comics, he received pushback from nearly everyone involved with the process. He wanted Wynonna to come across as mature, confident, and powerful, but the publisher and artist he was working with wanted him to take things in a different direction.

"My battle 20 years ago with Wynonna Earp was a hard one," Smith admitted in an interview with Uproxx. "I battled with not only the publisher but with the artist to not make her a stripper with a badge. That was the way everyone wanted to portray her because that was the thing going on at the time. That was something I fought."

Andras definitely changed up Wynonna's image for the show and gave her some more modest costumes. But the spirit of Smith's original character definitely comes through in Melanie Scrofano's portrayal of Wynonna.

Fans of the show who've picked up the Wynonna Earp comics have probably noticed some key differences between the two. In addition to certain characters from the series missing from the pages of earlier issues, the narrative isn't quite the same. In the TV adaptation, the show definitely has a small-town feel. After all, it kicks off with Wynonna's return to her tiny home of Purgatory, and while fighting supernatural forces is certainly a major focus of the series, many of the episodes also center around the relationships and interactions between the characters.

But in the comic book series, Wynonna sets off on an epic, action-packed road trip across America. She travels from New Mexico all the way to New York City, battling with supernatural villains along the way. It wasn't until he'd already published several issues that Smith sent Wynonna to Tombstone, Arizona, where Wyatt Earp famously fought in the shootout at the O.K. Corral. Of course, the comics that have been published since the show began airing have clearly tied in with the series, so today, fans would probably spot more similarities.

Wynonna Earp fans will be happy to find out that several of the cast members have connected outside of the show. For instance, Katherine Barrell and Tamara Duarte — who plays Doc's girlfriend, Rosita Bustillos — actually worked together on another film that was released shortly before Wynonna Earp began airing. They both appeared in the 2015 rom-com My Ex-Ex, which was about a woman trying to decide between getting back together with the man who recently broke up with her or reuniting with her college boyfriend. 

Additionally, Greg Bryk, who plays Jack of Knives, is the father of Billy Bryk, who plays Billy Clanton. Greg began acting in 1998, and he's appeared in films like Saw V and shows like The Handmaid's Tale. In 2018, Billy began following in his father's footsteps when he landed his first professional acting job on the series Jett, alongside his brother Dempsey Bryk.

After watching a few episodes, eagle-eyed Wynonna Earp fans began noticing a curious pattern. All of the episode titles seemed recognizable, and the phrases sounded especially familiar to country music fans. For instance, in June 2017, an episode titled "Gonna Getcha Good" aired, and a fan reached out to Andras on Twitter to ask if the title was a reference to the popular Shania Twain tune "I'm Gonna Getcha Good!" Andras responded, "Yep! All #WynonnaEarp episodes are named after country and western songs!"

This choice is a homage to the Western roots of the story, and once you notice it, looking up the episode titles becomes a fun trivia exercise. Some of the titles are easy to place. For example, the season one episode "I Walk the Line" is named after the famous Johnny Cash song, while the episode "Whiskey Lullaby" gets its title from the modern country hit of the same name by Alison Krauss and Brad Paisley. Others are a bit more obscure and could lead fans to some lesser-known artists.

Devoted Wynonna Earp fans (also known as "Earpers") were devastated when they found out that the show was on the chopping block after they'd already been promised future seasons. IDW Publishing, the company that owns the rights to the Wynonna Earp comics and TV series, was on the hook for hefty production costs, and they weren't sure if the expense would be justified. So the fans decided to mobilize. They raised funds to put up #FightForWynonna billboards in New York and Los Angeles to prove that future seasons would have a dedicated audience.

As Bonnie Ferrar, a copywriter who manages a highly popular Wynonna Earp fan account on Twitter, told The Hollywood Reporter, "We know that financial issues are a big part of what makes or breaks the shows we love, but it can't be the only thing." Ferrar was heavily involved in the campaign to save the series. She explained, "We want networks to know that this fandom is loud and mighty and passionate. We will support all of the networks and companies that continue to produce Wynonna Earp. From attending conventions around the world and buying merchandise to buying comics, we are all in as a fandom and we are loyal." The response from enthusiastic fans clearly had a positive influence, and the fourth season began airing in July 2020. It was a huge victory, but sadly, it was short-lived, as the show was once again canceled in February 2021.

Beau Smith wants fans of the Wynonna Earp TV series to feel like they can see a whole new side of their favorite show by reading the comics, but he also wants to give them some of the familiar material that got them hooked on the show in the first place. And what better way to do that than by inviting a few of the actors themselves to contribute to the comics? 

Smith collaborated with Melanie Scrofano and Tim Rozon to put together a special collected volume of the series, titled Wynonna Earp: Legends. Scrofano and Rozon each worked with Smith on different issues, and both actors found the experience to be very rewarding.

"As an actor, you tend to just look at the script till you get to your stuff. But then when you're writing, it just really makes you go, 'What does this do for them?'" Scrofano told Entertainment Weekly. "It deepens your appreciation for all the characters, which, in turn, just makes you appreciate the whole of the story that you're telling more. It makes you less selfish, in theory."

Smith also stated that he would love to work on another issue with Scrofano and Rozon and that, ideally, Andras would collaborate on a future issue, as well.