Is Smallville Worth Watching? DC's Teen Superman Series Is Bigger Than Fans Think

Key points

• Smallville kept Superman relevant during a turbulent time for superhero media thanks to its humanizing drama.
• The success of Smallville paved the way for popular superhero TV series like the Arrowverse, with its likable characters.
• The early seasons of Smallville excel at personal drama, moral lessons, and fleshing out Clark Kent, which makes them worth watching.

Small Villa is still, in many ways, a remarkable and somewhat infamous series. Featuring the story of a young Clark Kent, it was the primary form of Superman media beyond comics for a generation. It was certainly controversial among fans, but it was also incredibly important to hero and superhero adaptations as a whole.

Small Villa It was a logical midway point after the collapse of superhero movies in the late '90s, not to mention the failure to find a new Superman film from the ground. It also had its pitfalls, but ultimately paved the way for better interpretations of DC Comics characters. Along with that was the quality of the series, which kept fans coming back for years afterward. With an animated sequel supposedly on the way, many may wonder, however, if the series was actually any good.

Smallville kept Superman relevant in a turbulent time

Focusing on Clark Kent's high school years it was successful among young audiences

Critical Reception of Batman & Robin Before Smallville

By the late 90s, superhero movies had fallen out of fashion due to failure and disdain for the “kappy” genre. Batman and Robin. So, the idea of ​​superheroes in colorful costumes was not appealing to moviegoers, which was ultimately why the X-Men wore black leather suits in the movies. It took the success of Sam Raimi's film Spiderman film to start moving things in the opposite direction, with Batman begins also helping to restore the image of the Caped Crusader. Unfortunately, the Man of Steel hasn't been so lucky when it comes to movies.

A fifth Superman the film was never made in the 1980s or 1990s, in particular due to actor Christopher Reeve's paralysis. Likewise, attempts to reboot the franchise have been largely unsuccessful, with the most notable of these planned reboots being the now infamous never-made film Superman lives by Tim Burton. Perhaps because of all these factors, the show Small Villa It went as it went. The series did not focus on Superman himself, but was instead a drama that showed a teenage Clark Kent before he became an adult hero in Metropolis.

The rule was that Small Villa would have “neither flight nor tights”, with Clark eschewing any type of costume and not yet having developed the power to fly. Meanwhile, both Clark and the town of Smallville as a whole were faced with various “kryptonite monsters of the week” who were empowered by exposure to kryptonite meteors, giving him something to fight against in his early days. The real focus, however, was on the young man's relationships, particularly with his parents, Ma and Pa Kent. This made the show much more of a drama with sci-fi elements, and not a superhero action series at all in its early seasons.

Fortunately, this concept worked and helped humanize the Superman character in many ways. Fans appreciated the more dramatic aspect of Clark, as well as the characterization of his parents. While the dramatic and tragic aspects could sometimes be a bit overdone, the show was a godsend in an era where Superman seemingly couldn't catch a break beyond the comics. This was even more true after the mediocre response to The Return of Supermanwhich failed to spark the character’s return to the big screen with further films. So while Superman wasn’t flying high in theaters, it paved the way for superheroes to succeed on the small screen.

Smallville Made the Arrowverse Possible

Smallville paved the way for the CW hits Supergirl and Superman & Lois

Overview of the most popular superhero TV series

The most beloved and well-received superhero shows have tended to be darker and more mature. This is evidenced by the reception given to Marvel and Netflix. Daredevilas well as The boys AND Invincible on Amazon Prime Video. However, the most successful group of superhero TV series ever was the Arrowverse, which was made up of spin-offs derived from the TV series ArrowInitially, these shows were concrete and gritty, but when… The Flash began its multi-season run, the doors were wide open to include various elements from the comics. As these shows took on scope and concepts that their predecessors never would, the Arrowverse was honestly running behind Small Villa took flight.

Small Villa proved that fans and the general public would accept superhero TV series, as long as there was a strong core of likable characters. This would have been easier if there had been a dramatic heart to the stories, making them more than just heroes fighting villains. For example, the down-to-earth tone of Arrow made it easy for viewers who might otherwise have avoided superhero narratives to get into the series. Likewise, The Flash was known for its many characters, and even when the soap opera was too strong with some, others were much more interesting. These concepts were first seen in Small Villawhich made this kind of drama and storytelling more important than the sci-fi and superhero elements.

At the same time, Small Villa eventually built his own little superhero universe, namely through characters like the Justice Society of America. It was a more self-contained version of what Arrow and its subsequent spin-offs did, and showed the perfect formula for easing casual audiences into these concepts. If Small Villa hadn't utilized his take on the JSA or the Legion of Super-Heroes, it's unlikely the Arrowverse could have made its divergent concepts work as separate shows. Unfortunately, Small Villa was far too reticent to get there, never abandoned its purpose, and kept Clark out of the costume until the very end. Thankfully, the Arrowverse was able to open up and be a bit more “cartoony” long before the end, which again reflected the doors that had been opened by its predecessor.

The early seasons of Smallville are still worth watching

Smallville is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+

Over the years, Small Villa received somewhat of a mixed reception from fans. Many enjoyed its more grounded early seasons, while others lamented the lack of accuracy to the comics in later seasons. Its soap opera format was particularly strong later on, resulting in numerous breakups, most notably the controversial end of Clark Kent and Lana Lang's romance. While the dramatic elements were usually handled well, things did start to grate at several points, especially if the drama was forced. At the same time, heartfelt, genuine drama was the kind of show that Small Villa he excelled in being and faltered most when he stepped outside these boundaries.

The initial seasons of Small Villa were by far the best, as they focused more on the personal drama and moral lessons learned by young Clark Kent. The show knew his scope and nature and adapted to it, which is why things felt so natural. The “no flying, no tights” rule was fine as long as Clark and his friends were young and still in Smallville. Once the series moved him to Metropolis and had him meet pretty much every member of his classic rogues' gallery without ever becoming Superman, it was clear that things had gone on for too long.

These lower, more understandable stakes are the reason why
Small Villa
in contact with people who otherwise wouldn't have been interested in Superman.

However, those initial seasons were great and truly brought the humanity to life in the character of Superman. Far from an overpowered god with little connection to humanity, Clark Kent seemed like a wide-eyed young man who, while destined to be a great hero, was otherwise a normal teenager. Those who grew up with Small Villa note that the first seasons remain the best, with the show declining in quality and changing for the worse later on. So, these are the seasons that people go back to, and it's more than just a sense of nostalgia.

For viewers who grew up with the Arrowverse or the series Superman and Lois and I have never seen Small VillaThese initial seasons will certainly help them get into a show that is relatively low-key and almost touching in its nature. Again, these lower-key, more relatable installments are why Small Villa connected with people who might not have otherwise been interested in Superman. At the very least, its best moments should be rewatched to see what the show was really supposed to be about. By returning to these episodes, superhero fans will see the thematic DNA strands that connect to so many shows today and understand why so many people still cling to Small Villa.