Just think… in one year, Smallville will be old enough to vote.
On October 16, 2001, the WB Network premiered the first episode of their “young Clark Kent before he was Superman” drama Smallville. The series was extremely well-timed; the Americana seen within plus the desire to see good in the world were strong with the horrors of 9/11 on the previous month. Creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar created a world and new additions to the Superman mythos — the meteor shower, Lionel Luthor, and Chloe Sullivan didn’t exist before they worked their magic.
Some may look back at the early “Freak of the Week” stories as formulaic; in retrospect, they were rather brilliant. Every week, a new audience member could tune in to Smallville and be able to follow it. Even when early Smallville added serialized elements it seemed to work. That first season is still a favorite to this writer.
Smallville introduced the world to Tom Welling, an actor who still has legions of fans who come to see him at conventions. Sure, he appeared on Judging Amy, but this was his first leading role. Michael Rosenbaum, who now hosts a successful “Inside of You” podcast show, brought us a Lex Luthor that shows us that comedians can often do the best and most layered dramatic work. Kristin Kreuk, who now stars in the drama Burden of Truth, infused Lana with a heart and beauty that was unmatched. Allison Mack’s Chloe, a new character for the show, was the audience’s key into that world; I can’t even count the number of Smallville fans I have met who were also editors of their high school newspapers. Sam Jones III’s Pete was the best friend you’d want when you needed a good product placement. And poor Whitney — Eric Johnson was so good, but as The Guy Who Got In The Way Of Clana, he didn’t stand a chance — fans never did forgive him for what he did to Clark in the series premiere.
And then there were the parents. How lucky were they to get John Schneider and Annette O’Toole to play the Kents? Schneider as Jonathan portrayed good values and an ability to teach Clark about right and wrong and being careful. Annette’s Martha was full of caring and love, and her best moments came when anyone would visit the Kents at their farm. And finally – Lionel Luthor, that magnificent bastard, played masterfully by John Glover. “Luthors aren’t afraid, indeed.”
In a time before shows like The Flash filled themselves with Easter eggs, Smallville did it first, referencing Oliver Queen’s family in one of the show’s first shots ever. With that said, they didn’t dip into the DC Comics well for guest heroes until Season 4’s “Run” where Kyle Gallner played the flashy Bart Allen a.k.a. Impulse. By series’ end, Hawkman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and even the Justice Society would appear on the series. When The CW seemed uninterested in genre programming when Dawn Ostroff was on the helm, attempts seemed to be made to kill the show by putting it in undesirable time slots… and it still thrived. The show ultimately lasted ten seasons, by far one of the most successful series in Warner Bros. TV history.
So….. let’s wish a Happy Birthday to the leafy little hamlet that started it all, shall we? Here’s to Smallville. Without you this website wouldn’t even exist!
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Perfect choice for the header image ! Clana forever !!! Super retrospective on the show for its 17th birthday, Craig ! Happy birthday to the greatest series of all-time !
I will always defend the “Freak of the Week” formula of the first four seasons! Many “Freak of the Week” episodes feel like just “classic Smallville” to me! It’s during that era of the show that I fell in love with it (I fell in love with it right from the pilot, which remains my second-favorite episode of the whole series)! There’s such a charm to the “Freak of the Week” format in my opinion!
I’m totally with you on the cast! The entire cast is super, and Kristin and Michael are my two all-time favorite actors !