Smallville TV Series
Development
Originally, Tollin/Robbins Productions wanted to do a show about a young Bruce Wayne. The feature film division of Warner Bros. had decided to develop an origin movie for Batman, and, because they didn’t want to compete with a television series, had the television series idea nixed.[5] In 2000, Tollin/Robbins approached Peter Roth, the President of Warner Bros. Television, about developing a series based on a young Superman. That same year, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar developed a pilot based on the film Eraser. After watching the pilot, Roth approached the two men about developing a second pilot, based on the young Superman concept that was brought to him.[5] After meeting with Roth, Gough and Millar decided that they didn’t want to do a series where there was lots of flying, and a cape.[5] It was here that they developed a “no tights, no flights” rule, vowing Clark would not, at any point, fly or don the suit during the run of the show.[6]
Gough and Millar wanted to strip Superman down to his “bare essence”, and see the reasons behind why Clark became Superman.[5] Gough and Millar felt the fact that they were not comic book fans played into their favor. Not being familiar with the universe would allow them an unbiased approach to the series. This didn’t keep them from learning about the characters; they both did research on the comics and picked and rearranged what they liked.[5] They returned and pitched their idea to both the WB and FOX in the same day.[7] A bidding war ensued between FOX and the WB, which the WB won with a commitment of 13 episodes to start.[7]
Roth, Gough, and Millar knew the show was going to be action oriented, but they wanted to be able to reach that “middle America iconography” that 7th Heaven had reached. To help create this atmosphere, the team decided the meteor shower that brings Clark to Earth would be the foundation for the franchise of the show. Not only does it act as the primary source behind the creation of the super powered beings that Clark must fight, but it acts as a sense of irony in Clark’s life. The meteor shower would give him a life on Earth, but it would also take away the parents of the girl he loves, and start Lex Luthor down a dark path, thanks to the loss of his hair during the shower. Roth loved the conflict that was created for Clark, in forcing him to deal with the fact that his arrival is what caused all of this pain.[5]
Another problem the creators had to address was why Lex Luthor would be hanging out with a bunch of teenagers. They decided to create a sense of loneliness in the character of Lex Luthor, which they felt would require him to reach out to the teens.[5] The loneliness was echoed in Clark and Lana as well.[8] Gough and Millar wanted to provide a parallel to the Kents, so they created Lionel Luthor, Lex’s father, which they saw as the “experiment in extreme parenting”.[5] Gough and Millar wanted a younger Kent couple, because they felt they needed to be able to be involved in Clark’s life, and help him through his journey.[8] Chloe Sullivan, another character created just for the show, was meant to be the “outsider” the show needed. Gough and Millar felt the character was necessary so someone would notice the weird happenings in Smallville.[5] She was meant to act as a “precursor to Lois Lane”.[8]
The concept of Smallville has been described by Warner Brothers as being a reinterpretation of the Superman mythology from its roots. Since the November 2004 reacquisition of Superboy by the Siegel family, there has arisen contention regarding a possible copyright infringement. The dispute is over ownership of the fictional town of Smallville, title setting of the show, and a claimed similarity between Superboy’s title character and Smallville’s Clark Kent. The heirs of Jerry Siegel claim “Smallville is part of the Superboy copyright”, of which the Siegels own the rights.[9]
On April 3, 2008, after seven seasons with the show, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar issued a public statement that they would be leaving the show. The developers, after thanking the cast and crew for all their hard work, acknowledged that they never stopped fighting for what they saw as “their vision” of the show. A specific reason for their departure was not given.[10]
Filming
The Cloverdale welcome sign
The show is produced at BB Studios in Burnaby. Initially, production was going to be in Australia, but Vancouver had more of a “Middle America landscape”. The city provided a site for the Kent farm, as well as doubling for Metropolis. It also provided a cheaper shooting location, and was in the same time zone as Los Angeles.[5] “Main street” Smallville is at a combination of two locations. Portions were shot in the town of Merritt, and the rest was shot in Cloverdale.[8] Cloverdale is particularly proud of being a filming site for the show; at its entrance is a sign which reads “Home of Smallville.”
Vancouver Technical School doubled as the exterior for Smallville High, as the film makers believed Van Tech had the “mid-American largess” they wanted.[8] This kept in-line with Millar’s idea that Smallville should be the epitome of “Smalltown, USA”.[11] The interiors of Templeton Secondary School were used for Smallville High’s interior.[12] The Kent farm is a real farm located in Aldergrove. Owned by The Andalinis, the production crew had to paint their home yellow for the show.[7] Exterior shots of Luthor Mansion were filmed at Hatley Castle in Victoria.[8] The interior shots were done at Shannon Mews, in Vancouver, which was also the set for the Dark Angel pilot and Along Came a Spider.[8] Movie house Clova Cinema, in Cloverdale, is used for exterior shots of The Talon, the show’s coffee house.[13]
Composer Mark Snow works in tandem with producer Ken Horton to create the underscore for the show. As Mark Snow summarizes his job, “I get a locked picture on a videotape which syncs up with all my gear in the studio. I write the music, finish it up, mix it up, send it through the airwaves on the internet, and the music editor puts it in. They call up usually and say, ‘Thank you, well done.’ Sometimes they call and say, ‘Thank you, not so well done – can you change this or that?’ I say ‘Sure,’ make the changes and send it back.” More specifically, Snow creates his music on the spot, as he watches the picture, and then tweaks his performance upon reviewing the recordings from his initial play. Most episodes feature their own soundtrack, comprised of one or more songs by musical bands. Jennifer Pyken and Madonna Wade-Reed of Daisy Music work on finding these songs for the show’s soundtrack. Pyken and Wade-Reed’s choices are then discussed by the producers, who decide which songs they want and organize the process of securing the licensing rights to the songs. Although Snow admits that it initially seemed odd to combine the two musical sounds on a “typical action-adventure” television show, he admits that “the producers seem to like the contrast of the modern songs and the traditional, orchestral approach to the score”.[14]
The main theme to Smallville is not a score composed by Snow, who is used to composing the opening themes as well, like he did for The X-Files, but the single “Save Me” by Remy Zero. Since the show’s premiere, two soundtrack albums have been released. On February 25, 2003, Smallville: The Talon Mix was released featuring a selected group of artists that licensed their music to the show.[15] Following that release, on November 8, 2005, Smallville: The Metropolis Mix was released featuring another select group of artists.[16]
Season one sees the introduction of the regular cast, and storylines that regularly included a villain deriving a power from kryptonite exposure. The one-episode villains were a plot device developed by Gough and Millar. Instead of creating physical monsters, the kryptonite would enhance the personal demons of the character.[8] To prove the show was not simply about a new kryptonite monster every week, the writers attempted to craft episodes that had nothing to do with kryptonite, like “Rogue”.[17] The first season primarily dealt with Clark trying to come to terms with his alien origins, and the revelation that his arrival on Earth was connected to the deaths of Lana’s parents.[5] Clark develops X-ray vision this season, and, unlike his super strength and speed that he was already aware of, is forced to exercise his new ability to gain control over it.[18]
Season two has fewer villain of the week episodes, focusing more on story arcs that affect each character and explore Clark’s origins.[19] Several key plot points include Lex becoming more entangled in conflict with his father, Chloe digging into Clark’s past while dealing with Lionel, Martha and Jonathan Kent’s financial troubles, and Lana and Clark’s vacillating relationship though they end the season apart. The main story arc, however, focuses on Clark’s discovery of his Kryptonian origins.[20] The disembodied voice of Clark’s biological father Jor-El is introduced, communicating to Clark via his space ship, setting the stage for plots involving the fulfillment of Clark’s earthly destiny.[21] Christopher Reeve, who portrayed Superman in the 1970s and 1980s film series, appears as Dr. Virgil Swann to provide Welling’s Clark with information regarding his heritage.[20] Season two saw the emergence of heat vision,[22] as well as a new form of kryptonite. Red kryptonite causes Clark to set aside moral compunctions and act out on his impulses and dark desires,[23] unlike green kryptonite, which physically weakens him and could possibly kill him if he is exposed to it for too long.[11]
Season three focuses on loyalty, betrayal, and new revelations involving Jor-El. Early in the season, Michael McKean, Annette O’Toole’s real-life husband, portrays Clark’s future Daily Planet editor Perry White; from this point on, other major characters present in the Superman mythology and the DC Universe are introduced to Smallville.[24] Pete Ross’ inability to deal with keeping Clark’s secret causes him to move to Wichita, Kansas with his mother after his parents’ divorce.[25] Season three introduced Clark’s “super hearing”, which developed when his heat vision accidentally blinded him.[26]
Season four ventures further into the Superman mythology by creating a story arc that runs the length of the season; it involved Clark seeking out three Kryptonian stones, at the instruction of Jor-El, which contain the knowledge of the universe.[27] The majority of this season revolves around Lex trying to rekindle a strained friendship with Clark, Lana dating Jason Teague (Jensen Ackles), a young man she meets in France, Clark and numerous other characters vying with one another in attempts to obtain the stones, and Lionel’s ambiguous transformation into a good father and person.[28] This season introduced Lois Lane (Erica Durance), Chloe Sullivan’s (Allison Mack) cousin, as well as Bart Allen (Kyle Gallner).[27][29] The season began with the appearance of a new form of kryptonite; black kryptonite held the ability to split Clark into—and merge back together from—two separate beings exhibiting two personalities.[27]
Season five brings in more elements of the Superman mythology, including the Fortress of Solitude,[30] the Phantom Zone,[30] and Zod.[31] The villain Brainiac, in the guise of Professor Milton Fine (James Marsters), becomes a recurring antagonist. The season’s central plot revolves around Clark using the knowledge contained in the Fortress of Solitude to train for an impending doom that will befall Earth: the release of Zod from the Phantom Zone due to Fine’s machinations.[32] Clark and Lana finally begin a relationship with one another.[33] Season five featured a gradually unveiling storyline in conjunction with multiple minor story arcs running in parallel, mid-season and season finale cliffhangers, and cameos from two other notable DC characters, Aquaman (Alan Ritchson) and Cyborg (Lee Thompson Young).[34][35]
Season six takes Clark inside the Phantom Zone, inhabited by a society of exiled criminals from the “28 known inhabited galaxies”.[36] The destinies of Lionel and Lex play out in the aftermath of Lex’s possession by Zod and Lionel’s adoption as the “oracle” of Jor-El. Several prisoners escape the Phantom Zone with Clark.[36] Clark discovers his “super breath”, after developing a cold from over-exerting himself cleaning up Lex/Zod’s destruction in Metropolis, and having no abilities while in the Phantom Zone.[37] DC Comics characters Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore),[36] Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) (and his superhero alias Green Arrow) and Martian Manhunter (Phil Morris) are introduced this season,[38][39] and many of them unite in Smallville to fight a common threat.[40] Clark promises to continue his training, at the Fortress of Solitude, once all the escaped Phantom Zone criminals are either returned or destroyed.[41] Other storylines involve Lana and Lex’s marriage,[42] Lex’s secret “33.1″ experiments,[40] and the introduction of Clark’s evil doppelgänger.[43]
Season seven introduces Clark’s biological cousin, Kara (Laura Vandervoort) as a main character of the series. Her storyline focuses on Clark teaching her to blend in to society, controlling her powers, and learning to cope with the destruction of Krypton.[44] Her trust in her father Zor-El inadvertantly causes her to betray Clark.[45] Lana, after faking her own death, begins stalking Lex in order to find incriminating evidence against him.[46] Chloe, who learns she has kryptonite-induced abilities,[47] struggles to keep her power a secret from those around her. Lex’s younger brother Julian,[48] who was believed to have been killed in his crib when Lex was a young boy,[49] becomes the new editor of the Daily Planet under the assumed name Grant Gabriel.[47] “Grant” subsequently hires Lois as a new reporter, based on some of the stories she wrote for The Inquisitor,[47] with the two beginning a romantic relationship afterward, until Lex hires someone to kill him after Grant discovers he is only a clone.[50] Clark faces the dual threat from returning villain Brainiac (James Marsters), and Lex’s discovery of his father’s secret society who possess the means to control Clark. The series also features appearances from veteran Superman actors Dean Cain, Helen Slater and Marc McClure, with DC Comics character Black Canary (Alaina Huffman) also introduced in this season.
Season eight will introduce villains Doomsday and an unknown female to replace the exit of Lex Luthor from the series.[51]
Unlike most shows, which generally get about four weeks of casting, Gough and Millar had five months.[5] In October 2000, the two producers began their search for the three lead roles, and had casting directors in ten different cities.[7] There were originally eight series regulars, but since the first season four members of the original cast were written off the show, while five new actors were hired as series regulars during the succeeding seasons.
| “He hasn’t been able to choose whether or not he has these abilities. All this responsibility has just been thrust on him, and he has to deal with it.” Tom Welling on Clark Kent[52] |
Tom Welling portrays Clark Kent, a young man with superhuman[52] After months of scouting, Tom Welling was cast as Clark Kent.[52] David Nutter was looking through pictures of actors and stumbled upon Tom Welling’s image. When he asked about Welling, the casting director said Welling’s manager didn’t want him to do the role, because it could hurt his feature film career. After a conversation with Welling’s manager, Nutter got him to read the script for the pilot, which convinced him to do the part.[8] For one of his auditions, he read the graveyard scene with Kristin Kreuk; the network thought they had “great chemistry”.[5] Welling believes his lack of knowledge of the Superman mythology helps his performance because Gough and Millar have set up the series so that the previous mythology is not important.[52] abilities, who tries to find his place in life after discovering he is an alien. He uses his abilities to help others in danger. Clark’s problem in season one is not being able to share his secret with anyone. He just wants to be normal. Clark is afraid to open up to Lana, for fear that she will not accept him if she knows the truth.
The original cast: (from left) Annette O’Toole, John Schneider, Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Eric Johnson, Allison Mack, and Sam Jones
Kristin Kreuk portrays Lana Lang, the girl next door. She is the “beautiful, popular girl who is really lonely.”[53] She has a “hole in her heart,” because of the loss of her parents, and feels empathy for everyone. She feels connected to Clark.[53] Gough and Millar were initially trying to find someone for the role of Clark Kent, but Kristin Kreuk was the first to be cast, as Lana Lang. Casting director Coreen Mayrs sent David Nutter, the director of the pilot episode, a tape of 69 people and the second person on the tape was Kristin Kreuk.[8] They loved her audition tape so much they immediately showed her to the network.[5] Kristin Kreuk will not be returning as a regular cast member in season eight.[54]
Michael Rosenbaum portrays Lex Luthor, a billionaire’s son sent to Smallville to run the local fertilizer plant. After Clark saves his life, the two become quick friends.[11] Lex tries to be a hero, but his motives are usually driven by curiosity for the unexplained, like the day Clark rescued him from drowning. He is searching for that unconditional love, something his mother had for him before her death.[55] As the series has progressed, his friendship with Clark became strained and he has taken a darker turn in personality, alienating himself from his friend. Smallville’s Lex Luthor was not supposed to be a precursor to the more comedic role performed by Gene Hackman; he was meant to be likeable and vulnerable.[55] The role was hard to cast, as no one could agree on who they liked for the role. Gough and Millar wanted to cast a comedian for the series, on the belief that comedians always want to “please and be loved at the same time.”[5] Michael Rosenbaum auditioned for Lex Luthor twice. Feeling he didn’t take his first audition seriously, Rosenbaum outlined a two-and-a-half-page scene, indicating all the places to be funny, charismatic, or menacing.[55][5][56][54] His audition went so well that everyone agreed he was “the guy”. After seven seasons with the show, Rosenbaum announced that he would not be returning for the eighth season, though open to appearing as a an occasional guest.
Allison Mack portrays Chloe Sullivan, one of Clark’s best friends. She is in love with Clark, although the feeling isn’t reciprocated.[57] Editor of the school newspaper, her journalistic curiosity ;— always wanting to “expose falsehoods” and “know the truth”[58] ;— causes tension with her friends, especially when she is digging in Clark’s past.[59] She is intelligent and independent, but also an outcast in the school during season one.[58] After learning about Smallville from the show’s casting director, Dee Dee Bradley, Allison Mack thought about auditioning for the role of Lana Lang. Mack instead auditioned twice for the role of Chloe Sullivan.[58] The character was created just for the series,[5] and was intended to have an ethnic background before Mack was hired.[58] Part of the reason she was cast was because Gough and Millar felt she had a “rare ability to deliver large chunks of expositionary [sic] dialogue conversationally”.[5] When Rosenbaum left the show, Mack used this as leverage, saying she would leave unless she earned a higher salary for season eight.[60] The gambit paid off, and she signed a new contract to continue appearing in every episode.[61]
Sam Jones III portrays Pete Ross, another of Clark’s best friends. He hates the Luthors for what he sees as their thievery of his family’s creamed corn business.[62] He is the first person Clark voluntarily informs of his secret.[63] He is in love with Chloe,[64] which he keeps to himself because of the Clark-Lana-Chloe love triangle already taking place.[65] Pete Ross was written out of the series at the end of season three. Sam Jones III, who portrayed Pete Ross, was the last of the series regulars to be cast. Gough and Millar saw Jones four days before they began filming for the pilot.[65] In the comics, Pete Ross is Caucasian, and the producers chose to cast Jones, who is African-American, against the mythology.[65]
| “…I have the feeling that she didn’t have a mother growing up — they’ve never introduced a mother for her. That’s why being a mother is so important to her — and being the ‘picture book’ kind of mother at that.” Annette O’Toole on Martha Kent[66] |
Annette O’Toole portrays Martha Kent, Clark’s adopted mother. She, along with her husband Jonathan, give Clark sage advice about how to cope with his growing abilities. Annette O’Toole devised her own background for the character, in an effort to help her identify with the role. In her vision, Martha was originally from Metropolis, but she left because she felt it was “too phony”.[66][66]state senate seat.[67] This leads to a job as US Senator in Washington, D.C. in season six, and the character’s exit from the show.[68] Cynthia Ettinger[5] Annette O’Toole was committed to the television series In season five, she takes a was originally cast as Martha Kent, but during filming everyone realized that she was not right for the role, including Ettinger.The Huntress when Ettinger was filming the original pilot. Around the time the creators were looking to recast the role of Martha Kent, The Huntress was canceled, which allowed O’Toole to join the cast of Smallville.[66] O’Toole had previously portrayed Lana Lang in Superman III.[69] O’Toole also believes Martha carries sympathy for Lex, because of all the loss he endured as a child (his mother and his hair). According to O’Toole, Martha will always give Lex “the benefit of the doubt,” even when he reaches the point that he has crossed to the “dark side”.
John Schneider portrays Jonathan Kent, Clark’s adopted father. He goes to great lengths to protect his son’s secret. According to Schneider, Jonathan is “perfectly willing to go to jail, or worse, to protect his son.”[70][70][71] Millar and Gough wanted a recognizable face for Schneider also believes, “The least important person in Jonathan Kent’s life is Jonathan Kent.”Smallville. Gough and Millar loved the idea of casting John Schneider as Jonathan Kent, because Schneider was already known as Bo Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard,[72] which Gough saw as adding belief that he could have grown up running a farm.[5] John Schneider was written out of the show on the series’ 100th episode.
Eric Johnson portrays Whitney Fordman, Lana’s boyfriend, who becomes jealous of Clark and Lana’s budding friendship, going so far as to haze Clark.[11] He eventually reconciles with Clark, before joining the Marines.[73] Kristin Kreuk feels audiences did not get to know the character, because he was only seen through Clark’s eyes.[53] Whitney was written out of the show in the first season’s finale, but he made cameo[74][75] When the producers called him in for one more audition, after passing on him for the major roles, Johnson informed them that if they wanted him then they would need to bring him in for a screen-test. After the screen-test, Johnson was cast and spent only one day filming his scenes for the pilot.[75] appearances in the season two episode “Visage”, where it is revealed he died in combat overseas, and the season four episode “Façade”, during a flashback to Clark’s freshman year. Eric Johnson has expressed his pleasure in the way the writers handled Whitney’s departure, by giving the character the exit of a hero. Johnson auditioned for the roles of Lex and Clark, before finally being cast as Whitney Fordman.
Additional cast
John Glover portrays Lionel Luthor, Lex’s father. Lionel is responsible for the Kents being able to adopt Clark without any legal ramifications or questions of his origins.[59] Glover tried to make Lionel appear as though he was trying to “toughen [Lex] up”. The character is made to “go out his way, to give [Lex] tests, so [Lex] can prove himself.” Glover saw the character as someone who was a rich and powerful business man, disappointed in his son. Glover’s goal, for season one, was to show Lionel’s attempts to make Lex tougher; he interprets the character’s motto, in regards to raising Lex, as “no risk, no rewards.”[76] Lionel was created specifically for the show, to provide a parallel to the Kents, as an “experiment in extreme parenting.”[5] In season two, John Glover, who had been a recurring guest on the show in season one, became a part of the regular cast. He remained a series regular through season seven, until he was murdered by Lex in the episode “Descent”.[77]
Erica Durance portrays Lois Lane, Chloe’s cousin. She comes to Smallville investigating the supposed death of Chloe.[27] She stays with the Kents while in town. Durance was a recurring guest for season four, but has been a series regular since season five.
Aaron Ashmore portrays Jimmy Olsen: Chloe’s photographer boyfriend; he also works at the Daily Planet. Ashmore was a recurring guest for season six but became a regular cast member in season seven.
Laura Vandervoort portrays Kara, Clark’s Kryptonian cousin. She was sent to look after Kal-El (Clark), but was stuck in suspended animation for eighteen years. When the dam confining her ship broke in the season six finale, “Phantom”, she was set free. She has all of Clark’s abilities, as well as a few that he doesn’t have at the moment, including the ability to fly.[81] Gough has stated that she will not wear any version of the Supergirl costume.[82] At the end of the seventh season, Kara is shown to be trapped in the Phantom Zone. Vandervoort will not return as a regular for the eighth season.[83]
Smallville’s first accomplishment was breaking the record for highest rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers tuning in for its pilot.[4] A common criticism for the first season was the use of “villain of the week” storylines. By the time the first seven episodes aired, at least one journalist had had enough; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Rob Owen stated, “Smallville flies high with super character interaction and a nice performance by John Schneider as Pa Kent, but the series needs better plots than the “monster of the week” stories seen so far.” Jordan Levin, president of The WB’s Entertainment division, recognized the concerns that the show had become a villain-of-the-week series. Levin announced that season two would see more “smaller mini-arcs over three to four episodes, to get away from some of the formulaic storytelling structure we were getting ourselves boxed into… We don’t want to turn it into a serialized show.”Smallville’s first season placed sixth on the Parents Television Council’s list of the “best shows for families”.
On January 24, 2006, it was confirmed Smallville would be part of the new The CW’s Fall 2006-2007 lineup once The WB and UPN ceased separate operations and merged as The CW in September 2006.
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