After eight long seasons on air, the comedy series Girlfriends has been canceled by The CW.  Show creator Mara Brock Akil made the heartbreaking announcement on Valentine's Day.

Girlfriends, an NAACP Image Award and Emmy Award-nominated comedy series, follows three friends as they navigate through life and love.  It stars Golden Brooks, Persia White and Tracee Ellis Ross, who has received six consecutive NAACP Image Awards nominations for best actress in a comedy series, although winning only once.

Tonight's episode of the CW's long-running sitcom, Girlfriends, will have the ladies facing their own personal troubles, with Maya dealing with her new book and second pregnancy and Joan trying to rent out her apartment.

Coming down with a serious case of writer's block and being unable to finish her latest book, Maya (Golden Brooks) attempts to avoid calls from her publisher. Later, she learns that her pregnancy is at risk, but does not listen to her doctor's orders to keep off her feet.  Meanwhile, Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross) is experiencing difficulty renting her apartment to Lynn (Persia White) and William (Reggie Hayes), as Monica (Keesha Sharp) begins to discover differences in their relationship.

The episode, entitled “Losing It,” was directed by Millicent Shelton and written by Mark Alton Brown and Dee Laduke.  Khalil Kain, who plays Maya's husband Darnell Wilkes, also appears in the episode.

Maya's refusal to comply with her doctor's orders in tonight's episode of Girlfriends certainly puts her baby's life at risk.  To find out how Maya's careless behavior affects her pregnancy, read on for spoilers.

Tracee Ellis Ross, one of the stars of the Emmy-nominated comedy series, Girlfriends, was the latest female celebrity to visit South Carolina on Monday, October 8, on behalf of U.S. Senator presidential candidate Barack Obama.  She spent the day stumping for Obama in Columbia and Orangeburg, and the following day, spearheaded the "Women for Obama" campaign effort in Florence, the center of the Pee Dee Region.

"Women for Obama" is the campaign's outreach exclusively to women voters, whose strength at the Democratic primaries' polls have caught the attention of leading candidates.  As part of the outreach, Tracee Ellis Ross, whose work on Girlfriends earned her the 2005 BET and 2007 Image Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress, talked to emerging female leaders at Benedict College in Columbia and headlined the opening of a campaign-centered regional office in Orangeburg.

Season 8 of the amazingly durable Girlfriends on The CW takes off next Monday, October 1 at 9pm.

Creator Mara Brock Akil unleashed some major opening spoilers to Entertainment Weekly a few weeks ago. In stark contrast, actors Keesha Sharp and Khalil Kain were tight-lipped and deliberately coy when CW Source caught up with them recently.

Premiere Date and Time: Monday, October 1, 9pm

Network: The CW

Time Slot Competition: Dancing with the Stars, Two and a Half Men, Heroes, K-Ville

Cast: Tracee Ellis Ross, Golden Brooks, Persia White, Reggie Hayes

Girlfriends is a sitcom created by Mara Brock Akil which focuses on the lives of successful African American women living in Los Angeles, California. The show tackles issues about family, friends, relationships, and most especially the challenges of women nowadays.