Smallville is a superhero teen drama television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Airing on The WB and later The CW from 2001 to 2011, it follows a young Clark Kent as he develops superpowers, navigates relationships, and emotionally matures, all as part of his journey to becoming the hero Superman. At 10 seasons, as of 2025 it stands as not only the longest-running American TV series based on a comic book character, it is also one of the longest-running American TV series in the science fiction/fantasy genre.
Smallville first aired in October of 2001 and last aired its series finale in May of 2011. Alternately known as Smallville Beginnings or Superman: The Early Years, the series focuses on the trials and tribulations of young Clark Kent and life in the small town of Smallville, Kansas. The series received favorable ratings although viewer opinion varies depended upon the demographic. Many comic fans have voiced their disapproval of the show based upon several facets including the liberal departure from the known history as it has been chronicled in the Superman family of comic titles.
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Notes[]
Season 11, which began in 2012, was in the form of a comic series known as Smallville: Season 11.
Prior to its initial airing, producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar trumpeted a strict "no flights – no tights" policy in regards to the Man of Steel. Effectively, it was their intention to focus more on the characterization of troubled teenage Kent, and the burden of his budding superpowers without the added aloofness of brightly colored outfits or excessively showy displays of super-prowess. While it is true that Clark has never donned the famous super-suit, he is usually seen wearing casual attire appropriately color-coded to reflect his comic counterpart's red and blue fashion sense. On a few occasions the famous "S" shield has been known to appear on his chest, but always under singularly unique pretenses. To date, Clark has demonstrated his ability to fly at several different points, but always with a distinctive qualifier attached to it, which allows the production staff to maintain their stance that Clark Kent will never be seen flying on Smallville. In one episode he is shown floating above his bed, but this is actually a form of levitation as he is technically not propelling himself. In other instances, Clark's power can be construed as super-leaping rather than flight. In one example, he leaps across two skyscrapers (in a single bound) in Metropolis in order to rescue his mother. In another mishap, Clark uses a super-leap to stop a runaway missile from breaking Earth's atmosphere. In the fourth season premiere episode "Crusade", Clark is seen streaking across the Smallville skyline. However, circumstances reveal that he is actually possessed by his darker, Kryptonian persona and is technically not in control of his body at the time. In a flashback episode Tom Welling plays a younger version of his birth-father Jor-El and is seen flying through the air over Smallville. However, as this is Jor-El and not Clark, Gough and Millar could still attest that they have maintained their "no flights – no tights" edict. However, the final episode of the series, "Finale, Part II", features Clark both flying and wearing his Superman suit, officially breaking the "no flights – no tights" rule.
Trivia[]
Stories set in the continuity of the television series have been published in the short-lived Smallville comic book title.
DC Direct has released two series of action figures corresponding to main characters in Smallville, with the first series including, Clark Kent, Lana Lang, and Lex Luthor. The second series included Clark in his jacket, Cyborg, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Impulse. The last action figure was of Clark as the Blur, released exclusively as a pack-in with the complete series DVD boxset exclusive to Best Buy.
Michael Rosenbaum, Tom Welling and Kristen Kreuk have expressed interest in doing an animated continuation for the DC Universe streaming service.[1][2]
During the show's run, the producers had several ideas for a spin-off with Justin Hartley as Green Arrow, that never materialized.[3] A year after Smallville ended, the CW did launch a Green Arrow show, but it was set in a new continuity.
Tom Welling and Erica Durance would later reprise their roles as Lois and Clark for a small cameo during the CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover event which revealed that Smallville is actually set on Earth-167 in the Arrowverse Multiverse.
