# Smallville (2001)

> A teenage Clark Kent learns to control his alien powers and grow into the hero he is destined to become in a small Kansas town.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4382

## Facts

- Seasons: 10
- Episodes: 216
- Episode runtime: 43 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, drama, action
- Created by: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
- Network: The WB, The CW
- Cast: Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Cassidy Freeman, Callum Blue, Jensen Ackles, Allison Mack
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279600/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: earnest, wholesome, nostalgic, melancholic, hopeful

## What critics say

Viewers broadly rate Smallville as a positive, well-liked origin-story drama, with strong cast chemistry and a Superman mythology that builds out slowly and is at its best when focusing on the bigger storylines.

## Synopsis

Smallville (2001-2011) is an American teen superhero drama created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar for The WB and later The CW. Tom Welling plays Clark Kent, a Krypton refugee raised on a Kansas farm who hides his powers while growing up alongside Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang, Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, and Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan. Each season follows Clark through high school crushes, dangerous meteor-rock encounters, and the slow build of his mythology, as he tries to keep his secret while the people around him drift toward danger and rivalry. The series runs ten seasons with more than two hundred episodes, mixing standalone monster-of-the-week episodes with longer arcs that deepen the Superman mythology. Its tone is earnest and wholesome, with a nostalgic small town atmosphere and a steady undercurrent of melancholy about a boy who must choose duty over ordinary life. Viewers of Heroes, Roswell and Arrow will find similar pleasures in its origin-story structure and teen drama romance. The show rewards long-term viewers with the gradual arrival of its destiny.

## Shows like Smallville

- [The New Adventures of Superman (1966)](https://ember.film/tv/10031)
- [Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993)](https://ember.film/tv/4295)
- [Friday Night Lights (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/4065)
- [Kyle XY (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/202)
- [Krypton (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/62300)
- [Legion of Super Heroes (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/3830)
- [Heroes (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/1542)
- [Superman: The Animated Series (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/4089)
- [Raising Dion (2019)](https://ember.film/tv/78989)
- [DC's Stargirl (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/69355)

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