Smallville: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 141 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 141 Ratings

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Smallville

Now Playing: Smallville

Season Details & Credits

WB | The CW | Season Premiere Date: October 16, 2001

Starring: Sam Jones III, Annette O'Toole, Tom Welling

Summary: Smallville tells the tale of a teenage Clark Kent in the days before he was Superman. It is the town where he came from where very strange things started happening with his arrival in a spaceship in the midst of a meteor storm of green rocks. Clark must deal with a variety of individuals given powers by the green rocks, keep his powers aSmallville tells the tale of a teenage Clark Kent in the days before he was Superman. It is the town where he came from where very strange things started happening with his arrival in a spaceship in the midst of a meteor storm of green rocks. Clark must deal with a variety of individuals given powers by the green rocks, keep his powers a secret, cope with his friendship with a young Lex Luthor, and balance the two girls in his life, Chloe and Lana. The show also shows us how Lex Luthor develops from a friend of Clark's and kinda-okay guy to (presumably) the villain who will plague Superman in his later years.… Expand

Creator: Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and Jerry Siegel

Genre(s): Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E21. Tempest (1)
Air Date: May 21, 2002
tbd
S1:E20. Obscura
Air Date: May 14, 2002
tbd
S1:E19. Crush
Air Date: May 7, 2002

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Barry Garron

Aug 6, 2013

Purists might balk, but for the rest of us, the latest retelling of the Superman tale is a brilliant blend of tradition and contemporary sensibility. Not only is it a Superman for a new generation, it's a Superman for every generation. [15 Oct 2001]

Noel Holston

Aug 6, 2013

The writing is intelligent, wittily playing off our knowledge of the Superman lore, and the production values are on par with top-quality fantasy / sci-fi shows like "The X-Files."...Smallville is the most purely enjoyable dramatic series of the new season. Like Clark, this baby's destined to fly. [16 Oct 2001, p.B27]

Gail Pennington

Aug 6, 2013

Only the darkness of the show is disconcerting. Poignancy is great, and presumably Clark will triumph in his battles against evil. But in post-Columbine, post-Sept. 11 America, humor has never been a more valuable commodity. If Smallville can strike the right balance, the series should fly. [16 Oct 2001, p.F1]

Tom Long

Aug 6, 2013

Simply put, Smallville is super. A new spin on the modern myth of Superman, it's part action series, part teen romance and part high school drama, done with superior production values and featuring an array of new faces that could quickly become familiar. [16 Oct 2001]

Robert P. Laurence

Aug 6, 2013

Not to quibble about issues of plausibility in a story about a boy with superhuman powers who arrives on Earth on a spaceship from an alien planet, but the star of Smallville is just too beautiful to be believed. As a geek, that is. [16 Oct 2001, p.E-3]

Brandon Easton

Aug 6, 2013

Possibly the best comic-book-to-TV-series ever made. It is a show that respects its source material without exaggerating the visceral bombast. It's a show that will entertain you in a single bound. [16 Oct 2001, p.44]

Tom Shales

Aug 6, 2013

This entire personification of Superman is so whiny and self-pitying that it's really an insult to the comic book mythology. [16 Oct 2001, p.C01]

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User Score

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8.1

User Reviews

GoodForge

Mar 23, 2011

Was a fantastic series for 9 seasons. I'm feeling seriously let down by the last season so far. Seems like a weak ending to a strong show. Would loved to have seen him develop more in costume and finally fly for a few seasons. Think they should have some new "power" writers on for season 11Was a fantastic series for 9 seasons. I'm feeling seriously let down by the last season so far. Seems like a weak ending to a strong show. Would loved to have seen him develop more in costume and finally fly for a few seasons. Think they should have some new "power" writers on for season 11 and amp things up for the finale. Don't end with season 10.… Expand

0 of 3 users found this helpful03

m2727xz

Jun 19, 2013

Great show Go watch it now u will enjoy every minute of it I liked how they added metallo also other villains
and I like drama and the romance on it wish it never ended

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

txrangersfan72

Dec 21, 2010

It almost seems pointless to write a review of Smallville since the show appeals to a very specific, niche group of fans. Of the 5 ratings, the average Metacritic score is 9.8. So...yet another 10 seems pointless. However, what I do want to write about is how rare Smallville is in termsIt almost seems pointless to write a review of Smallville since the show appeals to a very specific, niche group of fans. Of the 5 ratings, the average Metacritic score is 9.8. So...yet another 10 seems pointless. However, what I do want to write about is how rare Smallville is in terms of quality of live action shows based on comic books. Ever since the success of the Batman movie done by Tim Burton in 1989, Warner, who has since purchased DC Comics and done a magnificent jobs re-inventing the comic-based animated series with the Bruce Timm-produced Batman, Superman, Justice League and Batman Beyond programs, took a chance on a couple of live action versions of certain heroes. Birds of Prey wasn't as successful, but the Miles Millar and Alfred Gough-created concept, which initially appealed to comic fans and teenage drama watchers alike, has put a unique, yet sustainable and modern spin on the classic canon. I was never a fan of the Smallville-era Superboy/Lana Lang portion of the Superman mythos, but tying it to an early Lex and making it modern hooked me from day one. And now, 10 seasons later, the series has done wonders in transitioning to Metropolis, Lois Lane and even superb renditions of the Justice League. While Tom Welling may never win an Oscar for his acting ability, he has been the perfect naive farm boy learning his purpose in the world. I can't say enough about the appeal of Allison Mack as Chloe and the transition into Erica Durance's PERFECT portrayal of Lois Lane. I will be sad to see this show end in a few months. If you never got a chance to see this show and had any interest in Superman, buy the series on DVD/Blu Ray and spend time watching it. You won't be disappointed.… Expand

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

cam_hunt95

Nov 28, 2012

I thought this series was very good, up until the last episode. It seemed to me that the producers throw out all the principals, and destroyed all that was good about Smallville

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Hybridiction

Jun 28, 2011

The best Superman based TV series to ever hit television. With over 100 episodes, you see Clark kent grow from a young teenager to the man who eventually becomes superman. If I were to only give a review for the first 5 seasons, this TV show would have got a 9 or 10 from me but the laterThe best Superman based TV series to ever hit television. With over 100 episodes, you see Clark kent grow from a young teenager to the man who eventually becomes superman. If I were to only give a review for the first 5 seasons, this TV show would have got a 9 or 10 from me but the later season's really turned me off from the show. They re-used to many of the same elements, such as clark losing his super powers, relationship problems, memory wipes and so many cliche's. The acting was generally top notch with a few bad actors to hit the screen here and there and I feel the show did well with the budget it was given, though for some odd reason it seemed like the special effects were actually better during the first half of the show then the later half. At times the show felt very corny with a predictable plot, this was usually during the later seasons but they did a good job bringing closure to the series in the end. Overall Smallville did a great job as a TV series and deserves to be commended for it.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Sabrinna

Mar 14, 2011

Good beginning. Season 1 introduces our characters well and sets the scene. It focuses more on individual one-off episode plots at first as we get to know our characters. Well-done. The actress who plays Lana Lang is extremely unfortunate. Yes, she's beautiful but realistically this isn'tGood beginning. Season 1 introduces our characters well and sets the scene. It focuses more on individual one-off episode plots at first as we get to know our characters. Well-done. The actress who plays Lana Lang is extremely unfortunate. Yes, she's beautiful but realistically this isn't enough. Her acting is hammy & over the top. The chemistry between Clark & Lana isn't there so it's compensated by long extended looks many times an episode. With the weakness of Kristin Kreuk's acting its hard to believe Clark actually likes her and the pairing of Clark & Chloe seems far more likely. A 7 rating this episode for bad casting of a lead character. Great story-lines however.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

crabrangoon

Oct 5, 2013

Superman can't fly.....what a pity! If I remember my comic books, he started flying even as a baby and even his dog "Krypto" flew. This show is a disappointment to the entire franchise!

0 of 5 users found this helpful05

SEE ALL 26 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

75

Series Overview
Season 10

tbd
- Season 10 Overview
  Air Date: September 24, 2010
Season 10

tbd
- Season 10 Overview
  Air Date: September 24, 2010
Season 9

tbd
- Season 9 Overview
  Air Date: September 25, 2009
Season 8

tbd
- Season 8 Overview
  Air Date: September 18, 2008
Season 7

tbd
- Season 7 Overview
  Air Date: September 27, 2007
Season 6

tbd
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: September 28, 2006
Season 5

tbd
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 29, 2005
Season 4

tbd
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 22, 2004
Season 3

tbd
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: October 1, 2003
Season 2

tbd
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 24, 2002
Season 1

75
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: October 16, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E21. Tempest (1)
  Air Date: May 21, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E20. Obscura
  Air Date: May 14, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E19. Crush
  Air Date: May 7, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E18. Drone
  Air Date: April 30, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E17. Reaper
  Air Date: April 23, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E16. Stray
  Air Date: April 16, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E15. Nicodemus
  Air Date: March 19, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E14. Zero
  Air Date: March 12, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E13. Kinetic
  Air Date: February 26, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E12. Leech
  Air Date: February 12, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E11. Hug
  Air Date: February 5, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E10. Shimmer
  Air Date: January 29, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E9. Rogue
  Air Date: January 15, 2002
- tbd
  S1:E8. Jitters
  Air Date: December 11, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E7. Craving
  Air Date: November 27, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E6. Hourglass
  Air Date: November 20, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E5. Cool
  Air Date: November 13, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E4. X-Ray
  Air Date: November 6, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E3. Hothead
  Air Date: October 30, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E2. Metamorphosis
  Air Date: October 23, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E1. Pilot
  Air Date: October 16, 2001