Last week we announced the shocking news that Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar are leaving the show at the end of this season.  Though the duo released a letter to the press announcing their departure and thanking the fans, they didn't mention any details as to what brought about this sudden change.  Some speculated that they may have clashed with the network over creative decisions, or that perhaps they were unhappy with the season 8 cast departures.  TV Guide's Michael Ausiello dug up some scoop on the unexpected exodus, and apparently the exit of Gough and Millar came down to two things:  money and movies.

Ausiello spoke to sources at the CW, who told him that Gough and Millar felt that Warner Bros. wasn't offering them enough money for an eighth season.  On top of that, they also felt that their busy schedules weren't leaving them with enough time to dabble in movies.  Together the duo has helped write such films as Spider-Man 2, Herbie Fully Loaded, and the upcoming third installment in The Mummy franchise.  Now that plotting the adventures of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) won't be taking up their time, the pair can make a bigger splash at the multiplex.

The sources also pointed out that this departure should not be compared to Amy Sherman-Palladino's exit from Gilmore Girls.  In that case, Palladino was responsible for writing nearly every episode of the series, and the show suffered greatly without her input.  In the case of Smallville, Gough and Millar have been relatively hands-off in recent years, leaving much of the work to Darren Swimmer, Todd Slavkin, Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson.  These are the four people who will now be running the show, so the transition to season 8 may be more seamless than expected.

What does this mean for Smallville fans?  Well, if you haven't enjoyed the last few seasons, you probably have the newly promoted showrunners to blame.  However, if you've loved the last few years of the show, then it sounds like you'll get more of the same next year.  It'll simply arrive with a bit less of Kristin Kreuk and Michael Rosenbaum.


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source: TVGuide.com
(Image courtesy of the CW)