'Supernatural' Season 8: Liane Balaban to play Sam's love interest

After a few lonely years, one of the  "Supernatural" hunters is finally going to have some romance in his life.

Zap2it has confirmed that Canadian actress Liane Balaban will play Sam's (Jared Padalecki) love interest in Season 8. She's headed up to Vancouver this week to begin shooting the third episode of the season (with Jensen Ackles in the director's chair).

Amelia is a doctor. The CW describes her as "a tragedy-damaged soul, she soon reveals herself to be a brave, sweet, smart, sarcastic woman." She'll initially be wary of Sam -- as any smart woman would be -- but since she will recur throughout the season, there's time for that to change.

Balaban has plenty of television experience under her belt, including a recent guest starring role on "Alphas" as Anna. She's also appeared on "NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Covert Affairs." Additionally, Balaban is a writer, and the co-founder of "Crankytown," a website for young girls to look to for advice (and poetry!) about periods. Catch her on Twitter at @LianeBalaban.