User reviews

I've watched almost all current superhero shows: The Boys, Arrow, Daredevil, Flash, Punisher, Black Lightning, Supergirl, The Defenders, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, Agents of Shield, Legends of Tomorrow, and a couple other ones. And I gotta say as good as some of those shows are, they just don't compare to Smallville. I know sounds crazy right? How can a show that premiered in 2001 be better than Daredevil? Well its simple. Smallville has heart. When you think of a superhero the first thing you want is heart and soul and by god this show has it. I know it sounds cheesy but its true. The show if far from perfect and the writing obviously might not be as legendary as The Boys for example. But it is consistent through ten seasons. The best part about this show in my opinion was the character development. Seeing Lex Luthor slowly develop into the villain he is today was phenomenal, Michael Rosenbaum nailed it I thought. Seeing Clark go from an insecure boy to a confident and heroic man was a beauty of a thing. Seeing Lois Lane go from guarded and unsure of herself to an independent and lovable character was awesome. Another thing I loved about this show were the relationships. And no I don't just mean romantic. The relationship between Clark and Lex is amazing to see how it unfolds from being acquaintances, to friends, to brothers, to a disdained partnership, to a nemesis relationship was done very well. The relationship between Clark and his parents (Kryptonian and the Kents) was also handled very nicely. And even more that I won't spoil. All in all this was an awesome show to watch even in 2019. 10 years from now this show will definitely have an impact for me.

Superheroes like animated shows, are for everyone. This show starts off slow and even if you hate superheroes you will like this. It starts with a couple desperately wanting children who find one from a spaceship. Other than rocks falling to earth and this ship there is very little scifi at the start. Martha and Jonathan are the nice farming couple looking for a child. They have no idea what else to do and raise the boy as theirs. Years later he goes to school, being a teenager named Clark. He thinks he's a normal human until some slightly weird things happen. Clark has three friends his age who go to school with him. Together they investigate weird murders. Some get connected to meteors. This is all to show he cares about saving people, one of Supermans most unique personality traits. The show focuses a lot on Clark saving people and one future villain for Superman.

I have to admit that I'm a big superhero fan and love the majority of the superhero shows that I've seen, even some of the ones most consider bad I've still enjoyed. Having said that, I love Smallville. I think most people who've watched this still loves it. While some seasons were better than others, they're all good in their own right and definitely worth watching. Smallville is about the early years of Clark Kent (before he became known as Superman) and how he learns to control his powers and fight against different villains each episode. The entire cast was terrific but Tom Welling is definitely the star here. He was just brilliant as Clark Kent. He's still considered one of the best Clark Kent/Superman characters ever on a tv show. I just watched it all the way through recently and it's still just as good today as when it first came out. Do yourself a favor and go watch this! You won't be disappointed.

I love most of the Superhero shows that are out there (of course there are some that are awful) but Smallville is absolutely one of my favorites of all-time! It tells the story of Clark Kent before he became Superman. Every episode is as exciting as the one before it and I can't say enough about Tom Welling, he was fantastic as Clark Kent! It was on before the Superhero genre exploded but it still absolutely holds up today! If you are a fan of superhero shows then I can not recommend this show enough!

I cannot believe that I didn't catch this outstanding show when it first aired, I am really disappointed in myself for that.

About 16 months ago a friend of mine lent me his copy of the first season to check out, he told me he had watched it already and that I could take my time with it. I had it for a week without touching it, then I decided to pop it in and watch the first episode, I was thrilled! When I first heard that the WB was doing a teen drama about the young life of Clark Kent, I thought "Hell No!!" they wouldn't dare take a legend like Superman and cross it with Dawson's Creek! How wrong I was. This show is intelligent, moving, intriguing and just plain fun to watch!

I am also in the fortunate position to have only experienced the show on DVD on my 96" front projection system, so the show has taken on a cinematic element for me that most people won't get. Because of this, I do not watch the show on television at all, it's strictly a DVD event for me. This of course means that I cannot catch up with the show as it run's on the WB, but i'm committed to watching it only on DVD. For wide-screen purists like myself, the show being open matted from 1.78:1 is the only deterrent I need to abstain from the WB runs of the show.

Sadly, Tom Welling will not be Superman in the up-coming film, that's a real shame, he embodies that character so much. The episode entitled 'Rosetta' with the late Christopher Reeve is perhaps one of the most riveting hours i've witnessed on television since 'The Body' episode of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer'. Clark's struggle against the wishes of his birth father Jor-El are very mysterious and somewhat disturbing to watch.

Micheal Rosenbaum as Lex Luther brings so many multi-dimensional elements to this iconic (eventual) villain that he even manages to make Gene Hackman's Lex seem downright flat and cardboard-ish. We all know that he will become Superman's arch-enemy, but how and why? This show dares to explore those questions with surprising freshness and intrigue. Though I suspect that he will be Superman's enemy, not Clark's. They have a brotherly bond that I would hate to see broken, but have prepared myself for that.

John Shneider and Annette O'Toole as Clark's Earth-bound parents are so warm and caring that it creates a strong emotional foundation for the show. The Kent farm is ground zero for the show and for Clark's eventual life as Superman. All of his values begin their, the man of steel we all come to know was forged with the guidance of two simple farm folk in Kansas. This show captures that so richly that it makes the short 10 minute sequence in Richard Donner's film seem woefully insufficient.

Yes, the weakest character is Lana, but it's not the fault of Kristin Kreuk (she's so hot, I could stare into those gorgeous eyes of hers all day), it's in our knowledge that she WILL be cast aside, we know this to be true, we have seen Clark's future and Lana has no place in it. So all of their scene's together have an undercurrent of futility about them. Although to Clark and Lana, at those moment's, they don't know what tomorrow brings for them, so I can tolerate them pursuing their relationship.

I read one very distressful thing in one of the user comments, it said that Tom Welling only agreed to play Clark Kent, not Superman. We NEED to see him become Superman on or about the last episode of the series, it is CRUCIAL! That, after all, is the payoff, to see him in the suit and ready to tackle the world and embrace the destiny we have all seen him struggle to realize and reach. Without that moment, the series will seem anti-climatic with no payoff.

I give this show 10 out of 10 stars. If your a Superman fan, you must see this show!

The thing I loved the most about this show, was how it managed to stay away from the cheesiness of its super hero series aspect. It was mostly a re-reading of Roswell, with Buffy and Charmed monster of the week format. And it worked. You even have all these up-and-coming TV and movie stars starting out. Which is why season 1 through 4 are those I enjoy rewatching the most. The fact that it is filled with Pop/Rock gems of that time, and Mark Snow's score, helps a lot too. Then after the main plot said seasons touched upon, started developing, that's where I began to lose interest. As I felt the cheesy super hero show, vibe pouring through. And I wasn't wrong. Seasons 5 to 7 start becoming more about comic book stuffs, than characterizations. And the rest of the series is just what I feared it would be, since the beginning. The kind of mindless thing CW is showcasing lately. With plots only DC universe fans can enjoy. I guess it's a no win situation, as people like me only enjoy the first half of the series, and genre fans do the rest. Aside from my personal opinion on this series, I can acknowledge its qualities. The acting was good, and some of the writing was very surprising. And in spite of its flaws, it is still a superior show, from everything else of the same kind, made afterwards.

When I first heard that the WB was doing a show about Clark Kent in the days before he became Superman, I honestly thought it was going to be an animated series, but when the first episode was first broadcast on October 16, 2001, I was instantly surprised.

The show starts in 1989, where a meteor shower bombards the small Kansas town of Smallville, leaving lots of people with scars and secrets of varying degrees; as such, it has certain emotional impacts on four characters: it leaves young Lex Luthor bald (I would say it traumatized him, but that's more or less mentioned already), it leaves three year-old Lana Lang orphaned, and it brings childless couple Jonathan and Martha Kent (John Schneider and Annette O'Toole) the child they always wanted. Fast-forward 12 years, and Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is just starting to experience the usual troubles of teenage life, something that will be especially difficult since Clark has superhuman strength and abilities that no ordinary teenager could only dream of having. Clark soon learns that he arrived the same time as the destructive meteor shower that besieged Smallville inside a spaceship as a toddler. Now Clark is left with questions about his birth parents and home planet, and manages to start a friendship with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), who--unknown to Clark--will ultimately become Clark's arch-nemesis.

I can easy say that "Smallville" is an immensely intriguing and highly realistic sci-fi/teen drama. To make things all the more interesting, "Smallville" blends the teen angst-meets-supernatural circumstances theme of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" with the "monster-of-the-week" trend of "The X-Files." Apart from dealing with personal and emotional crises, Clark has to use his powers to battle an endless slew of Kryptonite-mutated villains, much like Buffy and the Scooby Gang battle demons that are sometimes drawn in by the mystical energy radiated by the Hellmouth.

Tom Welling is superb as teenage Clark Kent, both in physical and personality-wise ways. He looks almost like Chris Reeve, so much he could easily be Reeve's son. The rest of the cast is fine: Kristin Kreuk as Clark's love interest Lana Lang, Allison Mack as Clark's Lois Lane-type pal Chloe Sullivan, Sam Jones III as the Xander-like Pete Ross, and John Schneider and Annette O'Toole as Clark's adoptive parents, but it is Michael Rosenbaum and John Glover who steal the show as Lex Luthor and Lex's father, Lionel. You can easily tell just by observing Lex and Lionel's rocky relationship that Lionel is the one who will ultimately make Lex evil.

All of the episodes have their ups and downs, but I like to name two episodes that will keep you glued to the screen: the episode guest-starring the late Christopher Reeve as a scientist who reveals the truth about Clark's home planet, Krypton, and the second season finale where the "spirit" of Clark's Kryptonian father Jor-El urges Clark to get ready to conquer the world, but I don't want to spoil anything, so you'll have to watch the episode to find out what happens next, and why.

In conclusion, I give "Smallville" a 10 out of 10 on a scale of 1-10.

Smallville, the infamous series about the adventures of Clark Kent before he became Superman is almost as big as the legend of the Blue Guy himself. Smash hit would be an understatement to describe the popularity of this series and it deserves more than it's fair share of kudos, but are the fans blinded by hype?

The cast of Smallville is top notch it had to be said. All the younger cast members including the main star Tom Welling are really capturing and play out their parts with a lot of flare and passion, even showing some other sides to their acting abilities in some of the shows stranger 'alternate reality' episodes. Special mention must go to the older members of the cast. Annette 'O Toole (The original Lana Lang) still as beautiful as ever and John Schneider make for two of the most loving parents that any superhero could ask for. On the other side of the coin the tremendously magnificent John Glover plays a truly sinister overlord in Lionel Luthor, Lex's father and has a presence rarely seen outside of Hollywood blockbusters and is a joy to watch him manipulate his son and push him to the twisted villain he will become.

The production values on Smallville are second to none. All the stops have been pulled out to create a believable and comfortable world to view young Clark Kent in. The Kent Farm really looks like a place that anyone would be happy living in and other venues really seal the deal location wise and the special effects, bar a few pieces of dodgy CGI are continuously excellent.

All this said you'd expect it to be the best series ever but Smallville has some flaws and they are pretty big ones to boot.

Firstly, Smallville isn't just a superhero series, it's an American teen drama series and with it comes all the bullshit associated with that genre. The puppy love element get's really annoying after it's used a million times, common sense seems to go out of the window during disaster situations and not to mention the endless drone of whiney indie bands that are shamelessly plugged throughout most of the first 5 seasons, most of which will be out of date in 5 years time so shame on the producers for incorporating such a cheap marketing trick.

The series also suffers from a hefty dose of quantity over quality which is sadly typical of many American TV shows. While most British TV shows are typically 6 episodes per series, Smallville's seasons clock in at a massive 22 episodes each and every idea is stretched to the limit. In reality the whole show could have been 5 or 6 seasons of consistently quality material but it is in reality 10 seasons, awash with awful 'monster of the week' fillers which litter the actual story arcs which are really quite captivating.

Even in the quality episodes the ideas clearly run out and the producers and writers resort to cheap tricks in order to squeeze out as many episodes as they can. Kryptonite is grossly overused throughout the entire 10 season run. Part of Superman's appeal is that he is near invincible with only a few knowing his secret and even fewer knowing the location of said kryptonite. In Smallville it seems to be available to everyone at any time and the constant sight of Clark walking into a room in just about every episode to me met with a green glow and him falling over soon grows very tiresome very quickly. A horribly overused plot obstacle.

Another thing about the show is that the writers and producers are not shy about messing around with the DC canon. Just about every major character and villain from the Superman series has been included in Smallville and has interacted and met with Clark Kent before he's even put on a pair of Blue tights. I'm no comic book fan but even I know Lois and Clark meet AFTER he becomes Superman and while I actually really love Erica Durance's portrayal of the feisty Whitesnake loving Lane, not to mention seeing her in rather revealing outfits throughout her time on the show, it's just one step too far with messing with the canon. This is an obvious sign of a lack of ideas to fill the previously mentioned quota of 22 episodes so a few familiar names were put in to draw attention and once again it completely overdosed just for ratings.

This may sound like a very scathing review but the show does have it's good points. Smallville shows some tremendous attention to detail where it considers the Superman universe and it makes for really fun viewing for comic book fans (which I am not, I just like the films) Another of the shows strengths is the inclusion of actors and actresses who have been involved in Superman film or TV projects before. This is a wonderful touch and really evokes some strong memories which bond you to the show even more. The inclusion of other superhero characters from the D.C. universe is actually one of the shows ratings pulling tricks that actually works, and it works really, really well and for the more grown up feel of the later seasons it's amazing to see a team gathering.

So there you have it. Smallville is one of the now legendary Superman themed TV shows and probably the most successful of the lot. If you can put up with the endless filler episodes and kryptonite plot devices then there are many wonders in this series that in my mind are unsurpassed on TV let alone film.

Tom Welling is vastly underrated for his performance as Superman in this captivating performance.

What can I say? The best show of CW so far. Every episode had me on edge. I loved the characters and all that they stood for. This show touched my heart in ways that no show has. The upbringing of Superman!

This show is great on so many levels, but none of it works without being cast right. Welling is really the best Superman we have had except MAYBE Henry Cavill. Rosenbaum IS the new Luthor we have ever had....and Erika Durance really captures the essence of Lois Lane. I could go on, but without those 3 it just doesn't work like it did.

This is my first time watching it. My dad loves it. He doesn't have much time left so I am so grateful we got to watch it together. Tears were flowing for me at the end. So many memories flooding my brain. A perfect ending.

Finally, I love how the show is evolved. The first couple of seasons had all the meteor freaks, but then it transitioned into more serious themes without losing its charm. I can't recommend this show strongly enough. Stick with it. It evolves and that is why the ending is so satisfying. Kudos to all.

I have watched Smallville since its inception on TV, and was immediately drawn to the show simply because of its premise as the origin story of Clark Kent, the boy who grows up to become Superman. It would be the first real take after the horrifying Superboy, and would be set in the modern day - two things I immediately liked. Although I found their depiction of Kansas a little too... well, rosy for reality, the setting was also fantastic (even though it seemed to make Smallville look like the posh center of civilization that it is not). Overall, it started off quite well.

An interesting feature of Smallville is that we don't understand Clark's origin story from the start. We don't know about Krypton, we don't know that his real name is Kal-El, we don't know about his mother, his father, or his alien lineage. All we know is that his parents found him in a cornfield inside of a spaceship and that he began to develop powers from an early age. He grows up on an idyllic farm with a perfect, working class family and attends high school with his close friends.

There's a few interesting twists, of course. He's not the popular kid in class - in fact, he's initially a social outcast, not liked by the jockstraps that roam his school. His traditional comic book love interest, Lana Lang, has a boyfriend and initially won't give him a second glance. His best friends Pete Ross (reimagined as black) and Chloe Sullivan are nerds at best. Perhaps most strikingly, he has a run in with his future archnemesis, Lex Luthor, and ends up saving his life. Lex is about five years older than Clark, but considers him a best friend, and at the start of the series, he starts off as the person whom Clark can trust the most, aside from his parents.

The first two seasons are very formulaic, involving a meteor freak of the week format (meteor freaks being people with powers brought on by kryptonite, the one substance that can weaken Clark), with almost no continuity from episode to episode, and deals with the mundane aspects of Clark's life. However, starting at the end of season 2, the focus shifts to Clark's origins, and we learn that he's Kryptonian and that his destiny was to rule over men.

Initially repulsed by this, Clark delves further into his past and realizes that his father sent him to Earth because his home planet was completely destroyed. Soon, the traditional elements of the Superman mythos are introduced, such as the Justice League, characters such as Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and famous villains such as Zod, Brainiac, and Bizarro. Most importantly, Lex's traditional role as a villain becomes more apparent as the show progresses, and makes a point to explain that his transformation wasn't a result of birth or destiny, but because of the choices he made.

The show has some extremely weak detractors, unfortunately. Kristin Kreuk, the actress who plays Lana Lang, does not portray acting versatility and her character and relationship with Clark remain fairly unchanged over the series. Ultimately she becomes a recurring fallback plot device that slows down the plot instead of helping it. Some bad casting choices have also impeded it and lately a lack of creative endeavor and interest in the show are causing it to die, but while it was running stron git served a new, fresh interest in Superman, as the modern face of the Superhero's new look, and as the first show to provide a serious face to the franchise after Superman I.

The start of the great DC CW shows on tv. I still watch the show. Miss the show making new ones.

First of all this is one of the best TV Series that i have ever watched. Graphic wise yes it is not good but who cares? Who knew clark kent had such an immense childhood. This just does not revolve around ONLY Clark kent, it showed us who is Jonathan Kent, what was the purpose of clark kent on planet earth, martha kent, and specially chloe. Now we know why Superman is at the peak of all superhero list, not because of his powers but because of his humanity.

I have always been a fan of anti-heroes, and boy i saw one. Lex Luthor AKA Michael Rosenbaum, there is no one ever in the history of Superman Legacy can play this role better than him. Lex luthor was not evil after all, its the jealousy and the trust that other people showed on clark over him that made him the monster he is. Other best thing about this show is Jonathan Kent, John Schneider depicted this role brilliantly.

Only thing about this show that i do not like is the constant breakup and patch-ups of clark and lana. That is so boring, if only writers had showns other characters some more interest than this for e.g. Jimmy Olsen, Oliver Queen etc.

Is an unusual case of "mistaken identity" for me ) Back then . Already a long time ago , when my daughter was a teenager , she was obsessed with this show ;obviously , because of that , I have assumed , that this particular series where of absolutely no interest to me ))) Avoided it , at any cost , for a very long time ... recently , for a very simple reason , of plain impossibility to find anything to watch , I started to watch Smallville... The rest , as they say , is a history ) By any means , it is not the best show and sometimes even somewhat annoyingly cheesy , but I watched all seasons and It kept me interested ! For that : Thank you !

The story presented in Smallville is a teen/love story/soap opera which is not my cup of tea but I have no problem with it. What I do have a problem with is that it uses the names Clark,Lana,Lois,Lex,Martha,Jonathan,Smallville, etc. I was a boy in the 50's and 60's and these names told me that this was going to be a story about Superman or Superboy. The story is an extreme adaptation of that story. It should be called "Pretty Darned Good Man" or some soap opera title like "Fred's Landing". Superboy was not a dark character filled with doubt and fear, at least not the one in the comic book stories I grew up with. This one is much more like Peter Parker which is fine, but that's another story altogether. I was briefly sucked into this for seasons 1-3, but finally realized the story was not going where I thought it was and bailed out. Fortunately, I discovered the old Superman, the one I read about when I was a boy, and he lives on in "All Star Superman" comics.