Smallville (TV series)

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**Smallville**

Opening title as of Season 5.
Genre	Drama, Action/Adventure, Sci-fi
Running time	Approx. 42 min.
Creator(s)	Alfred Gough Miles Millar
Starring	See Cast & characters below
Country of origin	United States/Canada
Original network	The WB (2001 - 2006) The CW (2006 - )
Original run	October 16, 2001 –
	Present
No. of episodes	174 (to date)
No. of Seasons	8	Official website IMBD profile TV.com summary

Smallville is an American television series that debuted in 2001 on the WB Television Network. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the series follows the adventures of a young Clark Kent, in the town of Smallville, Kansas, before he becomes Superman. The series spawned a download-only spinoff (but was included in the Season DVDs), Smallville: Chloe Chronicles and Smallville: Vengeance Chronicles (began during Season 5, after the "Vengeance" episode). Mark Snow composes music for each show. The theme song, "Save Me," is performed by Los Angeles-based group Remy Zero.

On January 24, 2006, it was confirmed that the sixth season of Smallville will be part of the new CW Television Network's Fall 2006-2007 lineup once the WB and UPN cease operations in September 2006. A seventh and eight season was also launched and it has also been announced that Smallville will return for a ninth season, and possibly for a tenth season as well.

Smallville broke the record for highest rated debut for The WB, with 8.40 million viewers tuning in for its pilot.

The show is one of the supernatural-themed shows on the network, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Charmed, Supernatural and Roswell, and has been noted many times for its mixing of multiple genres (from horror and fantasy to comedy and even soap).

[edit] Overview

Smallville is based on the popular DC Comics character, Superman. 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 super powers (x-ray vision, super speed, etc.), exploring his extraterrestrial origins, and struggling to find his destiny.

The series often deals with the people in Clark Kent's life: his adoptive human parents, Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent; his peers, Chloe Sullivan, Pete Ross; his on-again, off-again love interest, Lana Lang; his Daily Planet cohort, Lois Lane and especially his friendship with a young Lex Luthor.

The mineral 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 and psychotic villains who have developed bizarre powers, such as psychic abilities, shape shifting, and other paranormal abilities. (For this reason, the show is often criticized as being predominately a "freak of the week" series.) On a Kryptonian like Clark, though, kryptonite has very different effects; the general idea is that Clark is virtually invincible except when around the kryptonite rocks. 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 standings 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 his two personalities (Clark Kent and the darker Kal-El). Silver kryptonite (which is solely the creation of Milton Fine in the show) causes him extreme paranoia.

Viewers will often observe allusions in the form of dialogue, guest stars, character wardrobe, and scenic design used throughout the series to the Superman comic books and films.

[edit] Series History

The first season was a tremendous success, but some fans balked at the villain often only appearing in one episode and almost always deriving their power from kryptonite exposure, affectionately becoming known as the "freak of the week". Eric Johnson's character, Whitney Fordman, was also said to be underused and one-dimensional. Despite this, the producers were instantly ordered to film at least two more seasons of the show. John Glover's Lionel Luthor character was just intended to be a guest star on the show, but due to his popularity and Johnson wanting to leave the show, he became a full time cast member for Season 2, as Whitney was written out of the series.

Season Two had a fewer "freaks of the week" appear on the show, and instead focused more on character development, especially on Clark discovering his true origins and accepting his destiny. Clark began hearing calls from his biological father, Jor-El. A memorable moment of the series was the appearance of Christopher Reeve, who played Superman in the 70's and 80's film serials, as Dr. Virgil Swann. Swann provided Clark with information of his origins, in a "passing of the torch" moment between Reeve and Welling. Lex's relationship and short-lived marriage to Dr. Helen Bryce was also a major highlight of the second and third seasons. The show volleyed Clark and Lana's relationship, never actually allowing the two to become an official couple for most of the first 4 seasons.

The third season was another successful one, but more reviews of the season were mixed. Fans were confused with how Clark could become completely exonerated from his brief crime career by returning all he had stolen, and Helen's Bryce character conclusion. It was here that Pete Ross' character arc came to an end. After getting beaten up by agents for hiding Clark's secret and struggling to keep it, Pete moved to Wichita, Kansas, with his mom after his parents divorced. (Gough has stated that the actor wanted to leave the show due to lack of screen time.) Gough said that Pete will be back if they find the right story arc for him.

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 that unlocked the infinite knowledge of the universes. This season was also a milestone because it introduced Clark's future wife, Lois Lane (Erica Durance). The majority of this season revolved around Lex trying to rekindle his friendship with Clark, Lionel attempting to be a good father and person, Lana and her ancestry, and Clark searching for the three stones.

Season 5 introduced the Fortress of Solitude to Clark. This season also saw the introduction of Prof. Milton Fine (James Marsters), also known as Brainiac, and the Phantom Zone. Fine would become a reoccurring antagonist for Clark throughout the season. The central plot of Season 5 revolved around Clark using the knowledge in the Fortress to train for an impending doom that was to befall Earth in the form of General Zod, a Kryptonian warlord. Clark and Lana explored their first real adult relationship with each other. It was also the introduction of the love triangle between Clark, Lana, and Lex. The series continually uses multiple story arcs, mid-season and season finale cliffhangers, and cameos from other notable DC characters and high profile actors. Season 5 also saw the death of Clark's loving father Jonathan Kent.

Season 6 featured Clark at a crossroads, feeling isolated at having suffered the loss of his father, and betrayal at Lex and Lana's relationship and eventual marriage. He struggled with the responsibility of returning several super-powered criminal aliens that escaped from the Phantom Zone. He learned a little more about his Kryptonian heritage from his father's assistants Raya and Martian Manhunter. He met a fellow super-hero in Oliver Queen and learned the value of teamwork when he helped them take down Lex's Level 33.1 project. Season 6 also saw the introduction of his future pal, Jimmy Olsen. Clark said goodbye to his mother Martha Kent this year as well, when she won her bid for Senator and moved to Washington, D.C.

Season 7 began with Clark learning even more about his Kryptonian heritage when his cousin Kara was freed from suspended animation. He even met a replication of his biological mother Lara. Season 7 also saw the dissolution of Lex and Lana's marriage. Clark finally shared his secret with Lana and she moved onto the farm as the two attempted again to have an honest relationship. However, the last Phantom Zone prisoner, a carbon-copy of himself, tried to take over his life and Clark was faced with the task of defeating him, and coming to terms with the issues in his and Lana's relationship. Clark also still struggled with the responsibility of fulfilling his destiny and the consequences of his indecision. It was revealed that a society called Veritas was formed to welcome and serve the Traveler, which included the Luthors, Queens, Teagues, and Swann as members. Veritas' secrets drove Lex to find the Traveler and the device that can "control" in the event that he turns agaibst humanity. By the end of the season, Lex murdered his father, Lana ultimately left Smallville, Kara got trapped in the Phantom Zone, Clark destroyed Brainiac, and after years of secrets, Lex finally discovered Clark's secret. After Clark and Lex face off, Lex inserts the orb into the Fortress and it begins to crumble.

Season 8 begins a few weeks after the destruction of the Fortress, Lex and Clark both go missing. The Justice League resurfaces to find him and found him in Russia powerless. After Clark's powers were restored, he decided to "get in the middle of the action" and starts working for the Daily Planet. After Lex disappears, Tess Mercer comes to Smallville to take his place as the acting CEO of LuthorCorp. Oliver Queen returns to Metropolis and starts questioning his heroic destiny as Clark begins to embrace his own. Chloe's life begins to spiral out of control as she has a new fiancés, new confusing abilities as a result of her encounter with Brainiac and meets Davis Bloome, a paramedic who she quickly befriends. Unknown to her and everyone else, Davis is a monster known as Doomsday destined to destroy Earth and Kal-El. Clark and Lois begin to grow closer as they work together at the Daily Planet and feelings begin to spark.

[edit] Seasons

[edit] Main characters

Actor	Role	Seasons
Tom Welling	Clark Kent	(Season 1 - present)
Kristin Kreuk	Lana Lang	(Season 1 - 7, recurring season 8)
Michael Rosenbaum	Alexander "Lex" Luthor	(Season 1 - 7)
Allison Mack	Chloe Sullivan	(Season 1 - present)
John Glover	Lionel Luthor	(Season 2 - 7, recurring Season 1)
Erica Durance	Lois Lane	(Season 5 - present, recurring Season 4)
Aaron Ashmore	Jimmy Olsen	(Season 7 - 8, recurring Season 6)
Justin Hartley	Oliver Queen	(Season 8, recurring Season 6, guest 7)
Sam Witwer	Davis Bloome	(Season 8)
Cassidy Freeman	Tess Mercer	(Season 8 - present)
Callum Blue	General Zod	(Season 9)
Laura Vandervoort	Kara Kent	(Season 7, guest season 8)
Annette O'Toole	Martha Kent	(Season 1 - 6)
John Schneider	Jonathan Kent	(Seasons 1 - 5)
Sam Jones III	Pete Ross	(Seasons 1 - 3, guest Season 7)
Jensen Ackles	Jason Teague	(Season 4)
Eric Johnson	Whitney Fordman	(Season 1, guest Season 2)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Heroes

[edit] Villains

[edit] Awards

In 2001, 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

[edit] DVDs

DVD Name	Release dates
DVD Name	Region 1	Region 2	Region 4
Season 1	September 23, 2003	October 13, 2003	December 3, 2003
Season 2	May 18, 2004	September 17, 2004	January 1, 2005
Season 3	November 16, 2004	April 18, 2005	July 13, 2005
Season 4	September 13, 2005	October 10, 2005	November 11, 2006
Season 5	September 12, 2006	August 28, 2006	April 4, 2007
Season 6	September 18, 2007	October 22,2007	October 8, 2007
Season 7	September 9, 2008	October 13, 2008	March 04, 2009
Season 8	August 25, 2009	TBA	TBA

[edit] Soundtracks

Most episodes features a song by an alternative rock act, and the success of Songs in the Key of X (an album of songs featured in and inspired by the television show The X-Files) prompted the release of a soundtrack album. A second soundtrack album followed two years later.

Release date	Title
February 25, 2003	Smallville: The Talon Mix
November 8, 2005	Smallville: The Metropolis Mix

[edit] External links

Official websites

Smallville's official site at the CW Television Network
The Smallville Torch
The Smallville Ledger
The Ezra Small House & Museum- highlighting the entire page reveals a hidden message
LuthorCorp Homepage
Smallville Hometown Site

Fan websites

Other references

Smallville at TV.com
Smallville at EpisodeWorld.com
Smallville at TVRage.com
Smallville music index at TuneFind.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.

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Smallville_(TV_Series). The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with the Smallville Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.