By Don Kaye
Special to MSN TV

July 27, 2008

It's the final day of Comic-Con, and I would be lying if I told you the fatigue wasn't starting to take hold in a big way. This is an intense four days that will simultaneously invigorate and exhaust you. Sunday for any sort of convention has always traditionally been the mellower day, but not here: While perhaps not as large as the crowds on Friday and Saturday, the mass of people gathered today is still formidable.

So formidable, in fact, that the early-morning panel for the long-running "Smallville" is closed out by the time I get there -- no more seats available. Has "Smallville" jumped the shark? That is a debate I hear while waiting in line, and the consensus is that the series has long passed its prime. But you wouldn't know it from the amount of people who turn up to see stars Allison Mack and Justin Hartley, along with new cast member Sam Witwer, who's debuting as Davis Bloome, a.k.a. Doomsday. Clips from the upcoming eighth season are scheduled to be shown as well; we'll see if "Smallville" gets a new injection of life.

'Supernatural'

Creator and executive producer Eric Kripke comes out to an adoring, packed ballroom to announce that they will be the first to see the first five minutes of the fourth season of "Supernatural." It's an eerie opening that finds Dean (Jensen Ackles) getting out of hell -- where he was stuck at the end of Season 3 -- but not necessarily out of danger. "We think the danger gets worse," says Kripke, "And that he'll look back fondly at his time in hell."

Ackles, of course, is on hand, along with co-star Jared Padalecki, and the panel is constantly interrupted by female screams for their attention. The actors and three writer-producers (Kripke, Sara Gamble and Ben Edlund) are all game to talk about the upcoming season, promising they're picking up some unexplored stories from the strike-shortened third year while also exploring the ramifications of Dean's return and Sam's (Padalecki) new powers.

Ackles and Padalecki sit there and mostly smile (which is more than enough for the fans in the room), and when the audience Q&A starts, a massive influx of females quickly line up all the way to the back of the room. The first questioner literally asks if she can see Ackles up close -- her glasses are broken and he's just a fuzzy blur. He graciously accommodates her as she is led up to the panel and gets to snap a close-up of her hero.

The obnoxious "Ghostfacers" (A.J. Buckley and Travis Wester from the episode of the same name) make a surprise appearance, busting into the middle of the panel and asking "Sam" and "Dean" what the hell they're doing on stage. This is all a prelude to Kripke announcing that the popular guest stars might return in their own short series, which gets some equally loud acclaim from the room. Another piece of news is that "X-Files" star Mitch Pileggi, who played Walter Skinner on that show, will appear in a time-travel episode as Sam and Dean's grandfather.

'Paranormal State'

So why are shows about ghost hunters, urban legends and modern myths so popular with audiences now? The combination of ghost stories and the reality-series format must be part of what drives this budding phenomenon, with audiences getting just that little bit extra scared because the boogeymen might be real. The "Ghost Hunters" panel earlier in the weekend was packed to capacity (with the room closed, as a matter of fact), although "Paranormal State," a competitive A&E series, doesn't quite draw the same crowd; for once, in fact, there are plenty of empty seats around. The show follows a Penn State paranormal research society formed by students as they investigate cases of paranormal and poltergeist activity.

Society founder Ryan Buell is joined on the panel by executive producer Betsy Schechter and fellow investigators Eilfie Music, Heather Taddy and Sergey Poberezhny. Buell introduces a screening of the Season 2 premiere, which tries hard with lots of night-vision cameras, shadowy shots and atmospheric music, but never generates any truly chilling moments.

The screening is followed by a Q&A, but for me it's lunchtime. There're 13 new episodes of "Paranormal State" coming; I'm not quite a believer but you might be.

'The Ghost Whisperer'

I don't know if it's a sign that the convention is winding down, but the ballroom is even emptier for the "Ghost Whisperer" panel. There's a rumor going around that star Jennifer Love Hewitt is not going to be here, which is probably the real reason for the sparse audience. Executive producer Kim Moses keeps everyone in suspense by going right to a video before bringing the panelists out.

The video introduces a selection of quick clips from the upcoming fourth season, hosted by new cast member Jamie Kennedy, who's coming on board as a "ghost listener." Kennedy is here for the panel, but unfortunately the rumors are true: Hewitt does not show. Moses says that something "unexpected and personal" has kept Hewitt from coming, but autographed photos of the star are passed around in hopes of placating the fans.

Kennedy and Moses are joined by executive producers P.K. Simonds and Ian Sanders, plus veteran cast member David Conrad and fresh face Cristoph Sanders, who plays the new Ned. Head writer Simonds says that "huge" things are planned for the new season, but says that they wanted to "take everything that matters most to our main character, throw it up in the air, and in some cases squash it." The show's syndication to the Sci-Fi Channel and WE TV is also announced. Along with its growing global profile, this seems to ensure that we'll be getting lots of Love for a few years to come.

"The Ghost Whisperer" panel largely concludes the TV events at Comic-Con, with the rest of the day generally devoted to kids' programming. And that means my job here is largely concluded as well. Final thoughts? TV has had a large presence at this year's convention, probably more than ever before, which means that the kind of stuff previously reserved for geeks/nerds/fanboys -- whatever you want to call them -- keeps making inroads into mainstream pop culture in a big way. And for the 125,000 or so at the San Diego Convention Center this weekend, many with childlike stares of wonder on their faces, that can't be a bad thing.

Sound off: Comment on this story

See also: Saturday TV Wrap-Up | Friday TV Wrap-Up | Thursday TV Wrap-Up