My son and I both get pretty frustrated–to put it lightly–when a favorite TV program is canceled. It happened recently with the television series Heroes. The previous season had left audiences hanging on the edge of an appropriate cliffhanger–but before the next season began, NBC announced they were canceling the series. So my son and I, along with countless thousands of other fans, were left wondering what was going to happen to Peter Patrelli and his super-powered associates after his sister Claire kills, then resurrects, herself in front of a crowd.

Then, in 2009, another of our favorites–the NBC program Chuck–teetered on the edge of cancellation. The network only purchased a half-season–a grand total of only 13 episodes, rather than the standard 26 episodes. Fortunately, in 2010, NBC executives got smart and put Chuck back on full-time. (Whew! That was a close one.)

But alas, there seems to be no more stalling for Smallville. Now in its tenth season, it has been announced that this will be its last season. Ten years is a more than respectable length of time for any TV series to stay on the air–but I don’t care about that. My ten-year-old son and I have been watching Smallville together for his entire life, and we’re both going to be severely unsettled when its retired. Sure, we’ve bought all the DVD/Bluray sets, so can re-watch them any time–but it’s not the same as knowing that you’ll see Clark, Lois, and the rest of the superhero crew experiencing new adventures every Thursday (Friday, as of 2010) evening.

So what to do? What can you do when a favorite TV series is canceled? It hurts, I know. And it’s especially disappointing if that series has been a longstanding part of your family entertainment.

Here are a few ideas as to how you can soften the blow to yourself and your family–and maybe, in time, even forget the sting altogether.

1. Get the dvds

Add the TV series to your family dvd/Blueray library. This can be a bit of an investment, especially for a long-running series such as Smallville, but at least you’ll have the episodes at your fingertips whenever the urge to watch them strikes you. In my experience, Amazon.com almost always has the best prices on dvd sets.

2. Watch a Similar Series

Research to see whether a similar or closely related series has been on the air–not just recently, but in years past.

If you had been watching a Star Trek series when it went off the air, you could go back and watch all the episodes from the other versions of Star Trek–the original series, the Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and the major motion pictures. (Yup, this series  could keep the family busy for quite a while!) Most of these series should be pretty easy to find at Amazon.com at a good price.

When Smallville is canceled, try watching the series Lois and Clark. You could also try The Adventures of Superman, the 1948 and 1950 Theatrical Serials Collection, or Superman: the Animated Series–also all available on Amazon.com.

3. Write Your Own New Episodes — With Help from Your Family

Okay, this is a bit more of an unusual suggestion–but it can also be a lot of fun–and educational, to boot. If your kids are already all roweled up and excited over the series, this might be the perfect time to turn it into a learning / creative outlet experience in disguise.

4. Write to the Network (and Ask them to Keep / Bring Back Your Favorite Program)

It’s worth a try, right? You’d probably have to get a whole lot of people to join you for this to have any effect. But hey, it can’t hurt. And like option 3 (above), it can be another learning experience for your kids.

5. Cry

Just kidding. This isn’t any fun, and it’s not going to help matters. Trust me.