Smallville

Clark Kent's hometown is going to experience a lot of big changes when the CW's Smallville returns for its eighth season in the fall.  Fans of the series were shocked when news recently came out that Michael Rosenbaum and Kristin Kreuk would not be returning to the show full time.  The biggest questions remaining are how often the actors will appear in season 8, and what the show will be like without Lana and Lex around.  Now we have some more details about their departures, how often fans can expect to see their characters, and a surprising update regarding Allison Mack's status on the series.

It was previously reported that Allison Mack, who plays fan favorite Chloe Sullivan, had signed on for the entirety of Smallville's eighth season, but it turns out this information is incorrect.  She has not yet signed on the dotted line, and a deal is still being hammered out regarding her return.  However, according to TV Guide's Michael Ausiello, Mack will likely appear for a minimum of 18 episodes next year.

As for Lex Luthor, Ausiello's super secret inside source reports that Michael Rosenbaum will likely appear in 11 to 18 episodes.  This information is unconfirmed by Smallville executive producer Al Gough, but we should know more once the deal is done.

While fans will still get plenty of Chloe and Lex, it looks like Lana won't be hanging around Smallville for very long.  Kristin Kreuk recently addressed her fans via her online Facebook profile, stating, "I thought I would give those of you curious about Smallville a brief debrief.  I am in Bangkok for a few more months.  So, no shooting of the Ville for me.  I will return for a undetermined, although small, number of episodes in season 8.  I am not really opening up the floor for lots of discussion, because it is not really the place for it. Obviously I have loved my time on the show, but I am equally as thrilled to move on to new endeavors."

According to Al Gough, Kreuk will likely be back for the first third of the season, but there's no word on when, or if, Lana will return after that.  Will the eighth season of Smallville be less interesting without these actors, or will their departures force the writers to come up with some inventive new storylines?  It looks like we'll find out in the fall.


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