Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Superman Related Why do you like Smallville?

I would really like for people to tell me why they like the TV show Smallville.

I'm watching it for the first time and I have to be honest that I'm really struggling with it. I'm at the end of season 7 and am having to almost force myself to watch the next episode, even with the cliffhangers. So I decided I need a different perspective on it. I'm not looking to flame or argue or even go into why I'm not into it, I'd just really love for fans to tell me what it is they love about it!

Hello PuffyTiger,

I, too, would be curious about the responses. I couldn't get through more than a few episodes from season one and the season two episode with Christopher Reeve. I've heard rumours that the show improves once Lois is introduced, but it sounds like you would disagree. (I haven't yet seen for myself.)

I really *want* to like that series because of the Superman connection, but Smallville just strikes me as teenage melodrama with some scifi/horror elements thrown in as dressing. I would be fine with a high school setting if the drama were good, but I have long since outgrown any interest in teenage (or, really, in any) melodrama.

Joy,
Lynn

Well, it helps if you enjoy teen dramas. I watch a lot of them, so that aspect never bothered me. I think the show was partially popular at the time because there weren't really a whole lot of other superhero shows on at the time, unless you count shows that were already off the air like Lois and Clark or shows that weren't based on comic books like Heroes. Some of the characters the show introduced, like Aquaman or Green Arrow, had never before appeared in live-action, so that part of the show was an novelty at the time. Furthermore, the special effects, though probably dated now, were also better than what had been done before on previous Superman shows.

As for the characters on the show, Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor was really superb. The teetering between good and evil for his character was fun to watch, as were his relationships with both Clark and his father Lionel Luthor. A friendship between Superman and Lex Luthor had never before been explored in great detail, and in most Superman stories, it was altogether unheard of, so it was a unique spin on the story.

Lois Lane was also really well done on the show. In my opinion, Erica Durance is easily among the best versions of that character, hitting on all of the aspects of Lois that I enjoy. She was funny, tough, and witty, not to mention very beautiful. I think she is very close to Teri Hatcher's version of the character in a lot of ways, though they obviously do have their differences and are not carbon copies of each other.

The show had a few very memorable villains throughout it's run. Lionel Luthor comes to mind immediately as being pretty deliciously evil, though some of my other favorites include Lex, Brainiac, Zod, and Tess Mercer. These are obviously just personal opinions, but I found those characters to be the best written, to have the best performances from the actors, and to be the most interesting of Clark's enemies.

It's not a perfect show, but I do find it to be highly enjoyable. If you're not digging it, maybe it's just not your cup of tea or maybe some of the original appeal is no longer as big of a deal as it was at the time the show was airing. Either way, maybe this will give you some perspective as to why it was popular or why fans love it.

Thanks for sharing your perspective with us, LLF.

Joy,
Lynn

I didn't like it. I attempted it but stopped when I found myself fast forwarding more than watching. It felt more like teen angst meets X-Files in my opinion. There were some aspects that were good. The characters like Chloe and Erica Durance's Lois Lane were enjoyable but as a whole it didn't do it for me.

Also, I know you said you weren't particularly interested in saying why it is you aren't enjoying the show, but if you could describe what things aren't working for you, I might be able to tell you if it is worth continuing the show or if you might be best skipping to a certain point to finish it off or if it's just not worth it at all for you to keep watching. Without spoiling anything, I will say the last few seasons of the show almost feel like a different series than the first seven years, so you may actually be at the point where you'll have more fun watching it, depending on what it is you don't like.

Thanks for your answer, Lois_Lane_Fan, I'm going to think about your points for a while

I don't mind saying why I don't like it, I just didn't want the thread to turn into a slam Smallville thread, or people telling me all the reasons I'm wrong, or why everyone else is wrong. Of course, this is the L&C community, so that probably won't happen.

I guess I just don't really see the point of the show, to be honest. I mean when I started watching it, I thought the point was to follow Clark's journey as he grew up, found and mastered his powers, established and solidified his moral foundation and reasons for becoming Superman. But I'm just not seeing any of that at all, really. It's been seven seasons of him pining for Lana and whining about life and everyone in the show being screwed over by everyone else. It feels more like what Game of Thrones has been described to me (I haven't read or watched it either) where there are no real protagonists, just everyone being emo and selfish.

I don't like the characters. The only one I kinda like is Chloe, she's loyal, but gets screwed over and ignored by literally everyone, probably because she has no real place in the Superman cannon. Lana was ok until she started playing the power games out of self defense and then turned into this cold person. Jor-El is distant and never explains the reason behind him dictating to Clark, and then punishes Clark pretty horrifically when Clark doesn't do what he said to. Kara is is a snob, Pete was cool but he left, Lois sleeps with EVERYONE, and on and on. I actually feel sorry for Lex. Raised by Lionel to embody this perfect, manipulative businessman, but it seemed at the beginning he was fighting it and valued his friendship with Clark. But then he started not trusting Clark because of all the secrets, and was utterly betrayed by EVERYONE in his life, so I kinda feel that he was forced into becoming evil, even though he seemed to be fighting it during the first 5 seasons or so. And finally Clark. He just seems like he's drifting through life with no goals, no foundation, no plans for his life, bumping from one disaster to the next, abusing his friends, refusing responsibility...

I just really wanted a different perspective on the show, because so far it just seems pretty horrible to me. But I know myself, that I miss a lot of things that other people take for granted, so I thought I'd ask you all what you thought. (Deep breath, rant over)

Hmmm... if you have major problems with the characters, I'm not sure the last few seasons are going to get any better for you. I don't think any character changes that much except for Chloe (without going into spoilers I personally thought they pretty much ruined her character the last few seasons, so I would say it was a negative change), and that's the character you enjoyed the most.

I guess I thought I wasn't enjoying it because of expectations, and if I could get a different perspective on it then I could change those expectations and figure out what everyone likes about it. I mean, shows don't run for 10 years because no one likes them, right? But if it really is just a teen drama and its only goal is the next season and what can we throw in for the next big shocker, then there might not be anything there for me to really enjoy.

I love L&C because of the characters and how they learn and grow throughout the series. Building their partnership, friendship, trust, intimacy (not sex), learning from mistakes, growing past them. There's so much to relate to there. I loved the show before I found the fanfic, and all the fanfic has done is expand and reinforce all those concepts. It has taught me a lot about the show and characters that I didn't see on my own, and a lot about myself also. I was hoping to find the same kind of character development in Smallville, and after 7 seasons of not seeing it, I wanted to see if someone else could teach me what to look for.

I think one of the big reasons there was no major character development on Smallville was that the writers were kind of wanting to drag it out. Since the concept of the show was Clark becoming Superman, they didn't want to get too close to him reaching that destiny until the very end since in their minds that would mean the end of the show. The same could be said for Lois' journey to becoming a reporter. Unfortunately, this led to some frustration for some fans. Believe me, you are not the only person that feels this way about the show.

In some ways, things did kind of change during the last few seasons, but it was more abrupt and not the slow sort of change that you might expect from a show like this. There are some pros to the last three seasons of Smallville if you are a fan of Lois and Clark. Highlight the following if you don't mind mild spoilers: You do get to see Lois and Clark as reporters, having a relationship, while Clark fights as a prototype version of Superman called the Blur. It's almost like a Superman show without the Superman at this point, and a lot of the teen drama elements do leave in favor of a more traditional superhero show. If that sounds appealing to you, by all means, give the last few seasons a try. Some of the problems you pointed out do disappear from the characters; just don't expect their personalities to go through that drastic of a change.

Lol, I like how you did the spoiler, thanks. And our discussion has helped me reorder my expectations so maybe I can enjoy the show instead of endlessly waiting for character development that never happens. I did google early in the show to see what he looked like as Superman, but learned that he's never shown in the suit. That had to be a major grr for the fans, but it let me know to not expect it. Thanks for all the thought you've put into your answers!

I'm glad to have helped. The lack of a scene with him in full costume was definitely a major letdown for a lot of fans. Fortunately, that was really the only big thing that I found myself disappointed with in the series finale. Everything else was very satisfying, in my opinion.