The CW television network has announced that it is renewing the DC Comics-based Smallville TV series for a ninth season.   The early announcement of the renewals of Smallville and Supernatural (for its 5th season) demonstrates the network’s commitment to these properties.

Last fall rumors abounded that this would be Smallville’s final season—eight years is quite a long time for Superman to remain an adolescent, but the series continues to do well by the rather subdued rating standards of the CW network.  In October when the CW ordered a pilot episode of The Graysons, a series designed to chronicle the pre-Gotham City career of Batman’s companion Robin (see “The Graysons Pilot”), many thought that The Graysons would eventually replace Smallville on the CW schedule, but opposition within Warner Bros. (some say from The Dark Knight helmer Christopher Nolan) killed The Graysons (see “Don’t Mess with the Batman”) and may have extended the small shelf life of Smallville.