Sweet Zombie Jesus! In the biggest display of optimism in the face of depression since FDR signed the New Deal, The CW has renewed six of their series, including Smallville, for next season. It's like someone forgot to tell The CW that their ratings comparatively suck and the economy is in the crapper. I can't speak for the other series they've renewed, by The CW should be sticking a fork in Smallville. It's done. This season would have made a good final one but dragging it out for another year seems fatalistic. Who will be showing up next? Darkseid? The cow is dead. Stop trying to milk it.
Still, one has to admire The CW for flipping the bird in the face of the critics (including yours truly). I just think the merger between The WB and UPN was a bad idea way back when. The program selection and quality seemed better when they were two separate networks.
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-24-2009 @ 5:27PM
Robert said...
Woo hoo! More Smallville!
That is all.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 6:08PM
0megapart!cle said...
+++
2-24-2009 @ 5:47PM
Adam said...
A couple of episodes ago I would have typed in all caps defending SV, but this whole Lana arc has me on the edge of giving up on it. However, this was one of the least thought out 3 paragraphs I've read. First, advertising dollars will always be spent on TV, it's the most accessed medium outside of the Internet, and the CW provides a very specific target demo, which you don't fit into. Secondly, in the hierachy of superheroes, there really isn't one with more name recognition than superman. Even if the show sucks and blows concurrently, it will always have that angle. Closely related to that second point, what is the alternative program that can fill the timeslot? They were pitching a show about Robin for crying out loud, that's hardly gripping stuff. Finally, neither UPN nor the WB was a ratings juggernaunt. The only move that made sense at the time was a merger. While history hasn't proving kind to the new network, it's certainly better than 3 days of original primetime programming on each network.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 6:02PM
Chris said...
I'm happy about Smallville simply because I don't think a good series finale could exist without Lex Luthor in the flesh. Here's to hoping they can bring back M.R. for the final arc of the series next year.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 6:04PM
Malfoy Roark said...
I just wanted to give kudos for the FDR New Deal reference. Gave me a great laugh.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 6:13PM
0megapart!cle said...
I know people don't like how long they dragged on the Lana/Clark drama, but the fact remains that Kristin Kreuk is the best actor on the show by far, and Welling has excellent chemistry with her. The episodes with her this season have been the best in a long time, for the most part.
This season has been the best in a long time, for a lot of reasons, and I am happy they are going to have another season to finally get Clark up in the air and hopefully bring Lex back to end the series properly.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 7:22PM
Wii60 said...
Micheal Rosenbaum is the best by far.
As for Kruek being good, well maybe, but I doubt it. She didn't get to show much because the character was downright terrible. I was never impressed by her and her dialogue made me die a little inside every time I heard it.
While the end of the lana returns arc was a little painful, I will say that she has gotten better since she left.
2-24-2009 @ 7:59PM
0megapart!cle said...
Rosenbaum probably was the best, I was thinking of the characters left so far.
I really disagree that Lana's character was terrible though. I always liked her.
As far as painful dialogue, Chloe, Jimmy, Lois, even Green Arrow have far, far more painful dialogue, every single episode, than Lana's worst.
2-25-2009 @ 2:16AM
LordPaul said...
hehehe, you're nothing if not predictable.
I don't think she reads this though.
KK is an AWFUL actress with a pretty face & hot body, that's it. She'd dragged this season back down to where it was last time she was on it.
The best things about Smallville have been the League of Justice stuff & the Lois Lane stuff. They should just move on to Metropolis properly & get on with remaking Lois & Clark
2-24-2009 @ 6:57PM
Marie said...
The one CW show I hope gets renewed is 'Privileged.' That is such a good show, the only episode I haven't seen is (ironically) the pilot. Michael Ausiello says the chances are slim for renewal because, while critics praise the show, viewership has been nothing to brag about. The season finale's tonight...PLEASE watch it people! You don't know what you're missing. Even a slight ratings jump could help the CW decide to renew it.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 6:57PM
ac said...
Honestly after the f--k up that was the Lana ark, they need more time to finish the story. If the show kept the momentum that it had pre-Bride I would say end it now on an upnote, but instead we have Lana with superpowers and his true love. Its going to take more than what few episodes are left for Lois to reattach Clark's balls and get him over the Almightly Lana.
Reply
2-24-2009 @ 7:47PM
Modwild said...
Who give a crap about Smallville? The time is now to celebrate more Supernatural goodness! Who's with me? Woo hooooooo!
Reply
2-25-2009 @ 3:54AM
lycao said...
Supernatural and Reaper are the only reason to watch the CW.
2-25-2009 @ 7:36AM
Jason said...
Props. Super and Reaper are the best shows on CW. I only hope Sci Fi channel or someone like picks the shows up when CW falls into oblivion.
2-24-2009 @ 10:09PM
Brian said...
If you like Smallville or not, it's the 2nd-highest rated show on The CW so they were smart to bring it back. I personally like it so I'm glad too. And Lana is too cute for me to hate. ;)
Reply
2-25-2009 @ 8:59AM
Amanda said...
Smallville shouldn't have had a season 5, let alone a season 9. However, I can't be too upset, because Supernatural is getting its fifth and presumably final season. I don't care if the CW goes down in flames after next season, just give me my Supernatural series finale first.
Reply
2-25-2009 @ 9:35AM
Bob said...
You people are very questionable. First of all, Lana's storyline is over.
She's off the show. They had to finish off her contract. The show's
writers are still going strong. The people posting obviously don't watch
the show so save your comments for your love of Gossip Girl and One Tree
Hill. And the reviewers on this site really make it painful to keep coming
back here. Half of them don't even watch every episode but feel they can
comment on each show. Save the comments for the shows you're reviewing.
Please don't add commentary on a network's renewals. Smallville gets
better ratings than all the shows on their list but one. This guy Brad
reviews Smallville yet will make comments that show he hasn't watched the
whole series.
Reply
2-25-2009 @ 4:45PM
Clayton said...
Why is nobody giving "Supernatural" any love? The show is fantastic! The season opener this season left me scared of the walls in my condo for weeks!
But really, this is no surprise. Sure, the ratings might be low by network standards, but not by CW standards. In fact, the article you linked to states that the ratings for all the shows renewed were strong.
I would have, however, would have liked to see at least one show left off the list to give us more room for something new. There is a lot of crap on television today that seems to stay there... At least give new crap a chance to become the next "Lost."
http://makeasitcom.com
Reply
2-26-2009 @ 12:28AM
jake said...
One of the worst decisions in the history of television was to merge the much stronger rated WB with the low rated UPN. The WB's ratings were double what any CW show can muster now. It ranks right up there with NBC not choosing to air Heroes or Chuck after the superbowl.
I hope that Reaper lives on....
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 10:14AM
Harry said...
The article's writer is wrong- Smallville is one of the best rated shows on the CW. He's right that they screwed up merging the superior WB with the inferior UPN (though, if they didn't try to force the merger into a grid of 'demographics', they dumped successful shows, like Reba, for the crap they have now. The best they can do is the stupid America's Next Top Whiner/Crybaby/Diva/Shallow Model.
If they can Chuck, or Reaper, I hope they get picked up by another network I can watch. Great shows on CW & NBC! What ind of vacuous idiots do we have now, that the trash reality shows are popular, and the good programs aren't? Amazing how MTV Networks have dummied down so many to a level that they prefer junk to good shows.
Reply