Smallville

There is a major announcement being made concerning Smallville's future at this years Comic Con.  Or at least that is what the organizers of the CW's Smallville panel want you to believe.  All things considered, it could be true.  Smallville is entering its unanticipated ninth-season, and there is a lot of talk about a tenth season being planned.  Then again, there is some talk about Smallville's ninth season being announced as the last.  Then there is that 'Metropolis' rumor. So what are the facts?

Fact: if you look around, every panel at Comic Con 2009 has a special guest or big announcement.  A lot of it will be old cast members returning, new ARG's kicking off, and possibly a few that really alter the landscape in a significant way.  The bottom line is, this hyperbole is all designed to get butts in seats.

Fact: Talk of a controlled burn of Smallville's final season, or a movie, or red capes and blue chests have been circulating since the beginning of the show.  It's always assumed that Clark becomes Superman and the show ends.  The very premise of the show followed the infamously coined "no tights, no flights" creedo.  in other words, nothing new here.

Fact: The talk of a mystery project called "Metropolis" was the impetus for a lot of the new Smallville rumor-mania, the info was from an untested source on aintitcoolnews.  Aintitcool rocks, of course, but untested sources suck - and we all know it.  Craig Byrne of Kryptonsite does not suck though, and his site is the holy grail of Smallville info.  In his rumors section, Craig says essentially what everyone does:  it's untested information, and no-one has confirmed it.

Fact: As for a Smallville 'movie,'  there already is one.  It's called "Superman."  This doesn't mean there couldn't be a two-hour event driven Smallville finale, but Tom Welling in spandex isn't a great idea at the moment - and even if he hit the gym for the next six-months, what could a Smallville movie do that a two part episode couldn't  - besides cost more.

If I had to make a guess, I'd say this is the final season for Smallville - and that would be terrific news for a few reasons (don't kill me yet).  I think it is telling that Supernatural was renewed for two more seasons, and Smallville for one.  Not that one is better than the other, but that The CW is hedging their bets and while Smallville continues to be a mightily strong brand it is trending downwards.  It will make a far more valuable 'package' with a controlled wind up to its expansive mythology.

On the other hand, The CW is still striving for relevancy in the TV Scape, would they announce an end date and bet against the possibility of a resurgence of interest in Smallville?  This was exactly what happened with Supernatural.  During Supernatural's third season, the show seemed to be struggling against cancellation - season 4 saw it become a ferocious late bloomer, becoming one of The CW's highest rated programs.

Whatever it is, don't forget to keep checking back here to find out.