Some early renewals for some popular shows over on the CW have just come in. The network has given the green light for new seasons of Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90201 and America’s Next Top Model.

No word on any other renewals of yet for shows we’re interested in, like Smallville, but with these early ones announced, it’s only a matter of time before we hear about more. The Supernatural and Vampire Diaries renewals weren’t completely unexpected as they’ve been doing well in the ratings, but for some reason I thought Top Model was on its last legs. Oh well, another season of beautiful models doing photo shoots in skimpy outfits can’t be all bad, right?

Here’s all the info from the CW about these renewals from their official press release:

THE CW ANNOUNCES EARLY PICKUPS FOR FIVE SERIES

Freshman Hit “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl,” “90210,” “Supernatural” and “America’s Next Top Model” To Return Next Season

February 16, 2010 (Burbank, California) ─ The CW Network has given early pickups to five series for next season, including four signature dramas and the reality hit AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL. All five shows will return in Fall 2010.

The series receiving early renewals include this season’s breakout hit THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, The CW’s most-watched show (4.6 million viewers) and the network’s number one show among adults 18-34 (2.5/8). THE VAMPIRE DIARIES premiere generated the largest audience in network history for a series debut (5.7 million total viewers). THE VAMPIRE DIARIES has improved The CW’s performance Thursday at 8:00 p.m. by 114% among women 18-34 this season.

Continue Reading →

This week marks a pretty big event for the gang over at Smallville as they encounter the Justice Society of America for the first time. Granted, this isn’t the first time other DC superheroes have made it onto the show, with characters like Green Arrow, Aquaman, Black Canary, and others joining in the fray from time to time. With all those characters making appearances in the past, there’s still something even more special about this week’s two-hour episode.

While this season has brought up some interesting plots including Braniac, the Legion, Metallo, and others, this coming event, written by Geoff Johns, seems to take the cake. From Kryptonsite:

A man named Sylvester Pemberton tracks down Chloe (Allison Mack) and tells her he knows about her team of superheroes and needs their help. However, before he can explain who he is, he is attacked and killed by Icicle (guest star Wesley Macinnes). Clark (Tom Welling) and Chloe’s (Allison Mack) investigation leads Clark to the former headquarters of the Justice Society of America where he meets up with Nelson AKA Dr. Fate (guest star Brent Stait), Carter Hall AKA Hawkman (guest star Michael Shanks) and Courtney AKA Star Girl (guest star Britt Irvin).

Courtney pleads with Hawkman and Dr. Fate to help her catch the killer that is targeting their group but they are reluctant to resume their duties as superheroes. Clark, John Jones (guest star Phil Morris), Green Arrow (Justin Hartley) and Chloe team up to help the JSA stop Icicle before he murders another member of the group. Meanwhile, Lois (Erica Durance) receives a package from a mysterious agency called Checkmate, run by Amanda Waller (guest star Pam Grier).

Check out two exclusive clips from Smallville: Absolute Justice and be sure to watch the entire two-hour event this Friday at 8/7 Central on the CW.

Continue Reading →

Who doesn’t love a good “swapped bodies” storyline? Just about every show has done it at one point. From Buffy to Gilligan’s Island to The X-Files, there are over 50 TV episodes that focus on the plot, and now that Supernatural has hit its fifth season, its their turn.

It isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Plenty of shows have stooped lower by pulling off a “trapped in a freezer and forced to tell stories” clip show, or even a musical episode. The “body swap” storyline is only a right of passage after you hit so many episodes, and it looks like this one is just that. From The CW:

High school nerd Gary (guest star Colton James), conjures up a body-switching spell and changes bodies with Sam (Jared Padalecki).  Thrilled by his new handsome and built body, Gary (now Sam) investigates a case with Dean (Jensen Ackles) and takes advantage of Sam’s good looks and age by hitting on women and getting drunk. Meanwhile, the real Sam is stuck inside Gary’s teenage body, dealing with intrusive parents and high school.

The episode also guest stars Mad Men’s Sarah Drew. Check out two new clips from the upcoming “Swap Meat” episode, and be sure to catch it this Thursday night at 9:00 PM ET/PT on The CW.

Continue Reading →

The CW (Formerly UPN and The WB) has managed to latch on to some strong properties over the years, while of course picking up a few new ones, such as Gossip Girl. One of the original series’ that seems to stay strong, even in it’s fifth season, is Supernatural.

This season, thing seem to get a bit more interesting as the show attempts some risky episode scripts. Back in November, the “Changing Channels” episode had the two brothers flipping into different fictitious TV shows, which were basic spoofs of the other shows in Supernatural’s timeslot.

This week it seems that they’ll be taking a page from the book of Buffy, as Sam and Dean get locked up in an insane asylum. From Warner:

SAM & DEAN LOCKED UP IN THE NUTHOUSE?! – Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) go undercover at a mental institution in response
to a distress call from Martin Creaser, a former hunter (guest star Jon Gries) who’s a patient there.  Creaser thinks supernatural forces may be the real reason behind a large number of patient suicides and is afraid for his own life, but the experience proves to be a very dangerous one for the Winchester brothers as well.

Check out two brand-new clips from “Sam, Interrupted” after the jump. Be sure to catch this week’s episode Of Supernatural on Thursday at 9:00pm ET/PT on The CW.

Continue Reading →

Smallville is a show that hasn’t really generated that much intense interest with with true fanboys in it’s 9 seasons, yet we are all pretty excited about the upcoming “Ultimate Justice” event, in which the Justice Society of America make an appearance on the show. We already got a brief look at Michael Shanks as Hawkman earlier last week, and now we get much more to salivate over.

The episode was originally called “Society,” but due to the magnitude of the story, has been stretched to a two-part event entitled “Ultimate Justice.” As well as Shanks, the rest of the guest cast is filled out by Brent Stait (Andromeda) as Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate, Britt Irvin (Courtney Whitmore/Stargirl), Phil Morris  as John Jones/Martian Manhunter, and Erica Carroll (Reunion) as Dr. Fate’s wife, Inza.

Check out the brand new preview clip of the episodes after the jump, in which we get a glimpse of the Green Lantern ring, the Sandman mask, Dr. Fate, and a really cool Justice Society “Last Supper” painting. The episode is set to air January 29th of 2010.

Continue Reading →

As we reported a few weeks back, the gang on Smallville will be getting another big surprise from the DC Universe, after Metallo and General Zod already made appearances this season. It was announced that members of the Justice Society, Hawkman, Dr. Fate, and Stargirl would be making appearances, with DC superstar Geoff Johns writing the episode.

Later, it was announced that Hawkman will be played by Michael Shanks (Daniel Jackson of TV’s Stargate franchise), Brent Stait (Stargate Atlantis) will play Doctor Fate, and Britt Irvin (ABC’s V) will play Stargirl. We’re now getting our first glimpse at the costume for Michael Shanks’ Hawkman, and it’s quite impressive.

From Impulse’s red hoodie to Green Arrow’s green hoodie, Smallville has been quite infamous for taking beloved costumes and “updating” them for their universe. That theory has been put to shame this season with Brian Austin Green’s Metallo make-up and Clark becoming even closer to wearing his blue and red spandex.

Check out the full Hawkman screen cap after the break and catch Smallville on The CW every Friday at 8/7C.

Continue Reading →

Those who have been a fan of Warner Bros’ Supernatural know that the show has only gotten better in it’s four and a half seasons. The show struggled on the WB for a while, but then thrived when the network made the switch to the new “CW”.

This season has been heating up quite a bit and we’ve got a brand new video package showing us clips from the next three episodes of the show. First, from tonight’s “I Believe the Children Are Our Future”, A series of strange and seemingly unexplainable deaths in a small town lead Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) to the home of a young local boy, whose true identity has Castiel (Misha Collins) bent on his immediate destruction.

From “The Curious Case of Dean Winchester”, airing next Thursday, when a 25-year-old man drops dead of old age and a 60-something man goes missing, only to turn up young and extremely healthy, the Winchesters investigate and discover a backroom poker game where players gamble to win or lose years of their lives. And finally, in “Changing Channels”, airing on November 5, Sam and Dean find themselves living their lives on what appear to be TV shiows. It takes an interesting turn when the show changes from sitcom, to soapy hospital drama to Japanese gameshow.

Catch the preview clip after the jump, and be sure to catch Supernatural on the CW every Thursday at 9pm ET/PC.

Continue Reading →

General Zod is one of those characters that has an interesting back story in the Superman franchise. The character was originally created in 1961 by Roger Bernstein and George Papp, but didn’t become remotely as popular as when portrayed by Terence Stamp in Superman I & II. Since then, each reincarnation of the character has only been a monument to that role. Until now, that is.

Callum Blue has been added to this season’s cast of Smallville as the general who was sentenced to the Phantom Zone after attempting to rebel against his Kryptonian government. He was released at the end of the last season, and looks to be building his own army already in tonight’s premiere.

Blue comes from the popular Showtime series Dead Like Me, so he’s no stranger to the world of fantasy. The irony of the in-place Smallville cast is that Terence Stamp is already a regular as the voice of Jor-El, Clark’s father. Somehow, there is bound to be a moment when the new and old Zod cross paths, so keep an eye out.

Check out a clip from tonight’s premiere after the jump, and if you’re a Battlestar Galactica fan, see if you notice something familiar about it. All that seems to be missing are octagonal dogtags and the line “So Say We All!” Don’t forget to catch Smallville as it kicks off season 9 tonight on The CW at 8PM/7PM Central.

Continue Reading →

In 1992, Executive Producer Aaron Spelling’s latest soap-drama Melrose Place was lacking some serious ratings sizzle. Heather Locklear was recruited to play the stiletto heeled, micro-mini wearing maneater, Amanda Woodward. The character stirred things up in the boardroom (at D&D advertising agency) and in the bedroom.

Almost overnight, ratings climbed, and Locklear was credited with a 22% rise in ratings, according to Entertainment Weekly. Originally hired for a guest starring stint, Locklear remained on the show throughout its 7 year run, and her character’s bitchy persona and questionable board-room attire provided fodder for countless water cooler chats.

Later, Locklear appeared on Spin City, Scrubs, and Two and Half Men. All three shows saw a bump in ratings as well (“The Locklear Effect”, so to speak).  Her 2004 series LAX didn’t fare as well, though, and was quickly canceled.

Continue Reading →

Much like the rest of the universe of comic and TV fans out there, we have had a love/hate relationship with Smallville. The first few seasons were fun, but then the show began to lose it’s focus, along with a number of dedicated fans. Last season, that all seemed to change with the move of the show’s setting from Smallville to Metropolis, and more specifically, the Daily Planet.

At the end of last season, one of the big cliffhangers that was thrown into the last hour was that of Lois Lane (played by Erica Durance) disappearing into the future after stumbling across a Legion of Superheroes ring that one of the Legionaires left on their last visit.

Check out a new clip from Friday night’s season premiere in which Chloe (Allison Mack) and Clark (Tom Welling) discuss Lois’s disappearance–and reappearance–from the present time. This clip also alludes to a new villain for this season, which we will have a clip of tomorrow. Don’t forget to catch Smallville in it’s 9th season this Friday on The CW and 8PM/7PM Central.

Continue Reading →