Smallville

:

Season 1
Season #: 10, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 141 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 120 out of 141
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 141
  3. Negative: 10 out of 141
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User Reviews

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  1. drlowdon
    Feb 7, 2013
    4
    As most will know by now Smallville follows Clark Kent, played admirably by Tom Welling, during his teenage years as he starts his evolution into Superman. Throughout this first season we follow Clark as he gradually begins to discover the true extent of his powers whilst struggling to come to terms with the reasons behind them. In a clever twist on the mythology Superman's future nemesis,As most will know by now Smallville follows Clark Kent, played admirably by Tom Welling, during his teenage years as he starts his evolution into Superman. Throughout this first season we follow Clark as he gradually begins to discover the true extent of his powers whilst struggling to come to terms with the reasons behind them. In a clever twist on the mythology Superman's future nemesis, Lex Luthor, is also to be found living in Smallville and the show is certainly at its strongest when focusing on these two men and their struggles to avoid having their futures written for them.

    A huge problem with this opening season however is the over reliance on the 'Monster of the Week' scenarios. Far too many of the episodes followed a similar pattern in which an (un)fortunate teen was affected by the Kryptonite meteorites endowing them with special powers and invariable one or more of Clark's friends and family would find themselves in trouble. These characters are introduced solely for the purposes of just one episode giving a perfect example of lazy writing. The script also lacks energy and humour when compared to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Supernatural with far too much emphasis placed on the types of dull teen angst storylines seen on TV countless times before.

    Despite all these faults there often were glimpses that the show could become something better and I will certainly give the show another chance in what is rumoured to be an improved season two.    … Expand
  2. Atr0s
    Dec 30, 2012
    5
    Smallville was the best example on comic-based series could work in the first 4 seasons. The solid cast also delivered good performances, with Tom Welling playing a believable young Clark Kent, Michael Rosenbaum as an intriguing and ambitious Lex Luthor, Allison Mack surprised us with her original and very interesting character and Erica Durance, who joined the show as a sassy Lois Lane.Smallville was the best example on comic-based series could work in the first 4 seasons. The solid cast also delivered good performances, with Tom Welling playing a believable young Clark Kent, Michael Rosenbaum as an intriguing and ambitious Lex Luthor, Allison Mack surprised us with her original and very interesting character and Erica Durance, who joined the show as a sassy Lois Lane. However, the show went downhill from the season 5 onwards with absurd storylines (Theroux's storyline, anyone?) and too much dwelling on Kristin Kreuk's character, Lana Lang, who turned out to be the show's achilles heel. Not even the addition of JLA references covered up the immense downturn on quality with the departure of most of the main cast members (Michael Rosenbaum's absence hit the show hard, from then on there wasn't a single decent villain to anchor it). It ended as an example of how bad a show can get due to bad writing and planning, dragging storylines for several seasons and adding nonsensical plot elements to further them.… Expand
  3. marc5477
    Jan 14, 2016
    6
    The epitome of bipolar tv shows. When it is good, it is fantastic, but when its bad, its indescribably bad and unfortunately there are so many filler episodes and bad actors that it drags the show down considerably. 1st let talk about the good. Tom Welling does a good job at playing a young confused and immature Clark who is about to enter adulthood. He does not overact (often) and hisThe epitome of bipolar tv shows. When it is good, it is fantastic, but when its bad, its indescribably bad and unfortunately there are so many filler episodes and bad actors that it drags the show down considerably. 1st let talk about the good. Tom Welling does a good job at playing a young confused and immature Clark who is about to enter adulthood. He does not overact (often) and his relationship with Lex was well portrayed though it started to get silly towards the middle seasons. The real star of this show is Lex (Mike Rosenbaum). He is the best Lex Luthor of any show or movie I have seen despite the many plot holes in various episodes and his journey from a wishful well meaning teen to a paranoid pathological villain, at the hands of his father (also a great character in the show), was really heart breaking to watch (in a good way). The show really struggled when Lex was removed for a few seasons, that is how good he was.

    But not all is good in this show. For one thing, Lana Lang is unbearably atrocious (both the actor and character). She has one facial expression and her character is very one sided and plain stupid. To make matters worse, they kept her alive through the whole series, and she remained an interest of Clark to the end despite how stupid her character is. On top of that, whenever she is around, Clark loses about 95 IQ points and becomes a complete retard making the episodes she was involved in, nearly unwatchable. They should have killed her like they did in the comics. Other horrible actors and characters include the green burrito (Oliver) and Pete who was a mopey mess in high school and became even more mopey and dopey as an adult.

    I really liked Louis Lane (Erica Durance) and thought that she played the best Louis of any production to date as well. Chloe was also a good character and unlike the two rejects, Lana and Pete, she actually develops over the seasons and was a pleasure to watch.

    Definitely a show worth watching overall but many episodes are horribly bad as are some of the supporting characters.    … Expand
  4. tomtom4468
    Feb 4, 2013
    5
    While I do not enjoy some of the plot points of the series, this is an interesting way of looking at Superman's origin. By itself, the show isn't that bad. However, when placed next to everything Superman, it sucks.
  5. Voodoo123
    Feb 8, 2018
    6
    Season 1 review. An engaging and inspired take on the earlier years of a teenage clark kent. Reality is, its essentially dawsons creek meets x-files for scooby doo style monster of the week adventures with occasional kisses behind the bike shed. Unexpectedly beautiful shots in some scenes with some exceptional (for the time) visual effects considering it's a tv show from 2001! SomeSeason 1 review. An engaging and inspired take on the earlier years of a teenage clark kent. Reality is, its essentially dawsons creek meets x-files for scooby doo style monster of the week adventures with occasional kisses behind the bike shed. Unexpectedly beautiful shots in some scenes with some exceptional (for the time) visual effects considering it's a tv show from 2001! Some episodes are stronger than others, but as with the x-files, the weaker episodes tend to be monster of the week ones. A must watch if you're a fan of superman material though. Would lean towards an 8/10 for season one but the monster of the week theme is too strong here!!!… Expand

Awards & Rankings

10
#10 Best TV Season of 2001
2
#2 Most Discussed TV Season of 2001
4
#4 Most Shared TV Season of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 27
  3. Negative: 1 out of 27
  1. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: John Levesque
    Aug 6, 2013
    80
    Like an ice cube to the temple on a hot day, Smallville startles and refreshes the way "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did in its early years. Though not as cleverly written as "Buffy," the new series about Clark Kent, tormented teenager, has much going for it: beautiful people from The WB's Burbank assembly line, movie-style special effects, a subtle sense of humor. [15 Oct 2001, p.D1]
  2. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Barry Garron
    Aug 6, 2013
    90
    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]
  3. Deseret News
    Reviewed by: Scott D. Pierce
    Aug 6, 2013
    90
    The first hour of Smallville looks fabulous. Now it's up to the producers and writers to tell good stories and mount the show as handsomely as the pilot and maintain a bit of mystery around one of the world's most recognizable characters. [15 Oct 2001, p.C06]
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