Maybe this comes as no surprise to anyone, but the CW has formally announced that it has renewed ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Vampire Diaries’ for another season!

It was well assumed that the CW’s highest rated show, ‘The Vampire Diaries’ would be getting a renewal slip. As to what could the fans expect in the fourth season? Executive producer Julie Plec states that the focus will be on Elena (Nina Dobrev) and the gang’s final semester of their senior year and the decisions they have to make regarding their future. One thing she did make sure the fans knew was that there would be no “Mystic U.” “Grams taught at a nearby university,” she says, “and Jenna was getting her Masters degree so there’s something out there that we’ll be introducing and seeing in season four.”

The renewal of ‘Supernatural’ (which has been a consistent fan favorite) would mark the show’s 8th season. After it was announced that show runner Sera Gamble would be stepping down to oversee other projects and that Jeremy Carver would be taking her place, it was pretty much a no brainer that the series would see another year. This is great news for the fans as the current series is supposed to end in a giant cliffhanger!

Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are returning as the Winchester brothers (like there was any doubt?)  but what about Misha Collins (Castiel) and Jim Beaver (Bobby)? E! Online was able to catch up with both of them and both are hoping their characters will also return.  “I would love to see Cas come back,” Collins exclaimed. “It’s been such a fun show to work on and such a fun character and such a fun fandom to be immersed in. All and all, if there is some way to work out for Cas to come back that’d be great.” Beaver agrees and comically says, “I hope he’s (Jeremy Carver) a good boss… by which I mean I hope he figures out a way to use me a whole bunch!”

Right now, no word has been made as to whether or not the CW’s other supernatural show ‘The Secret Circle’ would be renewed but something’s got to make room for some of the upcoming pilots that the CW has been considering. If you recall, pilots for the sci-fi/fantasy shows ‘Arrow’, ‘Beauty and the Beast’, ‘The Selection’, and ‘Joey Dakota’ have been in production and we will soon know which shows will be airing next season.

The rest of CW’s 2012-2013 renewals list (and hopefully the new shows) will be announced on May 17th when the network will present their upcoming programming to advertisers at the Upfront event in New York City.

Source: Deadline