For a variety of different reasons, the seventh season is often the end of the road for many television shows.  The contracts for some actors end after seven seasons, and when you have a hit show it can be pretty pricey to sign them on for another year or two.  Another problem many shows face is the fact that they simply run out of steam in that amount of time, either creatively or in the ratings.  These are all things that the CW had to consider as Smallville neared the end of its seventh year on the air.  The network renewed the series for another season, but keeping all of the actors in place has proved a challenge.

Renewing Smallville for an eighth season was basically a no-brainer.  The CW is a network in desperate need of viewers, especially after their ratings fell even further during the writers' strike.  Considering that Smallville is one of the most popular scripted shows on the network, they simply can't afford to lose it.  Besides, Tom Welling is already signed on for an eighth year, making renewal an easy decision.

However, not every actor is signed on for Smallville season 8, and that's where the problems come in. Kristin Kreuk, Allison Mack, and Michael Rosenbaum were only contracted for seven seasons, which means they had the option to leave the show if they desired to.  The CW attempted to renegotiate deals with all of these actors, but Kreuk and Rosenbaum decided not to return full-time.  Mack, however, did sign up for the entire year, and may even direct an episode as well.

Can Smallville survive without Lex and Lana?  Though some people are fairly tired of the endless Clark and Lana drama, she does seem like a character that's rather essential to the series.  On the other hand, I could easily see Lex returning as a "special guest star" instead of a series regular.  This would be detrimental to the show, as he's probably more interesting than anyone else on Smallville, but he's also someone who is often shoehorned into plots for no logical reason.  That's the only possible explanation for having Lex try to marry Lana, at least in my opinion.

Despite the fact that Kreuk won't appear in every episode of season 8, viewers will still see plenty of Lana.  The actress has agreed to appear in a limited number of episodes, and hopefully the writers can find a way to explain away her absence.  As for Rosenbaum, executive producer Darren Swimmer recently revealed that he won't be returning at all in season 8.  If there's one thing this cast exodus has proven, it's that in Hollywood, nothing is quite as unpredictable as contract negotiations.

Also Read:
No More 'Smallville' After Season 8?
New Villains Emerge as Michael Rosenbaum Says Goodbye to 'Smallville'
Allison Mack Returns for 'Smallville' Season 8
Update on 'Smallville' Season 8 Departures
'Smallville' Season 8 Experiences Cast Shake Up


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