Smallville

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

Smallville
File:SmallvilleSeason6fullcast.jpg 2006 Cast of Smallville
Created by	Alfred Gough Miles Millar
Starring	See Cast & characters below
Country of origin	United States and Canada
No. of episodes	114 (to date)
Production
Running time	60 minutes (approx. 42 min)
Original release
Network	The WB (2001-2006) The CW (2006 - )
Release	October 16, 2001 – present

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. 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 , 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, while Charmed had 7.7 million viewers.

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.

See also: List of Smallville allusions

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. Based on a pilot script, it focused on young Wayne, Vicki Vale, Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, and Jim Gordon.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. 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. Michael Rosenbaum, once a consideration for Harvey Dent in Bruce Wayne, was cast as Lex Luthor due to his quiet, secretive nature, 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, 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.

File:Asdaf.JPG

Cynthia Ettinger in the original Pilot, as Martha Kent

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" , of which the Siegels own the rights.

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 (super 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.

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 predominately a "villain of the week" series). 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.

Series history

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." Eric Johnson's character of Whitney Fordman, boyfriend to character Lana Lang, was also said to be underused and one-dimensional.Despite these minor problems, the producers were instantly ordered to film at least two more seasons of the show. 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.

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 fulfilment 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 in Smallville to say the name "Krypton").

Season 3

The third season was also moderately successful. 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, 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, but Gough has stated that the actor wanted to leave the show due to lack of screen time. As of early 2006, Sam Jones has not made (and does not want to make) any return appearances, however, Gough has said that Pete Ross could potentially return if they find the right story arc for him.

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 supposedly unlocked the infinite knowledge of the universe. 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), Clark's future wife.

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.

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 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. Two more DC Comics characters, Jimmy Olsen and Oliver Queen (and his superhero alias Green Arrow), are also introduced this season. Template:Endspoilers

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

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)

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)

Smallville filming and production

Smallville is filmed at various locales in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The main studio where most of the show is recorded is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. However, scenes on the "main street" of Smallville are shot in the town of Cloverdale, British Columbia. Cloverdale is particularly proud of being a filming site for the show; at its entrance is a huge sign which reads "Home of Smallville." When filming first started, the exterior school scenes were shot at Vancouver Technical School, while the interiors were shot at Templeton Secondary School. 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. Painted hallways with the "Smallville Crows" logo remain inside Templeton.

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

• 
  The Clova Cinema in Cloverdale, a.k.a. "The Talon."
• 
  Another view of the Clova Cinema in Cloverdale.
• 
  The welcome sign for Cloverdale, the home of downtown Smallville.
• 
  Cloverdale Jewellery & Loans, a.k.a. "Smallville Jewellery & Loans."
• 
  "Fordman's Hardware" in Cloverdale, now occupied by the Cloverdale Learning Centre [1], operated part of School District 36 Surrey.
• 
  The main street in historic Cloverdale, a.k.a. "Main Street, Smallville." The Clova Cinema ("The Talon") is seen on the left and "Fordman's Hardware" is on the right.
• 
  The Government of Canada Building in downtown Vancouver ("Metropolis"), a.k.a. the "headquarters" of LuthorCorp.
• 
  Central City mall and office tower in Surrey, a.k.a. LuthorCorp "headquarters" for season 3.
• 
  Koerner Library at the University of British Columbia. Its general landscape is surroundings for the "University of Metropolis" and "Central A&M Kansas University" throughout seasons 3-5.
• 
  Templeton Secondary School, a.k.a. Smallville High.
• 
  Vancouver Technical Secondary School, a.k.a. Smallville High (exteriors for first season, and in the opening credits).
• 
  The building next to the Clova Theatre that stands in as Nell's Flower Shop, in Cloverdale.
• 
  The Smallville Crows mural still remaining inside Templeton Secondary School.
• 
  Marine Building, a.k.a. the Daily Planet offices.
• 
  A LuthorCorp truck at the University of British Columbia, for the filming of the series.
• Hatley Castle, near Victoria, BC, a.k.a. Luther Mansion
  Hatley Castle, near Victoria, BC, a.k.a. Luther Mansion

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 (X-Ray)
• Heat Vision (Heat)
• Super Hearing (Whisper)
• Super Breath (Sneeze)

See also: Powers and abilities of Superman

Awards and nominations

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

• 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.

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

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

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

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

Box Sets release dates and cover arts

DVD

Season	Release dates			Cover Art
	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
The Complete 1st Season	September 23, 2003	October 13, 2003	December 3, 2003	File:Smallville dvd s1.jpg
The Complete 2nd Season	May 18, 2004	July 19, 2004	January 10, 2005	File:Smallville dvd s2.jpg
The Complete 3rd Season	November 16, 2004	April 18, 2005	July 12, 2005	File:Smallville dvd s3.jpg
The Complete 4th Season	September 13, 2005	October 10, 2005	November 1, 2006	File:Smallville dvd s4.jpg
The Complete 5th Season	September 12, 2006	August 28, 2006	November 23, 2006	File:Smallville dvd s5.jpg

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. 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.

Smallville: The Talon Mix (February 25, 2003)

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

Smallville: The Metropolis Mix (November 8, 2005)

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

See also

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

External links

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

Other references

• KryptonSite
• Devoted to Smallville
• The Smallville Talon
• Smallville at IMDb
• Template:Tvtome show
• 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.