Smallville

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 is going to have to consider now that Smallville is nearing the end of its seventh year on the air.  The network recently renewed the series for another season, but keeping all of the actors in place has proved a challenge.

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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.  As for Mack, her contract is still being worked out, though its possible she'll sign on for the entire season.

Can Smallville survive without Lex, Lana, or Chloe?  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 and Chloe returning as "special guest stars" instead of series regulars.  This would be detrimental to the show, as these two characters are probably more interesting than anyone else on Smallville, but they're also two that are often shoehorned into plots in an attempt to give them something to do.  That's the only possible explanation for giving Chloe magical powers and having Lex try to marry Lana.

Despite the fact that Kreuk and Rosenbaum won't appear in every episode of season 8, viewers will still see plenty of Lana and Lex.  Both actors have agreed to appear in a limited number of episodes, and hopefully the writers can find a way to explain away their absence.  If there's one thing this cast exodus has proven, it's that in Hollywood, nothing is quite as unpredictable as contract negotiations.


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