The cast and crew of Supernatural, the long-running WB/CW cult hit, took to Comic Con to discuss the end of the seventh season and it’s effects on the upcoming eighth.  Amongst the panel: Cast members Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins & Mark Sheppard, Writer/Executive Producer Ben Edlund and new series showrunner Jeremy Carver.  For a recap of the panel, hit the jump.

The CW Network has renewed station standout The Vampire Diaries, along with fan-favorites Supernatural and 90210; all three series will return for the 2012-2013 season.  The Vampire Diaries, starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, returns for its fourth season.  The long-running Supernatural, starring Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles and Jim Beaver will kick-off its eighth season, while Beverly Hills socialites Shenae Grimes, Tristan Wilds and AnnaLynne McCord return for the fifth season of 90210. Hit the jump to read the press release.

Having finished six seasons and already at work on their seventh, Supernatural is no stranger to Comic-Con, but this year Ballroom 20 would not be enough to hold them. For the first time ever, Supernatural’s panel was hosted in Hall H, with fans filling up the giant hall to scream and cheer for there favorite monster hunting brothers. Moderated by IGN’s Eric Goldman, the panel consisted of writer and showrunner Sera Gamble, writer Ben Edlund, Jensen Ackles (Dean), Jared Padalecki (Sam), Misha Collins (Castiel), Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer), and Mark Sheppard (Crowley).  Hit the jump to read about what is in store for Sam and Dean this year.

Season 6 of The CW drama Supernatural marks not only a new chapter in the show’s story, but also a change in leadership, as executive producer Eric Kripke has handed over show runner duties to Sera Gamble. Having already been on staff as a producer and writer, it’s been a very smooth transition for all involved, and it has helped to invigorate and re-invent the series in a way that will keep it fresh for seasons to come.

During a recent interview to promote the show’s return, Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble talked about wiping the slate clean this season, getting to see how things have affected both Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) post-apocalypse and how they’re definitely up for more seasons, if there’s the demand for it. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Returning for its sixth season, the dark CW drama Supernatural follows Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), who took on the Devil himself and survived the apocalypse, in last season’s emotional finale. Now, the brothers are separated, as Dean has retired from hunting, believing that Sam is stuck in Hell. However, Sam has escaped and the two reunite to fight the rising tide of creatures and demon-spawn, but quickly realize that neither are who they used to be, their relationship has changed and nothing is what it seems.

During an interview to promote the return of the popular series, co-stars Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki talked about how the tone of the show will be very similar to how things were in Season 1, the ways in which their characters would be different now and that they think fans will enjoy getting back to the basics of what they loved about the show, in the first place. Jensen also shared what it was like to make his directorial debut this season. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

Quirky television programs that blend horror, fantasy and folklore such as Supernatural have been a staple of network line-ups for decades. Obviously The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits are classics in the genre and set the bar for freaky quality. Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer came along and injected teen melodrama, genuine emotion and pop cultural quips into the horror/fantasy television playbook. Soon after Buffy’s success, a deluge of similar shows flooded the airwaves (Roswell, Angel, Charmed and so on). Supernatural studiously follows the path blazed by its predecessors. The initial season of Supernatural starts off strong, but begins to meander into a droll villain of the week formula. Though, it’s not how you start, but how you finish that matters. Does Supernatural finish strong? Double tap the jump to find out.

I’m not going to lie, I think the Friday the 13th franchise pretty much sucks. I think that the fourth and sixth film have some good things about them, but Jason Vorhees the killer has very little personality, and often came off as a stuntman in a mask. The films work because you get exactly what you paid for: boobs and gore. On that level, I can’t really complain about the Friday franchise. They work on the level that they do. But I don’t understand being exceptionally loyal to them either. Though I can see how these films are more fun than the Saw movies, following both to me seems a bit silly, especially since quality comes off as an afterthought. Joseph Zito took it to the next level, and some of the directors tried harder than others, but it was a derivative franchise that owed a lot to both Halloween and Mario Bava.

And where I found the Platinum Dunes films lackluster until this point, I really enjoyed their take on Friday the 13th. With The Hitcher, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre they couldn’t compare to the originals (The Amityville Horror is a draw), but here they took everything that worked from the originals (boobs and gore) and then moved the story along at a quick enough clip. The film opens with a prolonged first act that establishes how Jason was born and his proficiency, and tells you everything you need to know: This is going to be slick exploitation that knows what it’s doing. More after the jump.