['Supernatural' - 'The French Mistake']

There are no doubt viewers who only tune into 'Supernatural' a few times a season. I have to wonder what they made of Friday's super-duper-meta episode, which had the Winchesters exploring an alternative reality in which they are the stars of a not-very-popular TV show called 'Supernatural.'

Even if those occasional viewers were perplexed by some of the meta references and in-jokes, surely they had to be impressed by the three funniest minutes that 'Supernatural' will likely air all year.

['Supernatural' - 'Mannequin 3: The Reckoning']

The sixth season of 'Supernatural' has been pretty strong. It hasn't been perfect, and there have been quibbles to pick at here and there, but I'm among the fans who think, generally speaking, it's been a solid effort.

But every so often, there's an episode serves as the exception to the rule. Throughout the show's history, there are episodes that make you go, "What was that? What happened there?"

['Supernatural': 'Unforgiven']

Say what you will about the current season of 'Supernatural,' but you certainly can't accuse the show of foot-dragging.

Friday's episode found things moving ahead rapidly on the Sam front, and it's hard not to give the show credit for plunging ahead where, as the saying goes, angels fear to tread.

['Supernatural' - 'Like a Virgin']

Sam's back -- or is he? Well, he is, but we're probably all thinking that when that wall inside his head falls, it's not going to be pretty.

That development is some ways off, however. This episode, which finally aired after a grumble-inducing delay of a week, focused on the Winchester brothers' relationship and on setting up new story elements that should keep Team Free Will busy in coming weeks.

['Nikita' – 'Coup de Grace']

Last week, I was dismayed that 'Nikita' took its first opportunity for Nikita and Alex to work together and instead left the protégé to essentially sit out the episode. Alex was more interested in marshmallow fluff than in taking down Division upon the show's return.

While that move may have made a certain psychological sense, it didn't produce the most thrilling episode of television. Luckily, 'Coup de Grace' corrected most of the mistakes of last week, even though it basically had to rip off 'Die Hard' and 'Ocean's 11' in order to do so.

Seriously: Substitute "museum" for "high-rise building," and "John McClane" for "Nikita," and you had the bare bones of this episode laid out for you. Throw in her technique for escaping the museum, which is the same technique used by Brad Pitt and Company to escape the casino vault in 'Ocean's 11,' and you had an episode that at least had the sense to steal from the best when producing a facsimiled hour of television. There are only a finite number of espionage stories one can tell, so cribbing elements from past works isn't exactly a high crime. What matters is the execution, and on most levels, 'Nikita' executed those copied beats extremely well.

When 'Supernatural' returns from its winter break 9PM ET Friday on the CW, we'll find out what happens when Sam Winchester finally gets his soul back.

The restoration of Sam's soul capped a strong fall for the CW drama, one that found the Winchesters facing complicated threats on several fronts. A civil war in Heaven, a new power dynamic in Hell and troublesome critter clans all over the place made it a challenging time for Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles). Oh, and there was that whole "Sam doesn't have a soul" thing. Yep, the problems the brothers faced in the last few months made your average ghost hunt look like a tea party.

In an extensive recent interview at her Los Angeles office, 'Supernatural's' executive producer and showrunner Sera Gamble talked about why the show's brain trust approached this season differently and how the writers found interesting new situations and dilemmas for the Winchesters well into the show's sixth year. Some fun tidbits about individual upcoming episodes can be found here, but the full transcript of my January chat with Gamble is below.

Hey there, TV fans, want some free stuff? This week, TV Squad is giving away bags of CW swag to four lucky readers.

Each swag kit contains the following:

• a recycling bag with a 'Supernatural' image on one side and a 'Smallville' image on the other

• a 'Vampire Diaries' coffee mug

• a 'Gossip Girl' water bottle

• a 'One Tree Hill' "treehugger" T-shirt that says "reuse/recycle"

So, how can you obtain one of these bags of free stuff? Read on to find out.

How is the winter Hellatus going for you, 'Supernatural' fans?

Not enjoying the lack of Winchesters on your television? Well, I can't speed up the CW show's return date -- it's still coming back Jan. 28 -- but I can share some news about the drama.

I interviewed 'Supernatural' executive producer and showrunner Sera Gamble when I was in Los Angeles last week, and I'll post a long transcript of that chat closer to the show's return date. But before then, I just had to share some brain-melting intel about upcoming episodes of the show. (Spoilers ahoy.)

Here's a 'Supernatural' exclusive for you: The Winchesters will be visiting the Old West this season.

"You may see the guys in Stetsons. You may see Jared [Padalecki] on horseback. It could happen," Gamble said. "I've already talked to Jensen [Ackles] about it, he's excited about it and I think the guys are going to have a lot of fun with it."

['Supernatural' - 'You Can't Handle the Truth']

Hey, people who don't watch 'Supernatural'! This is obviously a review of Friday's episode of that show, but I want you to be aware of one thing -- something that may lead you to watch the show someday. But even if you don't, know that 'Supernatural' has two of the finest lead actors on television.

OK, if you don't want to read about 'You Can't Handle the Truth,' see you later. But I just wanted the non-'Supernatural' fans who read this site to have that information.

'Supernatural' took a chance on a rookie director for its Oct. 15 episode, 'Weekend at Bobby's' -- star Jensen Ackles (a.k.a. Dean Winchester) helmed the episode.

In the exclusive clip below, get your first look at Ackles behind the camera and on set during his first directing experience. His co-star, Jared Padalecki (who plays Sam Winchester), talks about what it was like to have Ackles behind the camera, and Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer) and Mark Sheppard (Crowley) also offer their 2 cents on the actor's turn in the director's chair.

['Supernatural' - 'Two and a Half Men']

There have been a lot of either-ors on 'Supernatural' over the years.

In our continuing effort to get you ready for the upcoming fall season, we're previewing pilots that were sent to critics earlier this summer.

Keep in mind that in each case, our opinions are based on a pilot that could be completely recast and reworked between now and the fall. Some of those changes have already been announced.

Show: 'Hellcats'
Network: CW
Timeslot: Wednesdays, 9PM ET (Premieres September 8)

The lowdown: Marti Perkins (Alyson Michalka) just found out that her scholarship to study pre-law at Lancer University in Memphis was revoked. Her barmaid mother Wanda (Gail O'Grady) was supposed to let her know so she had a chance to get it back, but as Marti has experienced through a lifetime of taking care of her irresponsible mother, her mother ended up dropping the ball. So, in a desperate move to earn another scholarship and stay in school, she tries out for an opening on the college's competitive cheeleading team, known as the Hellcats. It's definitely not her style, but she has the moves to pique the interest of both coach Vanessa Lodge (Sharon Leal) and captain Savannah (Ashley Tisdale), who takes Marti under her very meticulous wing. Marti takes the place of Alex (Heather Hemmens), who doesn't like the new team member one bit, even if her abilities could take them to the national championship.

In our continuing effort to get you ready for the upcoming fall season, we're previewing pilots that were sent to critics earlier this summer.

Keep in mind that in each case, our opinions are based on a pilot that could be completely recast and reworked between now and the fall. Some of those changes have already been announced.

Show: 'Nikita'
Network: CW
Timeslot: Thursdays, 9PM ET (Premieres September 9)

The lowdown: Nikita (Maggie Q) used to be a top assassin for a secret government agency called the Division. But she's broken away from their control and she's come out of hiding in order to defeat them. The Division, led by agent recruiter/ trainer/ mentor Michael (Shane West) is leading the chase to take her out, but she's using all the knowledge that she's gained in her years in the Division -- including her personal knowledge of Michael -- to get the upper hand. In the meantime, Michael has found a new deadly recruit in Alex (Lyndsy Fonseca -- the daughter of Old Ted in 'How I Met Your Mother' ... all grown up!), whom he hopes will be the next Nikita.

Ballroom 20 was buzzing with anticipation early Sunday morning, when the cast and producers of 'Supernatural' made an eagerly-awaited appearance to answer questions about the show's sixth season at Comic-Con. Series leads Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki were joined by recurring guest stars Misha Collins and Jim Beaver, as well as creator Eric Kripke, writer-producer Ben Edlund and newly promoted showrunner Sera Gamble.

To kick things off, Ackles took to the stage to present a sneak-peek of the first five minutes of his directorial debut, episode 604, entitled 'Weekend at Bobby's'. Needless to say, the crowd went wild. We'll have an overview of the five minute preview, as well as highlights from the panel, after the jump!

SPOILERS AHEAD.

AOL TV was lucky enough to have a prime seat in the 'Supernatural' press room at Comic-Con 2010 -- and with the inclusion of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki on the already busy schedule, it was one of the hottest tickets in town.

After the jump, we have roundtable footage of our interviews with Ackles, Padalecki, Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, creator Eric Kripke, executive producer Ben Edlund and new showrunner Sera Gamble. Needless to say, there are season six spoilers galore!