While news of Supernatural receiving a sixth season order may have people excited, fans of the series won’t be too be happy to find out that when the show returns this fall, it will be with one less showrunner -- creator Eric Kripke.

Kripke has been handling the day-to-day operations of the show since it started in 2005. With Kripke stepping aside, executive producer Sera Gamble (who has also been with the show since the beginning) will be taking his place.

Since Supernatural is my favorite show on television, I know what everyone is going to say and before you do let me tell you this; While Kripke will no longer be showrunner, he will continue to be actively involved in the show as an executive producer. Now, before you speculate about how this is just to appease the fans, sources close to the show have stressed that this isn’t just fluff and that he and co-showrunner Robert Singer are not the type to just cut ties and run.

Says the source:

“Eric and Bob will be working very closely with Sera. They are not abandoning the show.”

Boom, there you go. Could they be lying? Sure, but I’ve got to give Kripke the benefit of the doubt. There’s no way he’s going to just walk away from his baby. Still, if he’s going to be “involved” then what’s the point of leaving?

Well, it looks like Kripke is finalizing a new deal with Warner Bros. that will allow him to develop new television series and since developing new shows isn’t exactly easy, he’s going to need a little free time.

I, for one, thing it’s great that Kripke is going to develop new shows and I’m excited to see what else he comes up with, but I’m also a little worried about Supernatural season six. Sure, the original story was planned as a five season arc and that will come to an end this summer, but I’m wondering if they’re going to be able to start over, so to speak, and maintain the quality of programming that fans have become accustomed to.

Even if they do think of something amazing, it can’t be another five season arc. There’s no way the show will last that long, right?

While you’re thinking about that, take a look at this behind-the-scenes video shot by Jim Beaver (Bobby) from the March 25th episode, “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMIuz3CFKV0

With Kripke leaving and season six just around the corner, are you worried about what’s to come? Do you think Kripke will be as “hands on” as he says? How much of an impact does Eric Kripke leaving have on you continuing to watch Supernatural?

To see more of the zombie picnic and find out why “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” make sure to catch Supernatural when it returns March 25, 2010.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Yesterday, The CW announced early renewals for five of its series. Screen Rant favorite Supernatural along with The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90210 and America’s Next Top Model will all be returning this fall, but with all these shows being renewed there seems to be no news as to what’s going on with the fate of Smallville.

What’s going on CW?

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. The network also renewed fan favorite SUPERNATURAL, which will enter its sixth season next year. SUPERNATURAL has one of the most loyal audiences of any show on television and does heroic work in a perennially tough time period. It has improved over last season among women and adults 18-34 (29% and 8%, respectively) this season, a remarkable accomplishment for a fifth-year show.

Also given early pickups for next season are The CW’s Monday night sensation GOSSIP GIRL, which is The CW’s number one show among its target demographic of women 18-34, and Tuesday’s trend-setting drama, 90210, which sees some of TV’s largest percent increases from DVR playback, nearly doubling its women 18-34 live-only ratings once live+7 data is included. Wednesday anchor AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL will also be back for cycles 15 and 16 with superstar Tyra Banks and new groups of aspiring models. TOP MODEL continues to rank second in the competitive Wednesday 8:00 p.m. hour among young women 18-34 (3.4/10).

While I’m glad that The CW thinks Tyra Banks is a “superstar,” people are wondering what’s going on their favorite red-blue-blur themed series. Are things looking bleak for the Friday night drama?

Well, not exactly. Word is that The CW is holding off on any announcement regarding Smallville because they’re still in the middle of negotiating the actors’ contracts and when they do finally come to a decision they would like to make the announcement separately, as they may be setting up an end date to make the tenth season the show’s last.

Hmmm… hopefully if they’re looking to put an end to Smallville they’re going to bring back Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luther because there’s no way the series could end without a true conclusion to his story… but maybe that’s just me.

So, what say you fans of Supernatural and Smallville? Excited about another season? Ready for Smallville to end? Any chance Michael Rosenbaum will be returning?

Don’t forget to catch Smallville this Friday as Clark gets infected with gemstone kryptonite and watch the Winchester brothers battle zombies when Supernatural return on March 25.

Source: The Futon Critic & E! Online

While we’re nowhere near the new fall season and most pilots have yet to be filmed, the networks are already looking at their current lineup to see where they can trim the fat. While most decisions have to be finalized, people talk, news is announced and assumptions can be made.

Some shows are no-brainers to renew (House), while others have already been canceled… and then there are the shows that sit on the fence; ones that are referred to in the industry as “being on the bubble.” Today we have an update on the status of some of those “bubble” shows.

With such a long list of shows, let’s stop with all the small-talk and get right to it. What’s the fate of your favorite show?

ABC

FlashForward
Chance of returning: 40%

• With more than 12 million viewers tuning it for the series premiere, one would have thought that it was a shoe-in for a second season. After a massive ratings loss, an extended hiatus, the loss of numerous showrunners and a convoluted plot I’m sure you can guess what’s going to happen to this series. While there’s a chance that ABC could bring this freshman drama back next season, don’t get your hopes up.

V
Chance of returning: 60%

• Even though there was a huge ratings drop after the first episode, V still remains a viable option for the network and one that they are interested in pursuing. Unless they receive a slew of amazing pilots this summer, expect The Visitors to return for at least one more season.

___________________

CBS

Numb3rs
Chance of returning: 20%

• Oh, my favorite mathematical crime drama. Even though CBS triumphs on Friday nights viewership is down, which makes it harder to continue footing the bill for long-running series. Calculate in the fact that the episode order for Numb3rs was reduced by six and that star David Krumholtz has signed on for a new pilot and sadly this equation doesn’t look good.

___________________

The CW

Smallville
Chance of returning: 85%

• After nine years, The CW tried to dump this superhero show into a Friday timeslot to die. Too bad that nobody told the fans. With this season bringing in the ratings and a two-hour television movie event, not even Kryptonite can bring Smallville down.

Supernatural
Chance of returning: 85%

• The only thing that’s going to stop the Winchester brothers from coming back will be creator Eric Kripke. With season 5 marking the end of the planned storyline, the future of the show remains uncertain. Still, I’d be willing to bet that they’ll be back for at least a couple more seasons. Especially if The CW has anything to say about it.

___________________

NBC

Chuck
Chance of returning: 75%

• C’mon… you knew that Chuck just had to be on this list. Last year seems so long ago. All that subway and “Save Chuck.” Well, fans of the show can rest easy as your favorite spy series has recently become one of NBC’s highest-rated shows on Monday nights. See you next fall, Mr. Bartowski.

Community
Chance of returning: 90%

• Hot in the ratings this show is not. Still, NBC loves their Thursday night comedy block and has already picked up Parks & Recreation for another season and that show gets lower ratings than Community.

Friday Night Lights
Chance of returning: 5%

• The producers have already announced the end. Luckily, the show has been renewed for one final season.

Heroes
Chance of returning: 60%

• Even though the superhero drama performs well overseas, on DVD and on the web, NBC can’t have such an expensive primetime series pulling in 4.4 million viewers for its season finale, as first-run broadcasts are where they make most of their money. With ratings declining rapidly and fans becoming fed up, one could understand if the show didn’t come back next year. Still, don’t be surprised if NBC picks up the series for a final 12 episodes. Enough time to wrap everything up nicely – hopefully.

Mercy
Chance of returning: 25%

• Do I really need to write something? The only reason why this show continues to be on the air is because NBC canceled so many of their series that there wasn’t anything to replace it with. Oh, and then there was that whole Jay/Conan mess to deal with.

Trauma
Chance of returning: 15%

• This show has had almost as many chances as Heroes to perform, but has yet to prove itself. It’ll get another chance next month when it returns with Chuck as its lead-in, but unless everyone in the world tunes in to watch it, this show is a goner.

___________________

FOX

24
Chance of returning: 40%

• Even in its eighth season 24 continues to bring in an audience. Still, the production budget for this show is too high and with few networks looking to pick it up in syndication, Fox is trying to find another option — hence the news of a 24 movie. There’s also the option of moving the series to another network, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.

Fringe
Chance of returning: 90%

• Even though this series has had a rough second season, the combination of Fringe and Bones have made Fox a contender in one of the most competitive nights of television. Expect to see more of Peter, Olivia and Walter this fall.

Human Target
Chance of returning: 55%

• Even though this comic book-based drama had trouble finding an audience, things picked up this past week. While it’s nothing groundbreaking, it’s enough to give the series a second chance (a la Dollhouse). Things look even better if 24 doesn’t return.

If you’re still wondering what’s going to happen to your favorite show because it wasn’t on the list, chances are its fate has been decided and it’s not “on the bubble” like the shows listed here.  Although, if you want a hint, The Deep End will not be sticking around ABC that much longer.

So, does it look like your favorite show is going to make it? Did I miss any show that you’re curious about?

Talk, debate, fight… that’s what the comments are for.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

With Valentines Day just around the corner, it’s time to celebrate with Supernatural and everyone’s favorite brothers named after a gun maker. That’s right, the Winchester boys are back and they’re on the hunt for love! Well, not so much love as the angel Cupid, but if they can nab a couple of his magic arrows who knows what will happen.

Still, don’t shun Cupid completely as things may not be what they appear. Is the angel of love out for vengeance or could one of the four horseman be in town to cause trouble? If you’re a fan of Supernatural, you know that both of these are viable options. Who knows, maybe they’re one in the same and Cupid is really one of the four horseman.

Only tonight’s episode of Supernatural will tell. Check out some of the clips below and make sure to stick around because we’ve got the UK promoting the fifth season of Supernatural by setting things on fire!

Supernatural -- My Bloody Valentine
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGtfdi6ponk

Cupid Likes To Hug – Without Any Clothes On
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz5I0-7h53A

My favorite part was in the second clip when Dean turns to Castiel and says, “Is this a fight? Are we in a fight?” I actually laughed out loud when I watched that.

UK Promos

For those in the US, we often forget that other countries are further behind us in seasons. Take Supernatural, the fifth season just started this past week on Living TV and to help promote the premiere they did something amazing… they opened the gates of hell and unleashed fire and brimstone onto the Marble Arch in London, England… and burned that thing to the ground.

Alright, maybe they didn’t actually burn it to the ground, but they sure made it look like that’s what happened. See for yourself, it’s great! (Thanks to Tom for the tip!)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxvWdCihJ-Q

How great was that?!? Why don’t we get things like that over here in America? It’s just not fair… it’s just not fair. Even though it was really awesome, I don’t think I’d trade having to wait six extra months to watch Supernatural when I know that other people are already enjoying it.

Does tonight’s episode put you in the mood for love? Do you wish someone over here could pretend to burn something down like Living TV did in the UK?

Catch Supernatural Thursday nights @9PM on The CW and if you’re in the UK, check your listings for when it airs on Living TV.

Source: The CW & LIVING TV (via: Readers Like You!)

“Ghost! Ghostfacers! We face the ghost when others will not. We’re ghost, Ghostfacers! Staying in the kitchen when the kitchen gets hot!”

Need I say more? Fans of Supernatural will know this as the anthem for one of the greatest ghost hunting groups in the history of the world, Ghostfacers, and Warner Bros. TV (the company that produces Supernatural) must feel the same way as they’ve decided to give Ghostfacers their own web series.

The series, named after the group, will be produced by McG’s Wonderland shingle and Warner Bros. TV as 10 three-minute episodes to initially air on the video-on-demand website TheWB.com and later on The CW’s website.

Says Wonderland big-wig, Peter Johnson;

“It felt like the nature and style of what they do with their show-within-a-show would be fun to see in new media. It’s a fun, subversive way to allow these characters to play in the margins.”

I, for one, couldn’t be more excited. There’s no way they could be doing this for any reason but they love these characters as almost everyone in Ghostfacers already has a steady job. A.J Buckley is rocking out CSI:NY, Travis Wester has some Bones under his belt and Austin Basis is on the new CW show Life Unexpected.

After seeing these guys in the first season of Supernatural, I love that they’ve continued to pop up in episodes throughout the later seasons. Now that they have their own web series, I’ll be sure to tune in and it looks like they’ve already gotten their first mission.

The first installment will follow the Ghostfacers as they delve into a theater that is said to be haunted by one of its fallen actresses (played by Nip/Tuck’s Kelly Carlson).

Warner Bros. and The CW are further proving just how committed they are to Ghostfacers by announcing that they’ll also be uploading gag reels, behind-the-scene videos and more mythology to the Ghostfacers website, Ghostfacers.com.

For all those who need a little reminder about how great the Ghostfacers are, check out the video below.

Ghostfacers – How To
www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9ieR2quVo8

Am I the crazy one or is anyone else excited to see what comes from this? While I’m not a big fan of web series because of their short run-time, I’ll have to make sure and check these out. It’s the law.

While no date has been announced, we’ll be sure to let you know when you can see the first episode of Ghostfacers on the web.

Source: Variety

Alright Supernatural fans, now that we’ve gotten the winter premiere out of the way it’s time to get back to business. We’ve got a devil on the loose and battle between heaven and hell that’s getting out of control. This week we’ve got Sam switching bodies with a teenager. One can only guess what shenanigans must occur for that to happen.

Here’s a description of the episode,

“Swap Meat”

SAM’S BODYSNATCHED! -- Gary (guest star Colton James), a teenage nerd, 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 his good looks and age by hitting on women and getting drunk. Meanwhile, Sam is stuck in Gary’s teenage body, dealing with intrusive parents and high school.

Hmm… Sam losing his body? Is that a sign of things to come? If Sam is out of his body do you think the devil will be around trying to loop-hole his way into Sam? So many questions. All I’m saying is that there better be some Castiel in this episode.

While I enjoyed the episode last week, I’m ready to get back into the storyline of the season, but I’m a little afraid that this won’t have that much to do with it. The previews and clip don’t show anything related to what we’ve seen earlier in the season. Hopefully I’m wrong.

What’s that? You don’t know of the preview or clip that I speak of? Silly me, I forgot about those. Check them out below.

Swap Meat Preview
www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Wth5Ia92Ro

Sam Becomes A Boy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkVr3CauD04

See what I mean? It seems like this is going to be a lighter Supernatural episode. Not so much murder and death. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that Supernatural probably has one of the highest body counts on television. Not only do people usually die in every episode, but sometimes a lot of people die… and I mean a lot!

However, there will be plenty of time for counting bodies. Now is the time to talk about this episode. What do you think? Looking forward to it?

Speak now before the hellhounds get you! I’m kidding! Well, I think I am… who knows what kind of stuff you’ve gotten yourself into it.

That’s what you get for spending so much time on those crossroads.

Catch Supernatural tomorrow @9PM on The CW.

Source: The CW

[This Post is by Screen Rant guest writer Drew Hale]

A behind-the-scenes tip from an inside source at Cinema Spy has reported that the CW is in talks to extend Supernatural beyond the originally planned fifth season series finale, into a sixth season next year. This follows a report that Smallville may also be signing on for another season, its tenth.

Supernatural creator Eric Kripke planned the series as a five season story, ending in an epic war of good vs. evil with Sam and Dean battling Lucifer during the apocalypse.

The CW is no doubt trying to extend the two shows that attract the majority of its viewers. The question becomes what can possibly be next for the Winchester brothers after the apocalypse? What’s bigger and more supernatural than that?

Though the show was designed to conclude in five seasons, Kripke has indicated that he’s not completely out of ideas for the series. Considering the buzz around potential movie roles  for both Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalacki, we can only hope that a sixth season will include both Sam and Dean. Assuming both brothers sign-on for a sixth season, there are a few paths that the story line could follow.

[NOTE: please keep in mind that these are just the speculations of an avid fan.]

Season five has included many episodes that haven’t touched on the main doomsday storyline, leaving viewers thristy for more.  Perhaps it was done this way in order to extend the final showdown across more than one season. Failing that, the sixth season could chronicle the lives of the Winchester brothers as they deal with the aftermath of the apocalypse and are trying to rebuild some semblance of civilization. Maybe Sam finally gives in to Lucifer and the sixth season finds the two brothers battling each other in the name of good and evil.

What do you think the road ahead looks like for the Winchesters?

Also, if you haven’t, be sure to check out our Supernatural winter premiere review & discussion forum!

Supernatural has now resumed regularly scheduled episodes. Watch the next episode, “Swap Meat” on the CW next Thursday, January 28th.

Source: Cinema Spy

With two of my favorite shows returning tonight, my hands are almost shaking from all this pent up excitement. Well, it’s either that or the 12 cups of hot chocolate (those mini-marshmallows are brutal) that I drank today. It’s as simple as this; Supernatural is returning tonight and Supernatural is awesome.

If you’re reading this, you already know what I’m talking about and I need not say more. For those that don’t; I’m sorry, but you’re fired as a reader this site. Alright, maybe you’re not fired, but you’re on probation (double secret probation).

It’s time to salt the windows and doors, secretly draw a devil’s trap under your living room rug and replace all the bottles of water in your house with holy water because the demons are taking over and Sam & Dean can’t be everywhere.

Review

Just as I thought, this episode had nothing to do with the overall story arc involving the Devil. While this normally might be something that would annoy me (especially after being off the air for two months), I didn’t really mind it as the story was strong enough to carry an entire episode without me looking for more.

I can’t remember if this is the third or fourth time that Dean and Sam have had an “imprisoned” type episode. I can’t say enough how much I love these episodes because they usually have to improvise their weapons as most prisons, or in the case mental hospitals, don’t allow you to bring in a ‘67 Impala with an arsenal in the trunk.

One thing I particularly enjoyed was that Sam and Dean were able to get admitted into the mental hospital by just telling them what’s been going on in their life. Obviously the doctor hasn’t been reading those “Supernatural” books that the prophet has been writing. It was a wonderful nod at just how crazy their life is.

Following the events of the previous episode where both Jo and Ellen died, it was nice that the writers were able to use the setting of a mental hospital to have the brothers touch up not only what happened to their friends, but exactly where they are in life and what they’ve been doing. Who would have thought that such a wonderful internal monologue could be so perfectly portrayed by a monster who sucks crazy brains out of your head.

While the ending was a bit underwhelming, the reveal of who the monster was did catch me a bit off guard. I was all about stabbing the doctor… oops. Did anyone else catch Lazlo Hollyfeld (Jon Gries) from Real Genius as the guest star hunter? Amazing! It’s nice to see him out of the closet. (Not that way.)

That being said, I’m ready for next week because I don’t know how much more I can take of a Castiel-less Supernatural episode. I really don’t know if they’re going to be able to write him off after this season is over as he’s quickly become a favorite character… although, so was Ash and they had no problem dropping a house on him.

So, what did you think of this episode? Were you alright with an episode that had nothing to do with the overall storyline? Missing Castiel? Have yellow eyes?

Let’s hear it!

After almost two months without a new episode of Supernatural, I’m starting to get Winchester fever (it’s like cabin fever, but in this case the cabin is replaced by gun-toting, evil smiting brothers). It’s gotten so bad that I even resorted to reading Supernatural novels. Finally, the wait is over and it’s time to return to the battle between good and evil. For those that can’t wait until tonight, we’ve got some clips for you.

[SPOILER ALERT] With the deaths of Jo and Ellen still on their conscience, the brothers Winchester find solace in returning to what they know best -- kicking some supernatural butt. This time it won’t be so easy as Sam and Dean have to get themselves admitted to a mental hospital.

“Sam, Interrupted”

A former hunter named Martin (guest star), who is currently institutionalized, calls Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) for help investigating a case in the mental hospital. The brothers get themselves admitted as patients to check out the mysterious monster that is attacking the patients, but their incarceration pushes both to the breaking point as they unleash their inner demons against each other.

While I’d be happy with any new episode, I’m glad that it’s another “imprisoned” episode. For some reason the episodes that find the brothers in a locked-down environment are always just a tad above the already high bar that Supernatural sets in terms of excellence.

Alright, alright… Here are the clips already.

Rubber gloves are never fun
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aT3BVouYeDA

Sam & Dean go crazy – for real
www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8jJc-iFPms

Even though I’m almost positive that this has nothing to do with the Devil storyline, I’m still glad to see the brothers back. There’s enough time (and episodes) left to deal with all the devil stuff and for the devil to take over Sam’s body (you know it’s going to happen).

Until then, let’s stick with this episode. What do you think? Are you excited? How can you not be?

Make sure to check back later as we’ll be having a review & discussion of tonight’s episode.

Check out Supernatural @9PM on The CW

Source: The CW

As we all know holidays can be hectic and the last thing you want to worry about is when your favorite TV show is coming back on the air. So, to make sure you’re not left in the dark (like with Fringe and the World Series), we’ve broke it down – geek style – and put together a handy list of Winter premiere and return dates.

The list is organized by network, so all you have to know is where you’ve seen your favorite shows before and you should be able to find them again pretty easily (we made it nice and alphabetical for ya!)

ABC
Better Off Ted (ABC), 9:30 p.m. – Tuesday, Dec. 8
Grey’s Anatomy returns (ABC), 9 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14
Lost (ABC), 9 p.m. – Tuesday, Feb. 2
Private Practice returns (ABC), 10 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14
Scrubs (ABC), 9 p.m. – Tuesday, Dec. 1

CBS
Accidentally on Purpose returns (CBS), 8:30 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 11
The Big Bang Theory returns (CBS), 9:30 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 11
Criminal Minds returns (CBS), 9 p.m. – Wednesday, Jan. 13
CSI returns (CBS), 9 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14
CSI: Miami returns (CBS), 10 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 11
CSI: NY returns (CBS), 10 p.m. – Wednesday, Jan. 13
Gary Unmarried returns (CBS), 8:30 p.m. – Wednesday, Jan. 13
Ghost Whisperer returns (CBS), 8 p.m. – Friday, Jan. 8
The Good Wife (CBS), 10 p.m. – Tuesday, Jan. 5
How I Met Your Mother returns (CBS), 8 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 11
Medium returns (CBS), 9 p.m. – Friday, Jan. 8
The Mentalist returns (CBS), 10 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14
NCIS (CBS), 8 p.m. – Tuesday, Jan. 5
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS), 9 p.m. – Tuesday, Jan. 5
The New Adventures of Old Christine returns (CBS), 8 p.m. – Wednesday, Jan. 13
Numb3rs returns (CBS), 10 p.m. – Friday, Jan. 8
Two and a Half Men returns (CBS), 9 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 11

The CW
Life UneXpected (CW), 9 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 18
Gossip Girl returns (CW), 9 p.m. – Monday, March 8
One Tree Hill returns (CW), 8 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 18
Smallville returns (CW), 8 p.m. – Friday, Jan. 22
Supernatural returns (CW), 9 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 21
The Vampire Diaries returns (CW), 8 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14

NBC
Chuck (NBC), 9 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 10
Heroes returns (NBC), 9 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 11
The Office returns (NBC), 9 p.m. – Thursday, Feb. 4
Parks and Recreation returns (NBC), 8:30 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14

FOX
24 (Fox), 9 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 17
American Dad returns (Fox), 9:30 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 31
Bones returns (Fox), 8 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14
The Cleveland Show returns (Fox), 8:30 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 31
Family Guy returns (Fox), 9 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 31
Fringe returns (Fox), 9 p.m. (for four weeks, then off until April) – Thursday, Jan. 14
Glee returns (Fox), 9 p.m. – Tuesday, April 13
Human Target (Fox), 8 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 17
The Simpsons returns (Fox), 8 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 31
Sons of Tucson (Fox), 8:30 p.m. – Sunday, March 14
Past Life (Fox), 8 p.m. – Thursday, Feb. 11

FX
Archer (FX), 10 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 14

HBO
Big Love (HBO), 10 p.m. – Sunday, Jan. 10
Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO), 9 p.m. – Friday, Feb. 19

SHOWTIME
La La Land (Showtime), 11 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 25
Nurse Jackie (Showtime), 10 p.m. – Monday, March 22
The Tudors (Showtime), 9 p.m. – Sunday, April 11
Secret Diary of a Call Girl (Showtime), 10 p.m. – Monday, Jan. 25
United States of Tara (Showtime), 10:30 p.m. – Monday, March 22

STARZ
Spartacus (Starz), 10 p.m. – Friday, Jan. 22

SYFY
Alice (Syfy), 9 p.m. – Sunday, Dec. 6
Caprica (Syfy), 9 p.m. – Friday, Jan. 22

Don’t forget Southland is now on TNT…

TNT
The Closer returns (TNT), 9 p.m. – Monday, Dec. 7
Leverage returns (TNT), 10 p.m. – Wednesday, Jan. 13
Men of a Certain Age (TNT), 10 p.m. – Monday, Dec. 7
Southland (TNT), 10 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 12

USA
Burn Notice returns (USA), 10 p.m. – Thursday, Jan. 21
Psych returns (USA), 10 p.m. – Wednesday, Jan. 27
White Collar returns (USA), 10 p.m. – Tuesday, Jan. 19

I can’t believe I have to wait over another month before I get my fix of Burn Notice and Supernatural. Although, I have a feeling that it’ll be worth it.

What about you? Any shows that you’re looking forward to? Am I missing any?

Source: E! Online

While common-folk around the world are pulling their hair out trying to figure out how to program their DVRs, fans of Supernatural know that at 9PM on Thursday nights is time for the Winchester brothers to kick some supernatural butt. Given that tonight’s episode is the last episode of 2009, I figured it’s only appropriate to write something up.

Since the premiere of the fifth season, we’ve seen Lucifer rise from hell, Bobby become confined to a wheelchair, the brothers Winchester become television stars, 80-yr-old Dean Winchester kick some warlock butt and we finally find out what happens at all those Supernatural conventions. I’d say that’s pretty good for a couple of month’s work.

Still, the fight isn’t over; Lucifer is still on the loose and now that we found out that the Trickster is really the archangel Gabriel, the Winchester brothers are in it neck deep. Maybe it’s time that they ask for help from some familiar faces (and I’m not talking about Castiel).

That’s right Supernatural fans, tonight’s episode brings back everyone’s favorite mother-daughter hunting combo Ellen and Jo for an all out fight to track down the colt and send Lucifer back from which he came.

Although, don’t expect The Devil to go quietly as Ellen and Jo might not be the only familiar faces and these other faces just might not be so friendly. There’s also rumors that two characters don’t make it through tonight’s episode, but we won’t spoil that for you.

Check out the description of tonight’s episode, “Abandon All Hope.”

Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins) track down the Colt and head off to find Lucifer (guest star Mark Pelligreno) to send him back to Hell. It’s a hunters’ reunion when the crew joins forces with Bobby (Jim Beaver), Ellen (guest star Samantha Ferris) and Jo (guest star Alona Tal) for what could be their last night on Earth.

What’s that? The description says nothing of unfriendly familiar faces. Well, I’ll just drop a little SPOILER BOMB on you and tell you that Meg has come back and brought with her Dean’s favorite pets. That’s right, the hell hounds.

Enough of me, check out a couple previews of tonight’s episode below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv-pEWAYxCg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpLQT5m1FP0

So, there you have it. The last Supernatural of 2009. Do you think this will be an appropriate send-off into the new year? Will Lucifer finally go to hell? Will Bobby be able to walk again? Who else is scared of hell hounds?

Let’s hear it!

Catch Supernatural Thursday night at 9PM on The CW

Source: The Ausiello Files

With November sweeps and the World Series both starting last week, it causes a strange effect in television ratings. While November sweeps is supposed to bring in high ratings, the World Series always cuts into their usual audience as we’re seeing with ABC’s much touted drama, FlashForward. The new series created by David S. Goyer and Brannon Braga saw its lowest ratings last week and conversly, this past week Smallville saw their highest ratings since the ninth season began.

Still, can the World Series really account for all these ratings fluctuations? As a fan of Smallville, I make sure to always tune in, but even with the show being able to pull in 2.6 million viewers; it’s still down over 1 million viewers from last season. When Smallville made the move to Friday night, The CW was putting their veteran series up against the powerhouse that is CBS’s Friday night line-up. Since the Kryptonian visitor has been able to hold its own on the toughest night of the week, I have a feeling that Mr. Kent may receive another season order.

That is something, sadly, Dollhouse will unlikely be given as FOX’s decision to replace Dollhouse for the month of November with reruns of their number one rated medical drama, House. While the rerun of the two-hour series premiere received marginally more viewers than Dollhouse in that time slot, it was still bested by Smallville.

Alright, enough of the Smallville talk. While I could go on forever, we’ve got to get down to the nitty-gritty; what is up with FlashForward? Is this show on the decline? Will we even make it to the April 29, 2010?

ABC has been promoting FlashForward for as long as I can remember (My memory only goes back about a year). They’ve been setting this series up to be the replacement for Lost and if you looked at the premiere, you might think they were correct.

The series premiere pulled in 12.45 million viewers but as the sixth episode just aired, the latest episode received just 9 million viewers. I know that no one expects any series to retain 100% of their premiere audience, but I have a feeling that this has less to do with the World Series and more to do with what’s going on with show itself.

Since the news of FlashForward being down in the ratings, discussions behind-the-scenes at Screen Rant have been back and forth trying to figure out why exactly the show is losing viewers. Some people think it’s because of the direction that they’re taking the show, some people think that it’s the long, artificially drawn-out storylines, but almost everyone agrees that something’s up – we just can’t put our finger on it.

Not yet at least.

So, I pose the question to you, the reader; What is up FlashForward? Are you happy with the show the way it is and the way they’re taking it? Is there anything that you’re not enjoying? Do you think that this show will be able to reach the three to five year mark needed to tell the entire tale?

Let’s hear it!

(I’m not trying to leave all you Smallville fans out, so if you want to throw in some fist pumps, go for it. Also, if anyone wants to mention how great last weeks Supernatural was, I just might have to agree with you.)

If you want to make it to April 29, you better tune in to FlashForward Thrusdays at 8PM on ABC.
Fans of the blue blur tune into Smallville Fridays at 8PM on The CW.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter & The Hollywood Reporter

Smallville fans who are miffed at The CW for moving your favorite show, you probably don’t want to read this.

The CW’s Thursday night time slot is showing serious ratings momentum as The Vampire Diaries posted its best ratings yet since the series premiere.

The Vampire Diaries drew in an estimated 3.8 million viewers last Thursday, October 15th.

Behind The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural is also on an up tick in the ratings as 2.6 million viewers also tuned in for that powerful episode.

These numbers are an increase over this time slot last year of 14% in adults 18-34, 43% in women 18-34, 7% in adults 18-49 and 36% in women 18-49.

I have to say, I’ve not been horribly disappointed with The Vampire Diaries and am totally loving the 5th season of Supernatural.

Source:  TV By The Numbers

This Thursday, 10/1/09, the Supernatural episode titled “The End” airs.

In the preview for “The End,” Sam (Jared Padalecki) asks Dean (Jensen Ackles) if they can team back up, but Dean say no. Zachariah (guest star Kurt Fuller) later tosses Dean 5 years into the future and shows him what will be to come from his saying no to helping the angels fight Lucifer.

Check out the preview video after the jump.

Fun facts:

This episode was filmed on the Watchmen set.  As you know, Jeffrey Dean Morgan was in Watchmen where he played The Comedian. In Supernatural, he played John Winchester (AKA Dean and Sam’s father).

The sets were next to each other and the boys and their “dad” had a nice reunion.

Check out the preview of the upcoming episode, “The End.”  Now tell me that in some ways, this preview just isn’t damn funny.

While you’re at it, watch for some developments concerning Castiel!  I wouldn’t miss this episode of Supernatural!  Looks like fun!

Source: CW TV

A while back, word on the street was that the CW network would love to have John Winchester pass on through Supernatural in its 5th season. Howevever, showrunner Eric Kripke has been noted to saying that Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s schedule wasn’t making it easy to happen.

But was Kripke messing with us?

I ask because Morgan said in an interview with SCI FI Wire that no one has contacted him and adds that he’d love to come back and do an episode.

“I don’t know how I’d find the time, but we’ll see.”

In the same article, Morgan also touched on a rumor that there might be a spin-off  / reboot of Supernatural with different or secondary characters.

He has the same take I do on that rumor: The show would lose 90% of its demographic and it’s almost as stupid of an idea / rumor as was the short lived idea by The CW to have The Graysons be a TV series.

So… what’s the deal?  Is this all talk from a man with a way-too-busy schedule or does he really want to do a return guest spot?  For the man I’m pulling to play Lobo, I’d rather he go smash things than hunt ghosts! But that’s just me if I had to choose.

Best of both worlds?

Have Lobo played by Morgan show up in Supernatural, and the Winchester brothers be freaked out how much he looks like their dad.

Source: SCI FI Wire

So it worked once and it developed a devoted following, despite how Fox treated it, so it looks like Fox is trying it again.

Scott Rosenbaum (Producer: Chuck, The Shield) is stepping outside the boundaries he’s made for himself with NBC’s Chuck and is taking a stab at a yet-to-be-named western with a science fiction twist.

Rosenbaum will be producing the show with Warner Bros. TV and Wonderland Sound and Vision studios (McG’s company), the latter of which has a fairly decent list of shows to their credits.  That’s if you count Chuck, Human Target and Supernatural as decent shows. They also produce The OC, but I couldn’t put that in the same sentence with the phrase “decent shows.” Just ain’t our cup of tea here at Screen Rant.

I said sadly, because as much as I am loyal to the memory of Joss Whedon’s Firefly (a great sci-fi/western TV show), I am going to be giving Rosenbaum’s show a look-see once it gets going.

At the moment, we have no other details on the show.  I hope they best tread very carefully on ground already trodden, because you know for a fact that the fan base of Joss Whedon and other editorial entertainment writers will be comparing it to Firefly.  Not that Firefly has the sole market on sci-fi westerns, but it’s the most popular template for comparison.

Source:  Geeks of Doom

No real spoilers are in this article.

Sometimes a show will peak at their season finale and then come back a little subdued, but the season 5 premiere of Supernatural did anything but that. The show opened with a fantastic recap of last season, accompanied by an awesome AC/DC song called “Thunderstruck.”  After the recap, we slipped right into the action, picking up exactly where the finale left us. The Winchester brothers trying to get away from the portal that Lucifer was released from and we went from there.

We got a great opening dose of Castiel, Bobby, Meg, the scribe Chuck, Lucifer and his newest vessel (Mark Pellegrino). Eric Kripke (Creator) really tossed up a nice curve ball with Lucifer’s salesmanship. Dang.

We also got some standard verbal ass-hats from Dean and quite a bit of butt-kicking from Sam and Dean in this season 5 opener. If the series maintains this kind of momentum, it will be a butt-kicker of a show this season. One of the things I look forward to are the Four Horsemen in their muscle cars on Supernatural.

I was shocked with the state Bobby was in (Did I forget something from last season?) and the final conversation in this episode between the brothers was incredibly insightful and will leave an interesting undertone for me throughout the rest of the season.

Maybe I’m partial, but what befuddles me is that Supernatural premiered with only 3.4 million viewers, dropping approximately 600k viewers from the season 4 opener.  Have they lost viewers from the CW moving Smallville to Fridays?  Who knows but they broke up a well-integrated team of shows, hoping to help their new vamp show, The Vampire Diaries.  (Where’s Buffy when you need her?)

So, am I totally biased, or was this an awesome premiere of Supernatural?

Ratings source:  E Online

Supernatural is barreling at us Thursday night at 9 p.m. on The CW for it’s 5th season premiere and we have a preview of it for you. This season brings closure to show creator Eric Kripke’s original vision for the series.

Season 5 will see the Winchester brothers release Lucifer, start Armageddon and help Cass learn to deal with his diminishing powers, now that he’s on the outs from the circle of angels he was working with.

I’ve seen and read a few things that are spoilery and I am not mentioning them here, but I am really looking forward to this season.  Remember, Smallville has moved to Friday nights and The Vampire Diaries will be the lead-in show for Sam and Dean.

The following preview for season 5 of Supernatural is a pretty intense 1 minute and 15 seconds – At least for this Supernatural fan.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Eric Kripke says that we’re going to be seeing few of what I would call heavy hitters in the upcoming 5th season of Supernatural.

God will be intervening, but probably not until the end of the season.

Castiel (Misha Collins) will be a hunted fugitive, as far as Heaven is concerned and as time goes on, his powers begin to fade.  This in turn, is where he’ll learn how to be human.  (Trust me Cass, it ain’t no picnic some days!)

We’ll be seeing every hunter who’s still alive.

As far as the Apocalypse goes, season 5 starts out bad and only gets worse.  Being the Apocalypse, we get a glimpse of hell on Earth in a future-look episode:

• The Croatoan virus from season 2 runs rampant,
• Hunters hiding in the woods to survive,
• Sam and Dean, weary and time worn,
• The Four Horesmen, who, by the way, drive muscle cars,
• Sarah Palin as president.

Told ya it was the Apocalypse!

For me, this sounds like they saved it all for one bad-**s season of butt kicking, mind bending developments. I can’t wait for how they end this present 5-year story arc of Supernatural which premieres on September 10th.

Source:  TV Guide Magazine

It’s a new week and today your TV news includes a look at Fringe’s second season; Superman will be teaming with Chuck; The Alien Nation is rising again; True Blood takes a big bit of DVD sales; Patton Oswalt talks life on Caprica; and could Supernatural rise from the grave?

Let’s get to it:

FRINGE

Got a few pics from Fringe’s upcoming second season. The pics include The Bishops (Joshua Jackson, John Noble) and Astrid (Jasika Nicole) up to their usual hijinks in the lab, as well as guest star Meghan Markle, who will play junior FBI agent Amy Jessup – I’m guessing while Sr. Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is hanging out with Leonard Nimoy in alternate dimensions.

If you haven’t caught up on Fringe, you really need to. Here are the pics:

Should I even ask what’s up with the cow in a birthday hat? Of course not! It’s Fringe!

For the full gallery head over to Sci-fi Wire.

Fringe Returns on September 17 (Thursdays now) @ 9pm ET/PT on Fox.

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CHUCK

Superman Returns star Brandon Routh will be joining the cast of Chuck for a multi-episode story arch in the upcoming season. Routh will join the show during its fourth episode where he will be playing a new spy named Shaw who takes over Operation Bartwoski and naturally starts competing for Sarah’s affections.

Chuck returns this spring on NBC.

Source: EW

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ALIEN NATION

Alien Nation is still making its way back to television. Syfy (and parent company NBC Universal) are working with Twentieth Century Fox to reboot the 80s-90s cult hit show, under the creative direction of Tim Minear, a TV vet with shows like Firefly and The X-Files under his belt.

Minear has claimed that he was the new Alien Nation to be ‘The Wire with aliens,’ and after seeing all the great stuff that director Neil Blomkamp milked out of the premise for District 9 (a film undoubtedly inspired by shows like Alien Nation), I’d say a retooled Alien Nation definitely has potential.

As for contemporary relevance, Minear claims that examples like the culture clashes happening in many European countries would be a good starting point for the series (transplanted to the US of A, of course).

Head over to Earth’s Mightiest for the full interview with Minear. Alien Nation hopes to be in production sometime next year.

Source: Cinemastatic

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TRUE BLOOD

True Blood has “glammed” the masses! The DVD of the HBO Series’ first season is slowly gaining on Flight of the Concords as the best-selling TV DVD. True Blood has sold almost $46 million in DVDs as of the middle of August.

Personally, I think True Blood deserves to be crowned king of DVD, considering how explicitly adult-themed the show is. Guess sex (mixed with violence and vamps) still does sell…

If you still haven’t seen True Blood season 1 (shame on you!) you can snag the DVD for cheap by going here.

Source: TV By The Numbers

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SUPERNATURAL

Seems Supernatural still has its neck on the chopping block. Said show creator Eric Kripke in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly:

“I did set out [to] tell a five-season storyline…Quite frankly, I never expected [the show] to make it to five years. But now that we’re in our fifth year, I have every intention of ending the story with a bang and not drawing it out or watering it down.”

Well… Kripke at least makes a kind of concession do Supernatural die-hards out there, claiming that is finale for the series will leave room for a whole new installment of the show, with a whole new mythology to build on, in case it gets an eleventh-hour stay of execution. As Kripke points out, Buffy did it, The X-Files did it, so can Supernatural.

The show returns on September 10th @ 9pm ET/PT on the CW.

Source: EW

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CAPRICA

Wanna hear actor/comedian Patton Oswalt talk about his role on the upcoming Battlestar Galactica series, Caprica? Oswalt will play Baxter Sarno, a talk show comedian who snags an interview with Cylon creator Daniel Graystone and his wife. There are a couple of good tidbits of the series for you BSG fans who have been wondering what’s coming your way.

Caprica starts with a two-hour premiere on January 22, 2010, @ 9 p.m. ET/PT and will air Fridays at 10 p.m. on Syfy.

Check out the interview with Oswalt over at AV Club.

That’s it for now. Talk to you again during the commercials.

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