Last Saturday, many of the CW's brightest stars dropped by the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank to celebrate the start of a new fall season, and AOL TV was on hand to grab some fresh scoop about your favorite shows straight from the source.



We caught up with the casts of 'The Vampire Diaries,' 'Nikita,' 'Supernatural,' 'Ringer' and 'The Secret Circle' for a sneak peek of what's coming up after new episodes premiere, so join us after the jump for a cavalcade of spoilers.

So you've heard the buzz, your interest is tickled and you're ready to take the plunge into a new show. What's that? You don't think you have time to catch up on a whole season?

Have no fear, AOL TV is here. We're spotlighting five episodes from some of the best scripted comedies and dramas on TV that we think you need to see before jumping into the new season this fall.

Up now? 'Nikita.'



Based on the critically-acclaimed French film of the same name (and its spin-off TV series, 'La Femme Nikita,') this slick spy thriller stars Maggie Q. as the titular heroine, a former death-row inmate recruited into a mysterious government agency named Division.

Although the film and previous series take place while Nikita is still an agent, forced to carry out Division's morally dubious missions, The CW version explores new territory by focusing on Nikita once she's gone rogue and escaped the agency, and her new objective is to take Division down through any means necessary.

What could possibly be cooler than a t-shirt honoring 'Alphas,' Syfy's best new show of the summer?

Well, a super-cool 'Alphas' t-shirt and an iPod, obviously!

Syfy and 'Alphas' want you to spend the rest of the summer -- well, not Monday nights at 10PM, when 'Alphas' is on -- in style with a brand new t-shirt and 8GB iPod Nano.

To win, just tell us what power you'd like to have if you were an Alpha. Read the full rules below.

While we wholeheartedly encourage spending as much time as possible outside in the warm weather, sometimes it gets a little too hot out there.

AOL TV and Nickelodeon Home Entertainment have the best remedy for the "too hot to play outside" blues: a prize pack of Nickelodeon DVDs. Three lucky winners will win a set of DVDs that includes 'Big Time Rush' season one volume two, 'Victorious' season one volume one, and the brand-new 'I <3 iCarly Collection,' a three-disc set of some of the show's best episodes.



Want to win? Leave a comment telling us your favorite character from any of the three Nick shows.

Read on for more details!

What's more awesome than a giant dinosaur or a super-sized alligator terrorizing innocent bystanders? Genetically engineered monsters comprised of the spliced DNA of both animals terrorizing each other, obviously.

Thankfully, Roger Corman and Anchor Bay Entertainment have us covered. Last summer's hit Syfy movie, 'Dinocroc vs. Supergator,' is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray July 12, and in honor of the cinematic masterpiece (not sarcasm, by the way), AOL TV and Anchor Bay Entertainment have three copies of the Blu-ray of the film, plus three copies each of Corman's 'Sharktopus' and 'Dinoshark,' to give away to three lucky readers.

Read on to find out how to win!

With the summer premieres of Syfy's 'Warehouse 13,' 'Eureka' and 'Haven' kicking off next week, our DVRs won't be quite as empty as they have been.

But since Syfy cares about you that much, AOL TV and the network have arranged for a super-awesome prize pack that will keep you entertained even when those shows aren't on.

One lucky winner will walk away with DVDs of 'Warehouse 13' seasons 1 and 2, 'Eureka' seasons 1, 2, 3, 3.5 and 4, and t-shirts for 'Warehouse 13,' 'Eureka' and 'Haven.'

'Eureka' and 'Warehouse 13' premiere Mon., July 11 starting at 8PM (followed by the premiere of the brand-new series 'Alphas'), and 'Haven' returns Fri., July 15 at 10PM.

Read on for more details on how to win!

Dance enthusiasts: Not certain you can actually dance but like watching other people do it? AOL TV's got the contest for you!

We're giving away a VIP prize package for you and a friend to attend a July taping of the Fox hit 'So You Think You Can Dance' in Los Angeles. That's right -- round trip airfare for two people to LAX, two nights in a hotel, two tickets to a 'SYTYCD' taping and a $250 Amex gift card, plus all necessary transportation.

Wanna win? First, watch the trailer for the sure-to-be-awesome new season. Then click over here to find out how to enter!

'American Idol' fans, here's your chance to see this season's Top 11 singers perform live.

That's right -- 'American Idol' Live! is back, and we've got free tickets to give away for every stop of the tour.

For two glorious months this summer, the Top 11 -- including Casey Abrams, Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk, James Durbin, Lauren Alaina, Naima Adedapo, Paul McDonald, Pia Toscano, Scotty McCreery, Stefano Langone and Thia Megia -- will travel around the country performing together.

All the tour dates and venues are after the jump -- just tell us what city you'd like to see them in, and which 'Idol' you're most excited to see, and we'll pick a winner for each show at random.

Good luck, 'Idol' fans!

Evening, Upper East Siders.

We know these past few weeks sans 'Gossip Girl' have been difficult to get through. No Blair Waldorf scheming, no Dan Humphrey brooding, no Serena cleavage-baring -- what's a gossip hound to do?

For starters, you can check out the new Facebook game 'Gossip Girl: Social Climbing' -- all the scandalous, high-society action you know and love to help you manage these difficult, Chuck Bass-less times. Not enough to get you through the hiatus?

TV Squad and 'Gossip Girl: Social Climbing' want to give you not one, not two, but all three seasons of the CW show on DVD. All you need to do is leave a comment telling us which 'Gossip Girl' character you love the most. A fan of Little J and her raccoon eyeliner? Blair Waldorf and her endless selection of headbands? Nate Archibald and his ... dreamy eyes?

Read on for more details on your chance to win.

Welcome to the Family TV Roundup, a recap of all kid-friendly programming across the television universe. We'll sum up all the news related to children's programming, as well as profile the people and shows your kids, tweens and teens are talking about.

This week we'll start off with a fun giveaway: 'iCarly' and 'Big Time Rush,' two of Nickelodeon's most popular live-action programs, are coming out on DVD in the next few weeks. TV Squad is giving three lucky readers a chance to win one copy each of 'Big Time Rush: Season 1 Volume 1' (out March 29) and 'iCarly: Season 2 Volume 3' (out April 5).

All you need to do to enter is leave a comment with your favorite moment from either show. Check out the official rules at the bottom of the post, and read on for the rest of this week's Family TV Roundup.

Calling all reality TV fans! You can now get up close and personal with your favorite reality stars and producers at the first annual Reality Rocks Expo in Los Angeles, CA on April 9-10.

If getting the chance to meet stars like Nick Cannon, Adrianne Curry, Christopher Knight, DeAnna Pappas, Audrina Patridge, Eric Roberts and Karina Smirnoff isn't enough, try entering our giveaway for a free SideHD Flip Cam so you can film your own audition tape.

TV Squad and Reality Rocks are teaming up to give one lucky reader the opportunity to win a SideHD Flip Cam and pursue reality stardom of their own. More details after the jump.

Marcel Vigneron might've packed his knives and left 'Top Chef All Stars' a few weeks ago, but the 30-year-old won't be gone from our TV screens for long.

On 'Marcel's Quantum Kitchen,' which premieres next Tuesday, March 22, at 10PM on Syfy (yes, Syfy), the polarizing chef will use his signature technique of molecular gastronomy -- the fusion of science and cooking -- to create dishes for clients of his new catering and event company.

Yes, we're pretty sure there will be foam involved.

In honor of the new series, TV Squad and Syfy are giving one lucky reader a brand new iPad along with a gift card to purchase top food-related apps. Yes, an iPad. Find out how to win after the jump!

Happy Valentine's Day! To spread the love, we're going to let you guys in on a little secret -- TV Squad has launched a new Facebook page! A few savvy readers have found the page, but we're now ready to announce it to the world.

To celebrate the launch of our new page, we're giving away 20 TV Squad Snuggies at random to loyal readers who join us on Facebook.

Want to win one of these handsome pieces of fashion genius? Read on!

With just six days left until the highly anticipated 'Glee' Super Bowl episode (eeeee!), it's about time the powers that be released some of the music.

Today, PopEater has the exclusive premiere of the 'Thriller' / 'Heads Will Roll' mashup, which combines the Michael Jackson classic with Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 2009 hit. YYYs paid homage to 'Thriller' for their own 'Heads Will Roll' video, so the connection isn't completely out of left field. Plus, both songs feature creepy organ music that the 'Glee' gang turned into a fun, poppy dance beat.

Head over to PopEater for the exclusive premiere of the track, plus details on your chance to win a prize pack that includes four 'Glee' soundtrack volumes and Michael Jackson's 'Vision.'

Did you dig the 'Hellcats' premiere as much as I did? Just love free stuff? Either way, I've got a helluva 'Hellcats' giveaway that'll give two lucky Show Girl watchers something to cheer about.

I also have some outtakes from my 'Vampire Diaries' chat with the hilarious Ian Somerhalder (read the full interview here). He admits he's getting teased for being named "Sexiest Beast" by EW, but which sexy beast did boss man Kevin Williamson want to vote for instead? I love a good fanged fight. Then I catch up with Oprah's go-to guy Nate Berkus to hear about his new show and a surprise celebrity guest who's made headlines recently.

Got questions? E-mail me TV questions at TheTVShowGirl@aol.com and I'll try to get you answers on the show. -- By Maggie Furlong