Supernatural's season 4 premiere date has been confirmed for September 18th. The final moments of season 3 left fans hanging, as Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) was unable to save big brother Dean (Jensen Ackles) from his deal with Hell, made to save Sam's life at the end of season 2.

Show creator and Executive Producer Eric Kripke dropped a few hints about season 4 at TVGuide.com. The season 4 premiere (which TV Guide in another article says will be titled "Lazarus Rising") picks up four months after Dean went to hell, and Dean will have no memory of his time there. "What happened to Dean in Hell and to Sam when he had to be a hunter by himself will slowly come to light," Kripke revealed. "It gives us a nice opportunity for an internal struggle for Dean and for the brothers to surprise each other."

In addition to hunting by himself, Sam also apparently finds some comfort. Genevieve Cortese, known for her starring role on the TV series Wildfire, has been cast as Kristy, a small town waitress who becomes romantically involved with Sam. According to TV Guide, she will appear only in the season 4 premiere, although other sites have listed her as a "recurring" character. The female recurring characters from season 3, Ruby (Katie Cassidy) and Bela (Lauren Cohan) have already been cut mostly for budgetary reasons.

Older hunters Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) and Rufus (Steven Williams) will be back, and we'll get a look at the Winchester parents as teenagers.

In other casting news, Traci Dinwiddie, who has guest starred on show such as Dawson's Creek and One Tree Hill, has been cast as a psychic named Pamela Barnes, an old friend of Bobby Singer, who calls her "the best darned psychic in the state." Bobby contacts Pamela to help track demons and figure out how to save Dean.

With season 3 leaving Dean strung up on meat hooks in hell and Sam devastated, the Winchesters can use all the help they can get.

Sources:
TVGuide.com (Genevieve Cortese)
TVGuide.com (Traci Dinwiddie)
TVGuide.com (Eric Kripke)