The CW's Arrowverse.

Smallville follows Clark Kent, a mild-mannered and seemingly ordinary young man from Smallville, who grew up in a quiet town with his humble parents. As he tackles the regular challenges of high school, sports, and dating, Clark's troubles are magnified due to his one big secret: he's an alien, and he has tremendous powers that could make him a considerable threat to everyone or Earth's mightiest hero. But before that can be determined, he needs to finish high school and get the hang of his powers.

Smallville Is The Perfect Superhero Origin Story

Tom Welling stars as Clark Kent, alongside Michael Rosenbaum, who plays Lex Luthor, a friend who has some sneaking suspicions that Clark isn't always honest with him. The show immediately dives into the action, with Clark's arrival on Earth, and a brief exploration of his early years with Jonathan and Martha Kent, before introducing the boy wonder as a teenager. Early on, it appears that Clark's biggest struggles are dating and pop quizzes, but the reality is that something darker is happening in Smallville.

...while there are opposing emotions and themes, Smallville never feels disted or disconnected from the characters being explored.

The show does a spectacular job of balancing humor with tension, hope with angst, and joy with frustration. This duality mimics Clark's own emotions as he matures, deals with puberty, and hides a large part of himself from the people closest to him. But while there are opposing emotions and themes, Smallville never feels disted or disconnected from the characters being explored.

Clark's nature as an alien is pivotal, and it's reinforced in large ways, such as with his powers, but it's the more subtle examination of his relationships with friends and family that brings it home. And while these struggles are uniquely his, they resonate with us because of his extremely likable and familiar nature. Clark Kent feels like the guy that everyone wants to have as a friend and a leader. He's inspiring, modest, and humble, but he possesses the power to carry the world on his shoulders.

Smallville Expertly Blends Superhero Elements With Coming-Of-Age Drama

Smallville thrived for 10 seasons, and the series had its ups and downs. In that amount of time, there were bound to be stronger episodes and stories and weaker ones. However, the writers did an incredible job establishing ground rules to help guide the narrative and ensure they stayed within certain boundaries. Smallville was never meant to be a Superman story — only a Clark Kent one. So, while certain aspects are lacking and we never actually see Clark in the full Superman costume, it comes from a place of careful consideration.

Smallville was never meant to be a Superman story, just a Clark Kent one.

What appears in place of that Superman story is a clever and creative reimagining of the origin story. Some beats remain faithful to the comics, but more often, Smallville provides a training ground for Clark to hone his incredible strength. He goes from a teen to a young man who has the right mind and morality to match that power. In many ways, Smallville then becomes one of the most faithful adaptations thanks to its focus on making Clark this inspirational symbol of hope and justice.

Meanwhile, some episodes feel cheesy or outdated in a modern landscape. At times, the show has episodes that feel like padding due to constant renewals that expanded a four-year high school stint into something that stretched out over 10 seasons. Despite the stretching of its storytelling abilities, the superhero series succeeds more often than it fails, and the actors make every episode feel engaging and worthwhile. Ultimately, Smallville remains one of the best superhero stories on TV because it doesn't stray way too far from comics lore but makes Clark's journey uniquely its own.