Smallville
2005 Poster for Smallville
Genre	Drama Action/Adventure Sci-fi
Running time	60 minutes (approx. 42 min)
Creator(s)	Alfred Gough Miles Millar
Starring	See Cast & characters below
Country of origin	USA/Canada
Original network/channel	The WB (2001 - 2006) The CW (2006 - )
Original run	October 16, 2001 – Present
No. of episodes	110 (to date)
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Smallville is an American television series that debuted in 2001 on the WB Television Network. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the series follows the adventures of a young Clark Kent, in the town of Smallville, Kansas, before he becomes Superman. The series spawned a download-only spinoff (but was included in the Season DVDs), Smallville: Chloe Chronicles and Smallville: Vengeance Chronicles (began during Season 5, after the "Vengeance" episode).

On January 24, 2006, it was confirmed that Smallville will be part of the new CW Television Network's fall 2006–2007 lineup once the WB and UPN cease operations in September 2006.

Smallville broke Charmed's record for highest rated debut for the WB Television Network, with 8.40 million viewers tuning in for its pilot.

The show is one of the supernatural-themed shows on the network, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Charmed, Supernatural and Roswell, and has many times been noted for its mixing of multiple genres (from horror and fantasy to comedy and even soap)

Overview

Smallville is based on the popular DC Comics character, Superman. The series follows the life of a teenage Clark Kent living in the town of Smallville, Kansas, that is set at the start of the 21st century. It shows Clark Kent coping with adolescence while he is developing supernatural powers (x-ray vision, super speed, etc.), exploring his extraterrestrial origins, and struggling to find his destiny.

The series often deals with the people in Clark Kent's life: his adoptive human parents, Jonathan Kent and Martha Kent; his peers, Chloe Sullivan, Pete Ross; his love interest, Lana Lang; and especially his friendship with a young Lex Luthor.

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, shape-shifting, and other paranormal abilities. (For this reason, the show is often criticized as being predominately a "villain of the week" series.) On Kryptonians like Clark, though, the Kryptonite has very different effects; the general idea is that Clark is virtually invincible except when around the Kryptonite rocks. 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 standings and act out on his impulses and dark desires. Black Kryptonite splits Clark into (and merges him back together from) two separate beings that exhibit his two personalities (Clark Kent and the darker Kal-El). Silver Kryptonite (which in the comics did not exist, and is solely the creation of Milton Fine in the the show) causes him extreme paranoia.

Viewers will often observe allusions in the form of dialogue, character wardrobe, and scenic design used throughout the series to the Superman comic books and films.

Seasons

• Season 1 (2001–2002)
• Season 2 (2002–2003)
• Season 3 (2003–2004)
• Season 4 (2004–2005)
• Season 5 (2005–2006)

Regular cast and characters

Smallville on the cover of TV Guide magazine. (Art by Alex Ross.)

Main article: Characters of Smallville

Smallville filming and production

Smallville is filmed at various locales in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. The main studio where most of the show is recorded is located in Burnaby, British Columbia, a suburb of Vancouver. However, scenes on the "main street" of Smallville are shot in the town of Cloverdale, British Columbia. Cloverdale is particularly proud of being a filming site for the show; at its entrance is a huge sign which reads "Home of Smallville." When filming first started, the exterior school scenes were shot at Vancouver Technical School, while the interiors were shot at Templeton Secondary School. However, due to several difficulties with the Vancouver Technical location, Templeton later became the exclusive location for almost all of Smallville's school scenes until the characters graduated from High School. Painted hallways with the "Smallville Crows" logo remain inside Templeton.

Here are some of the locations used, in their present non-Smallville states.

The Clova Cinema in Cloverdale, a.k.a. "The Talon."	Another view of the Clova Cinema in Cloverdale.	The welcome sign for Cloverdale, the home of downtown Smallville.	Cloverdale Jewellery & Loans, a.k.a. "Smallville Jewellery & Loans."
"Fordman's Hardware" in Cloverdale, now occupied by the Cloverdale Learning Centre [1], operated by the Surrey School Board.	The main street in historic Cloverdale, a.k.a. "Main Street, Smallville." The Clova Cinema ("The Talon") is seen on the left and "Fordman's Hardware" is on the right.	The Government of Canada Building in downtown Vancouver ("Metropolis"), a.k.a. the "headquarters" of LuthorCorp.	Central City mall and office tower in Surrey, a.k.a. LuthorCorp "headquarters" for season 3.
Koerner Library at the University of British Columbia. Its general landscape is surroundings for the "University of Metropolis" and "Central A&M Kansas University" throughout seasons 3-5.	Templeton Secondary School, a.k.a. Smallville High.	Vancouver Technical Secondary School, a.k.a. Smallville High (exteriors for first season, and in the opening credits).	The building next to the Clova Theatre that stands in as Nell's Flower Shop, in Cloverdale.
The Smallville Crows mural still remaining inside Templeton Secondary School.	Marine Building, a.k.a. the Daily Planet offices.

Superhero/Supervillain guests

Supposed image of the Ring to be used on the show

Several DC superheroes and villains have appeared on the show, such as :

• Cyborg
• Kid Flash
• Aquaman
• Brainiac
• Mr. Mxyzptlk

Awards and nominations

• In 2001, Michael Rosenbaum received a Saturn Award for his portrayal of Lex Luthor.

• The Jules Verne Festival paid a special tribute to the TV show Smallville during a night special attended by 3,000 fans at the Rex Theatre in Paris, April 7, 2005. Creators and producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar were presented with a Jules Verne Award Special, in the presence of actresses Allison Mack and Erica Durance, as well as Jean Jules Verne, the writer's great grandson.

• The episode "Rosetta" was nominated for the 2004 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form

Soundtracks

Each episode features a song by an alternative rock act, and the success of Songs in the Key of X prompted the release of a soundtrack album. A second soundtrack album followed two years later.

Smallville: The Talon Mix (2003)

Talon Mix

1. "Save Me" — Remy Zero
2. "Inside Out" — Vonray
3. "Island in the Sun" — Weezer
4. "Superman (It's Not Easy)" — Five For Fighting
5. "Nuclear" — Ryan Adams
6. "Lonely Day" — Phantom Planet
7. "Fight Test" — Flaming Lips
8. "Don't Dream It's Over" — Sixpence None the Richer
9. "Wave Goodbye" — Steadman
10. "I Just Wanna Be Loved" — AM Radio
11. "Everything" — Lifehouse
12. "Time After Time" — Eva Cassidy

Smallville: The Metropolis Mix (2005)

Metropolis Mix

1. "Forget It" — Breaking Benjamin
2. "Precious" — Depeche Mode
3. "You and Me (Extended Wedding Version)" — Lifehouse
4. "Superman" — Stereophonics
5. "Dirty Little Secret" — All-American Rejects
6. "Almost Honest" — Josh Kelley
7. "All the Money or the Simple Life Honey (Remix)" — The Dandy Warhols
8. "Cold Hands (Warm Heart)" — Brendan Benson
9. "The Girl's Attractive" — Diamond Nights
10. "I'm a Human" — Flashlight Brown
11. "Wicked Game" — HIM
12. "Other Side of the World" — KT Tunstall
13. "Hungry Heart" — Minnie Driver
14. "Feels Like Today" — Rascal Flatts

See also

• List of Smallville broadcasters and home video releases
• Allusions to Superman comic books and films
• Clark's powers
• Kryptonite of Smallville

External links

Official websites

• The WB Network
• The Smallville Torch
• The Smallville Ledger
• The Ezra Small House & Museum — highlighting the entire page reveals a hidden message
• LuthorCorp Homepage
• Smallville Hometown Site
• Lex's Project Mercury 2.0 Blog

Fan websites

• In English:
  • KryptonSite
  • SmallvilleDedication
  • Shirkie's Ezra Small Prophecies Site
  • Devoted to Smallville
• In other languages:
  • SmallvilleNET.org, a Spanish fansite
  • SmallvillePH A fansite based in the Philippines
  • Smallville on Cyclops.it, an Italian fansite
  • Czech website about Smallville
  • Smallville-WB.com, a Norwegian Smallville fansite
  • Polish Smallville Center

Other references

• Smallville at The Internet Movie Database
• Smallville at TV.com
• Smallville at EpisodeWorld.com
• Smallville at TVRage.com
• Smallville music index at TuneFind.com
• Smallville at Wikia.com
• Superman Trades - a chronological list of graphic novels featuring Superman, including film and television tie-ins
• Smallville at The Superman Homepage - includes episode summaries, weekly reviews and ratings analysis.