TV Guide has an exclusive report that actress Charlotte Sullivan is joining the cast of Smallville as “Maxima”.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the character, she started out as a villain before becoming an ally of Superman. In fact she was even a part of the Justice League for a while. Maxima is the oldest child of the planet Almerac, and her purpose for coming to Earth is to find a mate. She and Superman are genetically compatible, meaning she can give Superman a child (which is in all Superman continuity EXCEPT that terrible “Returns”movie ).

Maxima is an interesting piece of Superman lore that was also around about the same time Doomsday was appearing the Superman comics in the early 90s. She will make an interesting addition to the series, and I’m curious to find out just how long she’ll be staying around.

Starting on the first day of September, all the way through to the 30th of October we have new shows debuting on all the major networks. Below you’ll find a complete list of all the new and returning shows and their premiere dates!

Be sure and check back here at TV Jab for reviews of these new programs as they premiere…we’ll be covering almost all of them this year!
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For those of you who don’t like Spoilers, you should just stop reading right now, because there are some big spoilers in this post about the 8th season of Smallville.

They start…now.

Ok, the Comi-Con panel was wild, with many guest asking for actor’s name cards, and all kinds of other shenanigans, but the big info came from the talks about season 8, where the creative team behind the show was candid, and very revealing. Here are some highlights

* Season 8 still has a “No Tights” rule, but “No Flights” may be off the card

* Sam Witwer will play “Justin Bloom” who becomes Doomsday during blackouts.

* Clark will begin working on a secret identity this season, and use the Daily Planet as a resource for finding people that need his help.

* Michael Rosenbaum will NOT be returning this season, but the door is always open to him (and Same Jones as well) should he wish to return..

* The Legion of Super-Heroes will appear on the show this season, as will the Justice League (who will show up in the season opener).

* There will be more exploration of the Green Arrow character this season – who is now a regular cast member.

Originally I had heard that Rosenbaum was going to make an appearance this season, at least for an episode or two, but apparently that didn’t work out. It looks like things are getting a much needed shake-up on Smallville this year, and I can’t wait to see where they go from here.

While I can’t for the life of me figure out how “Doomsday” (the giant gray monster with bone claws that killed Superman in the 1990s) is going to fit into the “Smallville” universe, but he has been cast.

Sam Witwer (”Battlestar Galactica”) will be playing the character of “Doomsday”, but its already pretty clear that the character will bare little resemblance to the comic book version of Doomsday.

According to TVSquad the character is a “hot bartender” at a club called the “Ace of Clubs” who has “something inside of him that he can’t control”. Lois will, apparently, be a regular at this club, and will somehow be involved with the character.

In additional “Smallville” news, the character of “Tess” will be a recurring character on the show, and will be manager of Lex Luthor’s estate while he is away from Smallville. The character has yet to be cast.

According to this link Tess will be played by Cassidy Freeman.

Tonight the season finale of Smallville airs. There will be several departures from the show this season, including the devastating loss of Lex Luthor, and the much welcome removal of Lana Lang. It was also rumored recently that Allison Mack’s character Chloe might not be returning either, due to a contract dispute.

Luckily, for those of you that are Chloe fans, that bullet has been dodged and Ms. Mack is confirmed for Season 8 of Smallville. TV Guide confirmed it this morning. Don’t forget to watch the Smallville finale tonight – its going to be HUGE…well…I hope so anyway.

It looks like Allison Mack is trying her hand at negotiating a higher paycheck for the 8th season of Smallville. The actress is reportedly contemplating not returning for the next season of the “young Superman” show – and she may be using the loss of “Lana” and “Lex” as leverage.

I have some bad news for her, though. The Superman mythos has survived for a very long time with the trinity of Clark, Lois, and Jimmy – and if that happens next season it just might be the shot in the arm that the show needs to really be good again. The loss of Lex Luthor is, of course, a huge blow to the series, but the departure of Lana Lang is seen by many as a good thing. I am definitely one of those people. If this show wants to continue on, it is going to need a complete overhaul to make it work, and the switch to the classic Lois, Jimmy, and Clark trio is a great way to do just that.

This bid by Allison Mack might actually turn out to be a good thing, and breathe new life into the series. The more I think about it – the more I hope she doesn’t come back.

So there.

Three video clips from tonight’s Smallville have made their way online. The episode is called “Descent” and its pretty clear to see that its a focus on Lex’s descent into evil.

Interestingly, these clips spoil the big “Who’s going to die?” question…so if you don’t want to know until you watch the show tonight, don’t watch them.

First up is a confrontation between Lex and Clark:

Next we find Lex looking for something his father left behind in Chloe’s office.

And finally, the biggest spoiler clip of the three. Keep in mind that the CW posted these on YouTube, so its possible this could be misleading us on purpose…but I doubt it.

Smallville airs tonight on the CW.

Several new spoilers for Smallville’s seventh season have been revealed on long time fansite “Kryptonsite”. I’m going to sum them up below – so if you don’t want to know, the don’t read this article any further…

Warning! Thar Be Spoilers ahead!!

7-16 “Decent” – This is described as the day that Lex and Clark became mortal enemies. Someone in the cast is going to die, and all signs point to Lionel — although it could be a deliberate swerve. It’s also important to mention that Lionel is not referenced in any further spoilers for the season…so it is looking very much like Lex’s father will be taking a big dirt nap…and I would imagine that Lex will be the one holding the shovel.

7-17 “Sleeper” – Clark searches for Brainiac, who is the only one who can reverse Lana’s condition. Chloe investigates some high level security stuff, and Jimmy gets in between Lex and the Department of Security.

7-18 “Apocalypse” – This episode features another alternate reality romp, but more importantly will showcase the first time this Clark ever dons a suit and glasses (and idea put forth by one Lois Lane) so he can sneak into the Daily Planet.

There is tons more info at Kryptonsite if you want to take a look.

Kristin Kreuk has confirmed on her Facebook profile that she will be returning to Smallville for a “small, undetermined” number of episodes during the series’ 8th season.

Over the last several years some fans have become increasingly tired of the on-again, off-again Lana/Clark relationship, and the show has struggled to find the right fit for the character of Lana Lang, moving her from cheerleader to college student, to pregnant wife of Lex Luthor, to dead – then to not dead (and hiding in Asia) – to her current role as the founder of a foundation. There is no word currently on the status of the couple – but since Superman is known universally as having Lois Lane be the love of his life, its a safe bet they won’t be ending up together.

It has been a very strange ride for the Smallville incarnation of Lana, and my guess is that it will only get stranger before the series wraps up…assuming it ever does.

The CW today announced their early renewals of the following shows:

“Gossip Girl,” “One Tree Hill,” “Smallville,” “Supernatural,” “Everybody Hates Chris” and “America’s Next Top Model”

“Smallville will be entering into its 8th season (and one which should, presumably, be without long-time villain Lex Luthor, played by Michael Rosenbaum, since his contract is up and he doesn’t want to renew), while “Supernatural” enters its 4th season.

“One Tree Hill’s” new direction seems to have worked, and the show (which jumped 4 years into the future of its character’s lives at the beginning of the current season) has been renewed for another year. New buzz show “Gossip Girl” is also headed back to the former frog network, while reality show staple “America’s Next Top Model” continues on, and “Everybody Hates Chris” continues to provide a strong comedy in an otherwise weak comedic lineup.