Smallville (TV series)

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This article is about the television series. For Superman's adoptive home town, see Smallville (DC Comics).

Smallville
2006 Cast of Smallville
Genre	Action/Adventure Sci-fi
Running time	60 minutes (approx. 42 min)
Creator(s)	Alfred Gough Miles Millar
Starring	See Cast & characters below
Country of origin	United States and Canada
Original channel	The WB (2001-2006) The CW (2006 - )
Original run	October 16, 2001–present
No. of episodes	118 (to date)
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Smallville is an American television series that debuted on October 16, 2001 on the WB Network (see 2001 in television).

Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the series follows the adventures of a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling), now a teenager living in Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. The series spawned one spin-off (Aquaman) that was not picked up by The CW for the Fall 2006-2007 lineup.^[1] Promotional tie-ins have included two sets of online "webisodes" produced by Verizon (titled Smallville: Chloe Chronicles and Smallville: Vengeance Chronicles, respectively), a series of young-adult novels, and a DC Comics comic book.

On January 24, 2006, it was confirmed that Smallville would be part of the new The CW's Fall 2006–2007 lineup once The WB and UPN ceased separate operations and merged as The CW in September 2006. Season 6 began on September 28, 2006,^[2] but a Season 7 has yet to be confirmed. The show is one of several supernatural/sci-fi-themed shows that have premiered on The WB, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Charmed and Roswell.

Smallville broke Charmed's record for highest rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers tuning in for its pilot,^[3] while Charmed had 7.7 million viewers.^{[citation needed]}

Viewers will often observe of dialogue, guest stars, character wardrobe, musical scores, and scenic design used as allusions to the Superman comic books and films.

Contents 1 History of the show 2 Overview 3 Series history 3.1 Season 1 3.2 Season 2 3.3 Season 3 3.4 Season 4 3.5 Season 5 3.6 Season 6 4 Seasons 5 Regular cast and characters 6 Appearances by other DC Comics characters 7 Smallville filming and production 8 Clark's powers 9 Awards and nominations 10 DVD release dates and cover arts 11 Soundtracks 11.1 Smallville: The Talon Mix (February 25, 2003) 11.2 Smallville: The Metropolis Mix (November 8, 2005) 12 See also 13 References 14 External links 14.1 Official websites 14.2 Other references

[edit] History of the show

Back in 1998, Warner Brothers Television began pre-production of a proposed television series about a teenaged Batman, tentatively titled simply Bruce Wayne.^[4] Based on a pilot script, it focused on young Wayne, Vicki Vale, Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, and Jim Gordon.^[4]Tim McCanlies, who wrote the film The Iron Giant, wrote the pilot script and series bible for Tollin-Robbins Productions. The project, however, never got off the ground and into production. Because Warner Bros. was working on rebooting the Batman film franchise, all production was stopped for the television series.

Eventually, in 2000, Tollin-Robbins chose to purchase the rights to do a series about the younger years of the Clark Kent character, and brought in creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who were only interested in the concept if they could make him lose the suit and the majority of his powers.^{[citation needed]} They created a "No Tights, No Flights" rule, vowing that Clark would not, at any point, fly or don the suit during the run of the show.^[5] Michael Rosenbaum, once a consideration for Harvey Dent in Bruce Wayne,^{[citation needed]} was cast as Lex Luthor due to his quiet, secretive nature,^{[citation needed]} Kristin Kreuk was cast as Lana, and a young construction-worker-turned-model-turned-actor named Tom Welling was cast as Clark Kent. Also cast were Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan, Sam Jones III as Pete Ross, Eric Johnson as Whitney Fordman, John Glover as Lionel Luthor, Cynthia Ettinger as Martha Kent and John Schneider (of The Dukes of Hazzard fame) as Jonathan Kent. After the pilot for the series had already been finished, due to unknown reasons, Cynthia Ettinger was replaced with Annette O'Toole (who played Lana Lang in 1983's Superman III), and Cynthia's parts were reshot with Annette O'Toole.

The concept of Smallville has been described by Warner Brothers as being a reinterpretation of the Superman mythology from its roots. Recently, since the November 2004 reacquisition of Superboy by the Siegels, there has arisen contention regarding a possible copyright infringement. The dispute is over the ownership of the fictional setting of Smallville, the title setting of the show, and a claimed similarity between Superboy's title character and Smallville's Clark Kent. The heirs of Jerry Siegel claim that "Smallville is part of the Superboy copyright",^[6] of which the Siegels own the rights.

[edit] Overview

The series follows the life of a teenage Clark Kent living in the town of Smallville, Kansas, that is set at the start of the 21st century. It shows Clark Kent coping with adolescence while he is developing superpowers (x-ray vision, superhearing, etc.), exploring his extraterrestrial origins, and struggling to find his destiny in life.

The series often deals with the people in Clark Kent's life: the trials and tribulations of his adoptive human parents, Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent; friendship with his peers Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross; his attempts at a relationship with his sometimes love interest Lana Lang; and especially his peculiar friendship with a young Lex Luthor and how it gradually decays into their mutual enmity of legend.

The element of Kryptonite is used as a recurring plot device throughout the series. Kryptonite is shown to have bizarre and lingering effects on human physiology and the young superhero often encounters mutated villains who have developed bizarre powers, such as psychic abilities, shapeshifting, and other paranormal abilities (for this reason, the show is often criticized as being predominantly a "villain of the week" series^[7][8][9]). Regarding Kryptonians like Clark, though, the Kryptonite has very different effects; the general premise is that Clark is virtually invincible except when around Kryptonite. Different colors affect Clark differently: Green Kryptonite physically weakens him and could possibly kill him if he is exposed to it for too long. Red Kryptonite causes him to set aside moral compunctions and act out on his impulses and dark desires. Black Kryptonite splits Clark into (and merges him back together from) two separate beings that exhibit two personalities (Clark Kent and the apathetic Kal-El). Silver Kryptonite causes hallucinations and paranoid delusions.

[edit] Series history

[edit] Season 1

The first season was a tremendous success, but some fans balked at the frequent plot device of a villain (or outcast classmate) deriving their power from Kryptonite exposure and appearing in only one episode, becoming known as the "freak of the week."^[7][8][9] Eric Johnson's character of Whitney Fordman, boyfriend to character Lana Lang, was also said to be underused and one-dimensional.^{[citation needed]}Despite these minor problems, the producers were instantly ordered to film at least two more seasons of the show.^{[citation needed]} John Glover's Lionel Luthor character, ruthless business tycoon and father of Lex Luthor, was originally intended to only be a guest star on the show; due to his popularity and Johnson wanting to leave the show, he became a full time cast member for season two as Whitney was written out of the series.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Season 2

Season 2 had fewer "freaks of the week" appear on the show, focusing more on character development and relationship building. Several key plot points included Lex becoming more entangled in conflict with his father, Chloe digging into Clark's past and making deals with Lionel, Martha and Jonathan Kent's financial troubles, and a vacillating Lana and Clark relationship. The show mostly volleyed Clark and Lana's relationship throughout the season, never actually allowing the two to become an official couple. The main story arc, however, focused on Clark's discovery of his Kryptonian origins. The disembodied spirit/will of Clark's biological father Jor-El is introduced, communicating to Clark via his space ship, setting the stage for plots involving the fulfillment of Clark Kent's earthly destiny. A "passing of the torch" moment occurs when Christopher Reeve, who played Superman in the 1970s and 1980s film series, appeared as Dr. Virgil Swann to provide Welling's Clark with information regarding his heritage (Swann was the first person on the show to say the name "Krypton").

[edit] Season 3

The third season was also moderately successful.^{[citation needed]} Now, the show focused on more character development, loyalty, betrayal, and new revelations involving Jor-El. Early in the season, Michael McKean, O'Toole's real-life husband, portrayed Clark's future Daily Planet editor Perry White; from this point on, other characters relevant to the Superman mythos and the DC Universe were introduced to Smallville. To the chagrin of fans,^{[citation needed]} however, Pete Ross was essentially marginalized as a character, playing minor roles that involved illegal street racing and threats by investigating agents for Lionel. The character was ultimately written out of the show, explanatorily through his inability to deal with keeping Clark's secret and the desire to move to Wichita, Kansas with his mother after his parents had divorced. Fans have complained that this was because the writers didn't want to expand his character anymore,^{[citation needed]} but Gough has stated that the actor wanted to leave the show due to lack of screen time.^{[citation needed]} As of early 2006, Sam Jones has not made (and does not want to make^{[citation needed]}) any return appearances, however, Gough has said that Pete Ross could potentially return if they find the right story arc for him.

[edit] Season 4

The fourth season ventured further into the Superman mythos by creating a story arc that would run the length of the season. The arc involved Clark seeking out three Kryptonian stones (at the instruction of his father Jor-El) that hold the knowledge of the universe meant only for Clark. The majority of this season revolved around Lex trying to rekindle a strained friendship with Clark, Lana dating Jason Teague, a young man she met in France, Lionel's ambiguous transformation into a good father and person, and Clark and numerous other characters vying with one another in attempts to obtain the stones. This season was also a milestone because it introduced Lois Lane (Erica Durance).

[edit] Season 5

Delving deeper into Superman lore, Season 5 introduced several classic mythos elements such as Jonathan Kent's death, Fortress of Solitude, Professor Milton Fine (James Marsters), also known as the villain Brainiac, the Phantom Zone, and General Zod. Fine would become a recurring antagonist for Clark throughout the season with the central plot revolving around Clark using the knowledge obtained in the Fortress of Solitude to train for an impending doom that was to befall Earth. It was revealed that this doom was the release of General Zod from the Phantom Zone due to the machinations of Milton Fine. Season 5 also allowed Clark and Lana to explore their first real adult relationship with each other. This helped organize the blueprint for what would eventually become the series' most sought after love triangle between Clark, Lana, and Lex. As with Season 4, Season 5 featured a gradually unveiling plotline in conjunction with multiple minor story arcs running in parallel, mid-season and season finale cliffhangers, and cameos from other notable DC characters.

[edit] Season 6

Season 6 provided the show's first glimpse into the Phantom Zone, inhabited by a society of exiled criminals from the "28 known galaxies". The destinies of Lionel and Lex play out in the aftermath of Lex's possession by Zod and Lionel's adoption as the oracle of Jor-El. Several criminals escape the Phantom Zone with Clark, and Clark is initially left uncertain and directionless as he soon realizes that he has no one left to turn to in the aftermath of Lex/Zod's destruction. More DC Comics characters, Jimmy Olsen, Oliver Queen (and his superhero alias Green Arrow) and the Martian Manhunter are also introduced this season. Clark finally decides to accept who he really is, and the destiny that was in store for him, by making a vow to continue his training once all the escaped Phantom Zone criminals are either returned or destroyed.

[edit] Seasons

• Season 1 (2001–2002)
• Season 2 (2002–2003)
• Season 3 (2003–2004)
• Season 4 (2004–2005)
• Season 5 (2005–2006)
• Season 6 (2006–2007)

See also: List of Smallville episodes

[edit] Regular cast and characters

Main article: Characters of Smallville

Actor	Role	Seasons
Tom Welling	Clark Kent	(Season 1 - present)
Kristin Kreuk	Lana Lang	(Season 1 - present)
Michael Rosenbaum	Alexander "Lex" Luthor	(Season 1 - present)
Allison Mack	Chloe Sullivan	(Season 1 - present)
Annette O'Toole	Martha Kent	(Season 1 - present)
John Glover	Lionel Luthor	(Season 1 - present}
John Schneider	Jonathan Kent	(Seasons 1 - 5)
Sam Jones III	Pete Ross	(Seasons 1 - 3)
Eric Johnson	Whitney Fordman	(Season 1, one episode in Season 2, one episode in Season 4)
Jensen Ackles	Jason Teague	(Season 4)
Erica Durance	Lois Lane	(Season 4 - present)

[edit] Appearances by other DC Comics characters

• Professor Hamilton (Episodes 107)
• Maggie Sawyer (Episodes 212)
• Morgan Edge (Episodes 301)
• Dr. Teng (Episodes 302)
• Perry White (Episode 305)
• Dr. Claire Foster(Episodes 305)
• Dr. Crosby (Episodes 401)
• General Lane (Episodes 402)
• Bart Allen (Impulse, Kid Flash II, Flash IV) (Episode 405)
• Mikail Mxyzptlk (Mr. Mxyzptlk) (Episode 407)
• Shelby (Krypto) (Episode 414)
• Lucy Lane (Episode 416)
• Milton Fine (Brainiac) (Episodes 501)
• Arthur Curry (Aquaman) (Episode 504)
• Andrea Rojas (Acrata) (Episode 513)
• Victor Stone (Cyborg) (Episode 515)
• Jimmy Olsen (Episode 601)
• Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) (Episode 602)
• Martian Manhunter (Episode 608)

[edit] Smallville filming and production

Smallville is filmed at various locales in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada.^[10] The main studio where most of the show is recorded is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver.^[11] However, scenes on the "main street" of Smallville are shot in the town of Cloverdale, British Columbia.^[10] Cloverdale is particularly proud of being a filming site for the show; at its entrance is a huge sign which reads "Home of Smallville.^[10]" When filming first started, the exterior school scenes were shot at Vancouver Technical School, while the interiors were shot at Templeton Secondary School.^[12] However, due to several difficulties with the Vancouver Technical location, Templeton later became the exclusive location for almost all of Smallville's school scenes until the characters graduated from High School.^{[citation needed]} Painted hallways with the "Smallville Crows" logo remain inside Templeton.^[10]

Here are some of the locations used, in their present non-Smallville states.

[edit] Clark's powers

Listed are Clark's powers along with the first episode each appeared in.

• Super Strength (Pilot)
• Super Speed (Pilot)
• Invulnerability (Pilot)
• Super Vision
• Heat Vision (Heat)
• Super Hearing (Whisper)
• Super Breath (Sneeze)

See also: Powers and abilities of Superman

[edit] Awards and nominations

• In 2002, Michael Rosenbaum received a Saturn Award for his portrayal of Lex Luthor.^[13]

• The Jules Verne Festival paid a special tribute to the TV show Smallville during a night special attended by 3,000 fans at the Rex Theatre in Paris, April 7, 2005. Creators and producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were presented with a Jules Verne Award Special, in the presence of actresses Allison Mack and Erica Durance, as well as Jean Jules Verne, the writer's great grandson.^{[citation needed]}

• The episode "Rosetta" was nominated for the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form.^[14]

• Smallville Seasons 2 and 3 received a Saturn Award for "TV on DVD".^[15]

• In 2006, Allison Mack (Chloe Sullivan) won best TV Sidekick in the 2006 Teen Choice Awards.^[16]

• In 2006 Smallville received the Emmy for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, for the show's fifth season premiere, "Arrival."^[17]

[edit] DVD release dates and cover arts

Season	Release dates			Cover Art
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete 1st Season	September 23, 2003[18]	October 13, 2003	December 3, 2003
The Complete 2nd Season	May 18, 2004[19]	July 19, 2004	January 10, 2005
The Complete 3rd Season	November 16, 2004[20]	April 18, 2005	July 12, 2005
The Complete 4th Season	September 13, 2005[21]	October 10, 2005	November 1, 2006
The Complete 5th Season	September 12, 2006[22]	August 28, 2006	TBA, 2006/2007

[edit] Soundtracks

Most episodes feature a song or songs by an alternative rock act, and the success of Songs in the Key of X prompted the release of a soundtrack album.^{[citation needed]} A second soundtrack album followed two years later. As yet, none of Mark Snow's Americana flavored original scores (which at times incorporates John Williams' iconic themes from Superman: The Movie) has been released in any capacity.

[edit] Smallville: The Talon Mix (February 25, 2003)

In 2003, a CD, featuring a selected group of artists that supplied music for the show, was released.^[23]

1. "Save Me" — Remy Zero
2. "Inside Out" — Vonray
3. "Island in the Sun" — Weezer
4. "Superman (It's Not Easy)" — Five For Fighting
5. "Nuclear" — Ryan Adams
6. "Lonely Day" — Phantom Planet
7. "Fight Test" — Flaming Lips
8. "Don't Dream It's Over" — Sixpence None the Richer
9. "Wave Goodbye" — Steadman
10. "I Just Wanna Be Loved" — AM Radio
11. "Everything" — Lifehouse
12. "Time After Time" — Eva Cassidy

[edit] Smallville: The Metropolis Mix (November 8, 2005)

In 2005, a CD, featuring a selected group of artists that supplied music for the show, was released.^[24]

1. "Forget It" — Breaking Benjamin
2. "Precious" — Depeche Mode
3. "You and Me (Extended Wedding Version)" — Lifehouse
4. "Superman" — Stereophonics
5. "Dirty Little Secret" — All-American Rejects
6. "Almost Honest" — Josh Kelley
7. "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey (Remix)" — The Dandy Warhols
8. "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" — Brendan Benson
9. "The Girl's Attractive" — Diamond Nights
10. "I'm a Human" — Flashlight Brown
11. "Wicked Game" — HIM
12. "Other Side of the World" — KT Tunstall
13. "Hungry Heart" — Minnie Driver
14. "Feels Like Today" — Rascal Flatts

[edit] See also

• List of Smallville broadcasters and home video releases
• Kryptonite of Smallville
• The Kryptonian Crystals
• Talon (Smallville)
• Kryptonians

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Official websites

• Smallville on YTV, Mon-Thurs at 1:30am ET
• The Smallville Torch
• The Smallville Ledger
• The Ezra Small House & Museum — highlighting the entire page reveals a hidden message
• LuthorCorp Homepage
• Smallville Hometown Site

[edit] Other references

• KryptonSite
• Smallville PH
• Devoted to Smallville
• The Smallville Talon
• Smallville at the Internet Movie Database
• Smallville at TV.com
• Smallville music index at TuneFind.com
• Smallville at Wikia.com- A Smallville wiki encyclopedia- comprehensive, but a work in progress that needs volunteers.
• Smallville at EpisodeWorld.com
• Superman Trades - a chronological list of graphic novels featuring Superman, including film and television tie-ins
• Smallville at The Superman Homepage - includes episode summaries, weekly reviews and ratings analysis.

Smallville
Episodes: Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6
Characters
Clark Kent | Lana Lang | Lex Luthor | Chloe Sullivan Lionel Luthor | Lois Lane | Martha Kent | Jonathan Kent Pete Ross | Jason Teague | Whitney Fordman
Smallville Guest Characters
Seasons: Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6
Related articles
Broadcasters and home video releases | Kryptonite | Kryptonian Crystals

Superman in popular media
Actors:	Bud Collyer • Kirk Alyn • George Reeves • Danny Dark • Christopher Reeve • Beau Weaver • John Haymes Newton • Gerard Christopher • Dean Cain • Timothy Daly • Tom Welling • George Newbern • Brandon Routh
Film:	Superman (1948) • Atom Man vs. Superman • Superman and the Mole Men • Superman (1978) • Superman II •Superman II (Donner Cut) • Superman III • Supergirl • Superman IV: The Quest For Peace • Superman Returns
Television:	Adventures of Superman • Superboy • Lois & Clark • Smallville • Look, Up in the Sky!
Animation:	1940s cartoons • The New Adventures of Superman • Superman • Superman: The Animated Series • Legion of Super Heroes
Other media:	Radio • Broadway Theater • Newspaper Strips