The CW has announced early renewal of several of its series for the 2008-2009 season, E!Online reported. Among them, the cult hit Supernatural has been renewed for a fourth season. That should put the worries of the series' dedicated fan base to rest.

Supernatural is a show "on the bubble," and its renewal was somewhat in doubt. The show averages around 3 million viewers a week, which makes it a stable series for The CW. The last of Supernatural's episodes produced pre-strike, "Jus in Bello," raked in 3.23 million viewers, making it one of the highest rated episodes of season three.

The network has also renewed Smallville, One Tree Hill, America's Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, and freshman series Gossip Girl. There is no decision yet on horror-comedy Reaper, which is struggling in the ratings its first season. Because of the strike, Supernatural will have a shortened season three of 16 episodes total; the last four episodes will air starting April 24. The CW recently shuffled their schedule, placing Reaper in Supernatural's Thursday nights at 9 pm slot with Smallville as the lead-in to see how Reaper would play in the ratings. So far the network hasn't announced plans to air reruns of Supernatural during the wait until April 24, but Supernatural fans will be happy to know that demon-hunting brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) will carry on into another season of rock salt, Latin, and complex sibling dynamics.

Sources:

TV By the Numbers
E!Online