Smallville (2001)
Smallville is a 2001 sci-fi & fantasy series created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. It stars Tom Welling, Allison Mack and Kristin Kreuk.
Before the cape, before the Daily Planet, there was a farm boy in Kansas learning what he could do. Clark Kent grows up in Smallville under the Kents' quiet decency, hiding strength he barely understands and nursing a slow-burn crush on Lana Lang. His closest friend is a young Lex Luthor, still charming, not yet lost. Meteor rock warps the town and its people while Clark inches toward the truth of where he came from. The series trades spectacle for teenage ache, treating a legend's origin as a coming-of-age story first.
Quick answers
What is Smallville about?
Before the cape, before the Daily Planet, there was a farm boy in Kansas learning what he could do. Clark Kent grows up in Smallville under the Kents' quiet decency, hiding strength he barely understands and nursing a slow-burn crush on Lana Lang. His closest friend is a young Lex Luthor, still charming, not yet lost. Meteor rock warps the town and its people while Clark inches toward the truth of where he came from. The series trades spectacle for teenage ache, treating a legend's origin as a coming-of-age story first.
When was Smallville released?
Smallville was released on 16 October 2001.
How many episodes does Smallville have?
Smallville has 216 episodes across 10 seasons.
Who made Smallville?
Smallville was created by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Mark Snow.
Where can I watch Smallville?
Smallville is available on Hulu, Google Play, Amazon, AppleTV and Fandango at Home.
Where to watch Smallville
Stream: Hulu
Rent: Google Play
Buy: Amazon, AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Google Play
Cast
- Tom Welling as Clark Kent
- Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan
- Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang
- Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor
- John Glover as Lionel Luthor
- Erica Durance as Lois Lane
- Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent
- John Schneider as Jonathan Kent
- Justin Hartley as Oliver Queen
- Sam Jones as Pete Ross
- Cassidy Freeman as Tess Mercer
- Laura Vandervoort as Kara Kent
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A few thoughts on Smallville
Fans wanting more of the Superman family can look to Supergirl, which follows Kara Zor-El through the same Kryptonian legacy. For the definitive origin on the page, Mark Waid's Superman: Birthright reframes Clark's early years, while Richard Donner's 1978 Superman brings the farm-boy-to-hero arc to the screen with the warmth Smallville clearly studied.
Superhero shows that spend real time on the person before the cape
Smallville spends years on Clark Kent before he becomes Superman, working a farm and hiding a secret from the girl he likes. Gotham does the same for a young Bruce Wayne, Krypton digs into Superman's own mythology generations before Clark was born, and Doom Patrol, Black Lightning and Cloak and Dagger all linger on the person wrestling with power before any costume shows up.
YA books about teenagers carrying a destiny bigger than their hometown
Clark Kent grows up an ordinary Kansas teenager who happens to be carrying an entire alien destiny inside him. Shatter Me, Brisingr, Wizard and Glass, The Girl Who Drank the Moon and If You Could See the Sun all put a teenager at the center of a power or fate too large for the small life they started with.
Anime and comics about ordinary teens who gain powers and hide who they are
Clark Kent can't tell anyone in Smallville what he can really do, not even the girl he's falling for. Sailor Moon and Bio Booster Armor Guyver put ordinary teenagers through the same secret transformation, and Kill la Kill, Himitsu Sentai Gorenger and Juken Sentai Gekiranger all follow young heroes who fight in disguise and go home pretending to be nobody special.
Video games about ordinary people discovering they're destined for something bigger
Clark Kent starts out just a farm kid until the truth about where he came from catches up with him. Skyrim's Dragonborn, Half-Life's Gordon Freeman, Assassin's Creed II's Ezio, Breath of the Wild's Link and BioShock's Jack all begin as someone far more ordinary than the legend they end up living, each one dropped into a bigger story than the one they expected.