Smallville

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Smallville
File:SmallvilleNewOpeningCredits.jpg
Smallville title screen
Created byAlfred Gough
Miles Millar
StarringSee Cast & characters below
Country of originUnited States United States
No. of episodes127 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time60 minutes (approx. 42 min)
Original release
NetworkThe WB (2001-2006)
The CW (2006-)
ReleaseOctober 16, 2001 –
present

Smallville is an American television series that follows the adventures of a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling), as a teenager living in Smallville, Kansas, during the years before he becomes Superman. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, Smallville debuted on October 16, 2001 on the WB Network, though it now airs on The CW (following the merger of The WB and UPN after the respective networks ceased operations) and is currently in its sixth season. Smallville is filmed in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada.

The series inspired a spin-off pilot episode (Aquaman) that was never aired. Promotional tie-ins have included: three sets of online web series, two of which were produced by Verizon (Smallville: Chloe Chronicles and Smallville: Vengeance Chronicles) and the other by Sprint (Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles), a series of young-adult novels, a DC Comics comic book and soundtrack releases. The show broke Charmed's record for highest rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers tuning in for its pilot episode. Viewers will often observe lines of dialogue, guest stars, character wardrobe, musical scores, and scenic design used as allusions to the Superman comic books and films.

Production

In 1998, Warner Brothers Television began pre-production of a proposed television series about a teenage Batman, tentatively titled simply Bruce Wayne.[1] Based on a pilot script, it focused on young Wayne, Vicki Vale, Selina Kyle, Harvey Dent, and Jim Gordon.[1] Tim McCanlies, who wrote the film The Iron Giant, wrote the pilot script and series bible for Tollin-Robbins Productions. The project, however, never got off the ground and into production. Because Warner Bros. was working on rebooting the Batman film franchise, all production was stopped on the television series.

Eventually, in 2000, Tollin-Robbins chose to purchase the rights to do a series about the younger years of the Clark Kent character, and brought in creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. They created a "No Tights, No Flights" rule, vowing Clark would not, at any point, fly or don the suit during the run of the show.[2] Michael Rosenbaum was cast as Lex Luthor, Kristin Kreuk as Lana, and a young construction-worker-turned-model-turned-actor named Tom Welling as Clark. Also cast were Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan, Sam Jones III as Pete Ross, Eric Johnson as Whitney Fordman, John Glover as Lionel Luthor, Cynthia Ettinger as Martha Kent and John Schneider as Jonathan Kent. After the pilot for the series had already been finished, for unknown reasons, Cynthia Ettinger was replaced with Annette O'Toole (who played Lana Lang in 1983's Superman III), and Cynthia's parts were reshot with Annette O'Toole.

The concept of Smallville has been described by Warner Brothers as being a reinterpretation of the Superman mythology from its roots. Recently, since the November 2004 reacquisition of Superboy by the Siegels, there has arisen contention regarding a possible copyright infringement. The dispute is over ownership of the fictional 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",[3] of which the Siegels own the rights.

Filming and location

The Clova Cinema in Cloverdale, British Columbia, which stands in for the Talon's exteriors on "Smallville".

Smallville is filmed at various locales in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada.[4] The show is produced at BB Studios in Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver.[5]

However, "main street" Smallville is Cloverdale, British Columbia.[4] Cloverdale is particularly proud of being a filming site for the show; at its entrance is a huge sign which reads "Home of Smallville.[4]" When filming started, the high school exteriors were shot at the Vancouver Technical School, interiors at Templeton Secondary School.[6] The Kent farm is a real farm located in Aldergrove.[7]

A movie house, the Clova Cinema in Cloverdale, is used for exteriors of The Talon[8], (the show's coffee house), which is owned by Lex Luthor and managed by Lana Lang. In the show, before being turned into a coffee house, The Talon was formerly Smallville's movie theater.

Music

Most episodes feature a song or songs by an alternative rock act. Two soundtrack albums were released, with the second following two years after the first. As yet, none of Mark Snow's Americana-flavored original scores (which at times incorporates John Williams' iconic themes from Superman: The Movie) has been released. On February 25, 2003, Smallville: The Talon Mix was released. The Talon Mix featured a selected group of artists that supplied music for the show.[9] Following that release, on November 8, 2005, Smallville: The Metropolis Mix was released. It followed the same format, featuring selected artists from the show's music.[10]

Smallville universe

Template:Spoilers The series follows the life of a teenage Clark Kent living in the town of Smallville, Kansas at the beginning of the 21st century. Clark Kent copes with adolescence while his superpowers (x-ray vision, superhearing, etc.) develop, explores his extraterrestrial origins and struggles to discover his destiny.

The series often deals with the people in Clark Kent's life: the trials and tribulations of his adoptive human parents, Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent, friendship with his peers, his relationship with his sometime love interest Lana Lang, and especially his friendship with Lex Luthor as it decays into their mutual enmity of legend.

Established powers of Clark Kent

Smallville has established a number of Superman's powers throughout its history. The Pilot introduced Clark as being familiar with his super strength, super speed and becoming aware of his invulnerability, after being hit by a car. Over time, Clark learns new abilities and powers that Superman will possess in the future. A new ability is generally introduced in one episode that centers around Clark discovering, learning to understand and then ultimately controlling the new found power. As the series progresses, Clark exhibits, and learns to control, super vision in the episode "X-Ray", heat vision in the episode "Heat", super hearing in "Whisper", and super breath in "Sneeze". His super hearing developed as a consequence of an injury rendering Clark temporarily blind. Clark's abilities, namely his strength, invulnerability and speed, have continually grown in intensity throughout the series. Many early episodes chronicled his body's reaction to being shot, at first becoming bruised, and later showing few if any marks.

Kryptonite

The element of 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 villains who have developed bizarre powers, such as psychic abilities, shapeshifting, and other paranormal abilities. For this reason, the show is often criticized as being predominantly a "villain of the week" series.[11][12][13]

Kryptonite has very different effects on Kryptonians like Clark. The general premise is that Clark is virtually invincible except when around it. 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 compunctions and act out on his impulses and dark desires. Black kryptonite splits Clark into (and merges him back together from) two separate beings exhibiting two personalities (Clark Kent and Kal-El). Silver kryptonite has appeared once, in the episode "Splinter"; its origins are unspecific but its effect apparently include hallucinations and severe paranoia.

Allusions to the franchise

There are a number of allusions and themes which relate to the Superman franchise in many ways, outside of the obvious references to the Superman name, colors or costume.[14] One of the most obvious of these is that Clark is almost always seen wearing combinations of red, yellow and blue, an allusion of his costume to come.[15] In addition, Clark is frequently told by other characters he looks good in either blue or red.[original research?] Clark's surroundings maintain a similar theme; the Kent farm has objects which colors are either red, yellow or blue. For example, their house is yellow, the barn is red and the truck is blue.[original research?]

In addition to the Kent Farm, in seasons one through to four, Smallville High School represents many of these allusions as well.[original research?] The school mascot, which is a crow, wears a red cape, with a crest on its chest that has the letter S (for Smallville). Also, two of Superman's colors—red and yellow—are abundant in the school. As well as the references to the Superman character, the series makes numerous references to other Superman lore and media.[16] It should also be noted that the Superman films are referenced through the cast, as Annette O'Toole (who plays Clark's mother) played the role of Lana Lang in Superman III in 1983 and Terence Stamp (who voices Clark's biological father, Jor-El) played General Zod in both Superman and Superman II.[original research?]

Series overview

Template:Spoilers

Smallville season one poster.

Season 1

Introduction of the cast and storylines, including the introduction of a villain (or outcast classmate) deriving power from kryptonite exposure and appearing in only one episode, in a plot device that becomes known as the "freak of the week."[11][12][13]

Season 2

Season 2 has fewer "freaks of the week" episodes, focusing more on character development and relationship building. 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. 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. 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.

Season 3

This season focuses on further character development, loyalty, betrayal, and new revelations involving Jor-El. Early in the season, Michael McKean, Annette O'Toole's (Martha Kent) real-life husband, portrays Clark's future Daily Planet editor Perry White; from this point on, other characters present in the Superman mythos and the DC Universe are introduced to Smallville. Pete Ross' inability to deal with keeping Clark's secret causes him to move to Wichita, Kansas with his mother after his parents had divorced. As of early 2007, Sam Jones has not made any return appearances as Pete Ross.

Season 4

The fourth season ventures further into the Superman mythos 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) apparently containing Kryptonian knowledge. The majority of this season revolves around Lex trying to rekindle a strained friendship with Clark, Lana dating Jason Teague, a young man she meets in France, Lionel's ambiguous transformation into a good father and person, and Clark and numerous other characters vying with one another in attempts to obtain the stones. This season also introduced Lois Lane (Erica Durance) as Chloe Sullivan's (Allison Mack) cousin and the Flash.

Season 5

Season 5 introduces several further elements of the Superman mythos, including Jonathan Kent's death, the Fortress of Solitude, the Phantom Zone, and Zod. The villain Brainiac, in the guise of Professor Milton Fine (James Marsters), become 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 to befall Earth: the release of Zod from the Phantom Zone due to Fine's machinations. Clark and Lana finally begin a relationship with one another. As with Season 4, Season 5 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, Cyborg and Aquaman.

Season 6

Season 6 provides the first glimpse into the Phantom Zone, inhabited by a society of exiled criminals from the "28 known galaxies". 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. DC Comics characters Jimmy Olsen, Oliver Queen (and his superhero alias Green Arrow) and the Martian Manhunter are introduced this season, and many of them unite in Smallville to fight a common threat. Clark appears more prepared to accept the greater responsibility and destiny in store for him, by promising to continue his training once all the escaped Phantom Zone criminals are either returned or destroyed. There is also a storyline in which Lana, presumably carrying Lex's child, marries Lex.

Cast and characters

Template:Spoilers

File:SmallvilleSeason1fullcast.jpg
Left to right: Annette O'Toole, John Schneider, Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum, Eric Johnson, Allison Mack, and Sam Jones III


  • Tom Welling as Clark Kent: A teenager with a growing set of abilities, he regularly battles "meteor freaks" in his effort to fix a disaster he believes is his fault. The series centers around Kent and his relationships and adventures.
  • Michael Rosenbaum as Alexander "Lex" Luthor: A billionaire, and product of his father's "personal brand of parenting." Throughout the series his transition from best-friend of Clark to most hated enemy is an ever-expanding plot.
  • Kristin Kreuk as Lana Lang: A romantic interest for Clark throughout the series. As the series progresses the relationship between the two is a continuing storyline.
  • Allison Mack as Chloe Sullivan: Not originally a character from the comics, she has become an intricate player in the Smallville universe. Her love for investigative journalism often leads her into inquiries about Clark, her best friend, and his mysterious disappearances. She eventually learns Clark's secret in season 4.
  • Annette O'Toole as Martha Kent: Clark's loving mother. She learned she would never be able to give birth to a child, and was overjoyed when she and Jonathan found Clark in the meteor shower. Clark considers her his "heart and soul". [17] She currently serves as a state senator in Kansas, filling the seat left vacant when her husband died.
  • John Glover as Lionel Luthor: Not originally a character from the comics, he has become a regular in the Smallville universe. Lex's father has had many sides during the series. He has gone from feared enemy to a vessel for Jor-El. Since Season 5, he has protected Clark's secret, but his own son believes he may be hiding his true nature.
  • Erica Durance as Lois Lane: Chloe's cousin, she initially arrives to investigate Chloe's supposed death. She first meets Clark in season 4, and immediately the pair struggle to get along. Lois is at first not interested in journalism, but takes part in investigative activities with Clark and Chloe.
  • John Schneider as Jonathan Kent: Clark's devoted father. He would do anything to protect Clark, including sacrificing himself. Like in the 1978 film, Superman, he passes away from suffering heart failure in season 5, the 100th episode of the series.
  • Sam Jones III as Pete Ross: The best friend of Clark, his family was swindled out of their business by Lionel Luthor. Accidentally finding Clark's spaceship, and learning his secret, he guarded it with his life for two seasons before moving to Wichita with his mother.
  • Eric Johnson as Whitney Fordman: Star quarterback of the football team, and Lana's boyfriend, he initially disliked Clark. The two would later settle their differences before he was shipped out for basic training in the Marines. In season 2, he was killed in action.
  • Jensen Ackles as Jason Teague: Lana's boyfriend from Paris, Jason followed Lana Lang to Smallville. Jason and his mother sought the three Kryptonian elements and attempted to sacrifice Lana while she was possessed by the reincarnated witch Isobel Thoreaux. Jason later took Jonathan and Martha Kent hostage at their farmhouse before being killed during the second meteor shower.

Appearances by other DC Comics characters

Throughout the series' history, many DC Comics characters have made their way into the Smallville universe. Most of the characters only appear for a single episode, but some have managed to become part of story arcs that last for several episodes, sometimes seasons. Professor Hamilton became one of the first guest characters to appear in the series. Hamilton was hired by Luthor to investigate the effects of kryptonite. He debuted in "Craving", and later died of kryptonite poisoning in season 2. Maggie Sawyer, a Metropolis police officer, was introduced in "Insurgence". Season three saw the appearance of numerous characters, including: Morgan Edge ("Exile"), Dr. Teng ("Phoenix"), Clark's future boss at the Daily Planet Perry White ("Perry") and Dr. Claire Foster ("Perry"). Season four saw a similar number of characters appear throughout the series, including Dr. Crosby ("Crusade"), who was played by Margot Kidder (Lois Lane in the Superman films), Lois' father General Lane ("Gone"), Mikail Mxyzptlk ("Jinx"), Shelby ("Krypto") and Lucy Lane ("Lucy"). The most notable character to appear in Smallville during season four was Bart Allen (who, in DC comics, eventually becomes known as The Flash), first appearing in "Run".

Season five introduced a major supervillain, Milton Fine (Brainiac) in the first episode of the season. Arthur Curry (Aquaman) was featured in the episode "Aqua", coming to Smallville to investigate a new weapon Lex was creating for the government. Clark also met Andrea Rojas (Acrata), Victor Stone (Cyborg), and Zod. Season six introduced Jimmy Olsen and Green Arrow; both characters would become recurring guests throughout the season. Martian Manhunter made a brief appearance in "Static" and was a key component in "Labyrinth".[18]

Reception and awards

Smallville's first accomplishment was breaking Charmed's record for highest rated debut for The WB, with 8.4 million viewers tuning in for its pilot.[19] Since debuting in 2001, Smallville has been nominated and won a number of awards in a number of categories.[20] Smallville has been nominated for numerous Saturn Awards. In 2002 the show was nominated in six categories, including Best Network Television Series, out of the nominations, Michael Rosenbaum took home the Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series.[20] Tom Welling, Allison Mack, Kristin Kreuk, Erica Durance and John Glover have also received numerous nominations in their respective acting categories as well.[20] Smallville has been nominated for Best Network Television Series five times in a row (2002-06). Most of the cast has been nominated for one or more Teen Choice Awards; in 2002 Welling won the award for Choice Breakout Star and in 2006 Mack won Choice Sidekick.[20] Rosenbaum also won a Golden Satellite Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series.[20] Smallville also won a Casting Society of America award for Best Casting for TV, Dramatic Pilot in 2002.[20]

The show received two nominations for American Society of Cinematographers awards for the Pilot (2002) and Scared (2006) and a Canadian Society of Cinematographers award for Temptest (2003).[20] In addition to numerous Leo Awards nominations, the show won Best Visual Effects (2002), Best Make-Up (2005), Best Cinematography in a Dramatic Series, and Best Production Design in a Dramatic Series (2006).[20] The show has also received six Motion Picture Sound Editors nominations.[20] At the Visual Effects Society Awards, Smallville has received four nominations and two awards: Outstanding Compositing and Outstanding Matte Painting in a Televised Program, Music Video or Commercial. Smallville has also been nominated for four Emmy Awards, winning two for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series in 2002 and again in 2006.[20] On January 24, 2006, it was confirmed Smallville would be part of the new The CW's Fall 20062007 lineup once The WB and UPN ceased separate operations and merged as The CW in September 2006. Season 6 began on September 28, 2006.[21]

DVD releases

Seasons one through to five have been released in regions 1, 2 and 3, with the exception of season five, which has an upcoming release in region 4. DVD releases typically include commentary by cast and crew members on a select number of episodes, deleted scenes, gag reels and some featurettes, such as visual effects or a Lois Lane documentary. Smallville: Chloe Chronicles are also included on some seasons. Other special features include interactive features such as a tour of Smallville, or a comic book. There are also DVD-ROM features on some DVDs.

Complete Season Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 Region 4
1st September 23, 2003[22] October 13, 2003[23] December 3, 2003[24]
2nd May 18,2004[25] September 17,2004[26] January 1, 2005[27]
3rd November 16,2004[28] April 18,2005[29] July 13, 2005[30]
4th September 13,2005[31] October 10,2005[32] November 11, 2006[33]
5th September 12,2006[34] August 28,2006[35] April 4,2007[36]

Other media

Allison Mack's character Chloe Sullivan stars in the spin-off series Smallville: Chloe Chronicles, which is available online and has been included in the releases of Smallville DVD seasons. Thus far there have been three "Chloe Chronicles" editions; the first series Chloe Chronicles featured Chloe investigating further into the events of the first season episode Jitters. The second edition Chloe Chronicles, Vol II was a continuation of the first, in total, the first two series included seven chronicles. The third edition was a spin-off of the fifth season episode "Vengeance". Titled Vengeance Chronicles, Chloe joins forces with a costumed vigilante whom she dubs the "Angel of Vengeance." There will also be another series, the Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles, which is a six-episode CGI series.[37]

Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar developed the Aquaman pilot for The WB Television Network with Justin Hartley as Arthur Curry.[38] The pilot can be found through the iTunes Store, and the Xbox 360 video marketplace.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Bruce Wayne: Series Outline". Kryptonsite.com. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  2. ^ Barry Garron (October 15, 2001). "Smallville". MichaelRosenbaum.com. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  3. ^ Brian Cronin (August 2, 2006). "Superboy Copyright FAQ". Goodcomics.com. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  4. ^ a b c "Filming Locations". Smallville Town of Weird. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  5. ^ "FAQ Planete Smallville". Planete-smallville.com. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  6. ^ "School Highlights - School Profile". vsb.bc.ca. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  7. ^ "Aldergrove: Stuntman seriously injured". Langley Advance. 2005-07-29. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  8. ^ "Cloverdale Filming Including Smallville". Cloverdale Business Improvement Association. Retrieved 2007-01-14.
  9. ^ "Smallville: The Talon Mix". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
  10. ^ "Smallville: The Metropolis Mix". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-16.
  11. ^ a b "Cowboy Peter's TV round-up (Alias, Smallville, West Wing, Angel)". PeterDavid.net. October 17, 2003. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  12. ^ a b "Smallville Twist files part 05". Smallville-Twist. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  13. ^ a b "Signing Off: The 10 Best Shows the WB Ever Aired". TV.com. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  14. ^ "Smallville: Every Story Has A Beginning..." ESHAB. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  15. ^ "Review: the fourth season kicks off with Crusade". BBC. 25 January, 2005. Retrieved 2006-12-22. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Smallville". chirographum.com. October 18, 2001. Retrieved 2006-12-22.
  17. ^ Toddy Slavkin & Darren Swimmer (writers) (November 17, 2006). season 5 episode "Solitude" (Television). The CW.
  18. ^ "Phil Morris on Martian Manhunter". Kryptonsite.com. Retrieved 2007-01-26.
  19. ^ "The WB Orders More 'Smallville'". tv.zap2it.com/. October 24, 2001. Retrieved 2006-10-19. {{cite web}}: Text ",00.html" ignored (help); Text "1" ignored (help); Text "71462" ignored (help)
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Awards for "Smallville" (2001)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  21. ^ "The CW Network announces its inaugural 2006-2007 premiere schedule". thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2006-10-19.
  22. ^ "Season 1 (Region 1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  23. ^ "Season 1 (Region 2)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  24. ^ "Season 1 (Region 4)". jbhifionline.com. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  25. ^ "Season 2 (Region 1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  26. ^ "Season 2 (Region 2)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  27. ^ "Season 2 (Region 4)". jbhifionline.com. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  28. ^ "Season 3 (Region 1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  29. ^ "Season 3 (Region 2)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  30. ^ "Season 3 (Region 4)". jbhifionline.com. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  31. ^ "Season 4 (Region 1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  32. ^ "Season 4 (Region 2)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  33. ^ "Season 4 (Region 4)". jbhifionline.com. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  34. ^ "Season 5 (Region 1)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  35. ^ "Season 5 (Region 2)". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2006-12-13.
  36. ^ "Season 5 (Region 4)". ezydvd.com. Retrieved 2007-01-12.
  37. ^ "Official Press Release About The Oliver Queen Chronicles". KryptonSite.com. Retrieved 2007-01-19.
  38. ^ Josef Adalian (November 13, 2005). "WB dives into 'Aquaman'". Variety. Retrieved 2007-01-01.

External links

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