Eight popular WBNX series have DVD releases scheduled for this summer.  Here’s a quick rundown of the shows and extras you can expect.  Many of these sets can be pre-ordered now on amazon.com.

Degrassi: The Next Generation, Season 6, with 19 episodes: (now available)
Extras include deleted moments and bloopers, cast auditions, the Degrassi Yearbook and more.

Girlfriends, Season 4, with 24 episodes: (July 29)
No extras announced.

Gossip Girl, Season 1, with 18 episodes: (Aug. 19)
Features include unaired scenes; 3 new featurettes; music videos; gag reel; and a free audio download of the original best-selling book, read by Christina Ricci.

One Tree Hill, Season 5, with 18 episodes: (Aug. 26)
Bonus material includes unaired scenes; 100th episode celebration; OTH musical stars behind-the-scenes; “Fast Forward” discussion with cast and crew about moving the storyline ahead four years; commentary on two episodes by series creator Mark Schwahn and key cast and crew; gag reel; and a bonus offer for a digital copy of the entire season.

Everybody Hates Chris, Season 3, with 22 episodes: (Aug. 26)
Extras include featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and commentaries on selected episodes.

Supernatural, Season 3, with 16 episodes: (Sept. 2)
Features include an in-depth look at the series’ special effects; inside the classic 1967 Chevy Impala; segments with creative team members discussing favorite aspects of episodes; Ghostfacers! Confessionals gallery; gag reel; and a digital copy of the entire season.

Smallville, Season 7, with 20 episodes: (Sept. 9)
Extras include featurettes on Supergirl and Jimmy Olson; Smallville Legends mobisodes; commentaries with producers Al Gough and Miles Millar, plus cast members John Glover and Justin Hartley; a comic book; and unaired scenes.

According to Jim, Season 1, with 22 episodes: (Sept. 9)
After seven years and 162 episodes, this family comedy finally gets a DVD release!  No details yet about extras.

The conclusion of a nearly four-month-long Hollywood writers strike has TV fans asking one question:  What does this mean for my favorite shows?  In most cases, the news couldn’t be better, according to trade sources Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, TV Guide, Mediaweek and E! Online.  Let’s start with the dramas: Smallville has four new episodes finished (including tonight’s), and will now produce five more this season.  Supernatural will air its remaining two new eps this month, and add another five or six for spring.  One Tree Hill will stockpile six more hours to the six already completed.  Reaper still has three new shows ready, with five or six more ordered—and you can expect the rookie dramedy to delve much deeper into the “deal” mythology when it returns.  Breakout freshman hit Gossip Girl has aired everything produced, but will quickly resume work on up to a half-dozen more stories.  Variety reports that the Upper East Siders may even get an early Season Two launch this summer, following the successful pattern of The O.C.  Life is Wild has ceased production at this time.  On the comedy front: The Game received a solid vote of confidence, with a pickup of eight or nine more episodes—to go with its four remaining new shows.  Everybody Hates Chris (12) and Aliens in America (eight) have enough new laughs in the can, so they won’t produce any more for this season; and Girlfriends, currently the longest-running network comedy, will bid adieu after eight years with a likely one-hour retrospective now in discussion.

January is the month when we’re bombarded with entertainment awards too numerous to mention. Often, they go to the same cast of characters—whichever show Hollywood deems hot and trendy at the moment. For a more accurate reflection of what viewers are passionate about, however, the recent E!Online poll is worth noting. It asked website visitors which series they’d like to see more coverage on, and two CW dramas swept up nearly 60% of the votes. Supernatural (29%) and One Tree Hill (28%) dominated to such an extent, they were eventually removed from the ballot to give other shows a fighting chance. Not just here in Cleveland, but across the nation, those serials have a loyal, vocal fanbase. Nominations were also announced for the 39th annual NAACP Image Awards, and, as usual, The CW leads the pack with 18 nods, more than all four of the other networks combined. Girlfriends and Everybody Hates Chris picked up seven apiece in comedy categories, and America’s Next Top Model is also vying for the Outstanding Reality Series title. Finally, TV Guide polled its readers to find the “Most Heartwarming Series” of all-time, and Gilmore Girls topped the list. It was “can’t miss” viewing for me, for sure, but was it more heartwarming than, say, Little House on the Prairie, which nearly always left an embarrassing lump in the throat? Your thoughts?

Only 17 more shopping days left, and if you’re one of those lucky few who’ve completed the task before the mad rush, WBNX has some relaxing holiday TV rewards for you! More than two dozen Christmas-themed episodes and specials are coming your way between now and December 25, starting with The CW’s “Merry Monday” comedy lineup of Everybody Hates Chris, Aliens in America, Girlfriends and The Game! The boys on Supernatural encounter the anti-Santa, while the Gossip Girl socialites unwrap…well, who knows what? Many of our daily comedies also have some memorable yuletide scripts, including Raymond, Frasier, George Lopez and According to Jim. And, of course, kids love the animated specials about Grandma and her hit-skip reindeer and The Story of Santa Claus. You can find a complete schedule of the holiday fare here on our new Christmas webpage, along with exclusive festive screensavers and other extras featuring your CW faves. Spread the word…and enjoy! P.S. Have you seen our new “Cleveland snowglobe” logo on air? Watch for it!

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The best drama on The CW may just be happening, of all places, on two Monday night comedies! Okay, that’s stretching it a bit, but if you haven’t seen Girlfriends or The Game recently, you’re missing some fierce episodes. Now in its 8th season, Girlfriends has Joan dealing with her fiancé Aaron’s deployment in Iraq, Maya’s tragic meltdown over losing her unborn baby, and William fearing how Monica’s pregnancy will change their lives. Then, The Game follows with startlingly-poignant issues torn from the sports page headlines. This year began with Derwin cheating on Melanie—and Tia Mowry really flexing her acting muscles in a continuing storyline. Jason, meanwhile, has begun secretly taking steroids, unaware of the physical side-effects that are ruining his marriage. But it’s Malik who wins the prize for stupidity, making flippant comments on-the-air about kids getting rich selling drugs. He is rightfully attacked by the media and caught on tape slugging a wheelchair-bound cartoonist who parodied the arrogant pro quarterback. Worse, Malik just expects his mother/agent, Tasha, to make the mess go away. Sorry, guy, this horse is out of the barn. You can catch the powerful encores this Sunday at five, and get ready for fireworks Monday night. The gloves are off.