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In late 2019, The CW network announced a new series would be joining the Arrowverse — the colloquial term for The CW’s offerings of interconnected DC Comics-inspired shows. This new show, titled Superman and Lois, would continue the story of the Superman and Lois introduced in the series Supergirl (2015-2021) and explore yet another live-action iteration of the “Man of Steel” — the fourth on TV and seventh overall.
It was unclear what to expect from this latest small-screen exploration of one of the most popular superheroes ever. As the title alluded to, the show was being billed not just as a Superman show — it promised to focus on Clark and his famous love interest, Lois Lane. Played by Tyler Hoechlin and Bitsie Tulloch, respectively, the characters hadn’t received much characterization on Supergirl prior, beyond caricatured cameos every now and then to help Supergirl‘s own characters out.
So, it was unclear to audiences how a dedicated series would flesh out these legendary characters that had already been halfway introduced in another series — if they would be markedly different than past iterations, and if they were, would it be a good different? However, very rapidly has Superman and Lois become not only a fresh and honorable take on the characters and stories of the Superman mythos but truly one of the best — if not the best — Arrowverse show to date. So, with the second season having begun on January 11th, let’s examine what made the first season worth watching, shall we?
A Refreshing Design — In More Ways Than One
Superman and Lois is just the latest in the CW’s Arrowverse lineup. Prior to Superman and Lois, the CW had debuted six DC Comics-related shows as part of its modern Arrowverse — The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, and Batwoman. Given that the shows share showrunners, producers, and other staff, it’s not surprising that they’ve ended up developing stylistic similarities in their production. After all, they are part of an interconnected universe.
Yet despite Superman and Lois also being a part of this shared creative space, it stands out as breaking from the norm in various ways. Shining most in the authenticity of its closely-related characters and their relationships, Superman and Lois capitalizes on its themes of family and interpersonal identity to eke out a separate world, narrative, and set of standards from its Arrowverse predecessors.
Character Development
Perhaps there is something to be said about the group dynamic of a superhero show that lends it success. While inevitably all the Arrowverse shows revolve around a core cast of characters and team dynamic despite titles like Black Lightning and The Flash referring to a single hero, the explicit focus on multiple characters in a series makes Superman and Lois shine brighter. Superman and Lois exemplifies the benefits of leaning on a group of characters from the outset: it not only promises multiple lenses on its characters and their journeys, but it delivers unique, plausible, and fulfilling narrative arcs for each of its main and even supporting players.
Expectations might play a role in this appraisal. Suppose you’re watching The Flash, for example. In that case, it is certainly easier to be disappointed about how Barry’s character is progressing if he’s supposedly the star of the show and to not care so much about how Cisco or Caitlin are doing, on the other hand. Meanwhile, Legends of Tomorrow might be more satisfying in its explorations of Mick Rory and Ava Sharpe in an episode because that is what audiences want and expect from its premise. Expectations can’t account for all gradients of satisfaction and displeasure, however. Superman and Lois so far has made very few mistakes in its creative decisions. Though it follows many characters in the small community of Smallville, they’re all fleshed out and manage to feel important whether or not they have powers.
The main cast is the Kent family, comprised of Clark, Lois, and their sons, Jordan (played by Alex Garfin) and Jonathan (played by Jordan Elsass). As the show title promises, plenty of time is spent exploring Clark as a well-established Superman in his world and Lois as a journalist of international repute. But just as important to the show’s narrative and soul is the development of Jordan and Jon as well. The entire family is forced to adjust and reevaluate themselves when they move from Metropolis to Smallville. As we follow each member’s journey throughout the first season, we find that each character has their fair share of the spotlight in the overall storyline.
Not only do we see them engaging in their struggles with their changing circumstances, but the show emphasizes how they grow alongside each other. Utilizing the family dynamic that bonds the characters, the Kents grow in response to their environment; but more poignantly, they grow in response to each other. As a family, they confide in, fight with, and advise each other. Through all their interactions as a family, whether they be hostile or amicable at the moment, you can see that these characters have an impact on each other, and their actions are meaningful. This establishes an authenticity that audiences invest their hearts and minds in, giving the show’s developments meaning and stakes to both characters and viewers.
This balancing act of interpersonal impacts extends into the supporting cast. From Lana Lang (played by Emmanuelle Chriqui) to Samuel Lane (played by Dylan Walsh) to John Henry Irons (played by Wolé Parks), we find well-developed characters in many places that we can care about even in their darker moments, which matter as individuals but also to the interwoven narrative of the show. With such excellent characterization of a supporting cast and more minor roles, the show effectively follows the growth and development of an entire community. This allows us to identify and empathize with the struggles of those close to the Kents and the Smallville population as a whole.
Visual Atmosphere
Part of what makes Superman and Lois stand out from the rest of the Arrowverse is where it’s set and how it looks. Most of the other shows are set in large metropolitan areas — The Flash takes place in Central City, Batwoman takes place in Gotham, etc. Setting Superman and Lois in Smallville accomplishes a number of desirable tasks. As mentioned earlier, the Kents moving to Smallville provides a lot of the initial and ongoing narrative tension. Each member of the family has to adjust to small-town living in terms of their daily routines as well as their roles within the family. The small-town setting also is conducive to tightening the outer circle of supporting characters and making their increased relevance feel more natural.
The cinematography of the show capitalizes on its setting to great effect as well. Episodes are frequently blessed with shots of sunlight filtering in through crop fields and trees, illuminating a rustic landscape of natural, earthy colors. The yard of the Kent house treats the audience to views of the barn, of the wraparound porch on the house, of the tire swing hanging off a large tree. Smallville itself is mainly shown through a main avenue with small storefronts running on either side of it. In many ways, these views contrast with the cityscapes that house the other CW shows — gone are the fight scenes taking place in dark alleys, the superhero bases in hidden tech-filled bunkers, the overhead shots of city blocks and tall grey buildings. Superman and Lois gives fans a visual break from these repeating themes and motifs. Just as the Kent family does narratively throughout the first season, viewers too are brought back to basics on a visual level.
The marked visual improvements in Superman and Lois also apply to its digital and practical effects. It’s widely recognized that the show’s special effects budget is hefty, and it shows. As a result, action sequences are not peppered with gratuitous sparks, camera shaking, and bodies flying — they are focused, tense, and most importantly, believable. Whether Superman is pursuing an enemy in the skies or beating someone into the dirt, the fantasy and high-flying action look real, which in turn makes it appropriately awesome to watch.
Pacing
Furthermore, the show has not established a predictable, monotonous pattern in its episodic structure. Superman and Lois does not adopt the “villain of the week” routine to fill out its season as other superhero shows do. The episodes generally focus on filling out individual narrative arcs of its various characters, thereby advancing the overall story. This gives the series more cohesion and complexity than most of the Arrowverse shows and doesn’t weigh it down with too much filler content.
Justice For The Characters
From the outset, Superman and Lois had large shoes to fill. Besides Henry Cavill’s most recent big-screen outings as the Man of Steel, the Superman has had many live-action renditions over the decades since his comic debut, with the portrayals ranging from forgotten to iconic. There had already been a TV show named after the iconic couple called Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, starring Teri Hatcher as Lois and Dean Cain as Clark. So what would this newcomer bring to the table?
As it turns out, a good mix of old and new, the show excels at giving us both sides of the coin in that not only do we see Superman, but we see the Clark Kent under the blue suit. As a Den of Geek article about the series puts it, the show reinforces the idea that “despite the fact that he can fly, Clark faces many of the same problems and challenges we do” (( Baugher, Lacy. “What Superman & Lois Gets so Right about Clark Kent.” Den of Geek, July 27, 2021. )). Throughout the run of the season, we see Clark in various interpersonal roles: as a father, a neighbor, a childhood friend, a husband, a leader, and more. We receive Superman as Clark Kent — as a man doing his best. As evidenced in many situations with his sons and fellow Smallville residents, he has shortcomings, and he has self-doubts. These flaws only make his character more robust and his Superman a more inspiring and influential figure.
Important to note is that Lois by no means takes a backseat narratively. As the show title implies, this show is about her as well as Clark, and though their struggles intertwine on occasion, they are by no means the same. Her moral backbone is brought to task again and again as she investigates Morgan Edge and adjusts to small-town journalism. She also serves to steady Clark in his less triumphant moments and shows her own parenting strengths when the boys are going through struggles. Here is a three-dimensional Lois Lane with as much weight in the series as her super-powered husband.
And as mentioned prior, all the rest of the characters in the show are given dimension, relevance, and relatability. In the first-ever live-action depiction of the superhero Steel, Wolé Parks gives us a memorable and nuanced portrayal as he progresses from villain to ally in the show. Emmanuelle Chriqui, Erik Valdez, and Inde Navarrette as Lana Lang and Kyle and Sarah Cushing, respectively, provide excellent counterparts to the Kents as a Smallville family unit and find their individual arcs throughout the first season. Jordan Elsass and Alex Garfin hold their own alongside their larger-than-life parents and fully enrapture audiences as brothers and the sons of Superman, coming into their own in unique ways.
A Solid Superman Story
The result of all this beautiful characterization, cinematography, and writing is a pretty bang-up Superman story. Though I am by no means a comic book expert, I can tell you from the many articles I’ve read about this first season that a plethora of narrative devices, both major and inconsequential, draw from details and appearances in Superman comics over the years. The writers of the show did their homework on the source material they were presenting, and they managed to deliver a good original story from it all.
Without going into all the details of the season one plot, the issues that the characters confront are not one-dimensional, nor are they singularly sourced. Inner and outer struggles plague the Kents and Smallville as a whole, requiring external efforts to fight off invading Kryptonians and inner adjustments to reckon with changing circumstances for many characters. These struggles accumulated throughout the season — Smallville’s economic decline, one of the larger ones, impact the various characters at different times and in different ways, fleshing it out as a real and pressing issue as it continues to confront the characters week after week.
In turn, the realization of these struggles lends them a lot more weight, meaning, and plausibility for the characters and viewers alike. The body-snatching Kryptonians are not just alien invaders — they are Clark’s own people living anew. The Department of Defense’s occupation of Smallville is not just a protective measure — they are a mysterious, unexplained military presence in a rural area. Jordan’s struggles with his powers are not just growing into his role as a superson — he is simultaneously working through feelings of inadequacy and alienation that arose as he grew into adolescence. All the struggles the show presents matter to both the characters and the viewers, allowing the pains and the triumphs to subsequently resonate no matter how outlandish the plot details might seem.
At The Heart Of It All
Even in the midst of pandemic difficulties, Superman and Lois‘s first season managed to shine not only compared to the rest of the CW’s roster but as a tribute to the Superman mythos in general. It had heart, humor, intelligence, and wonder all wrapped up into its fifteen episodes. It did justice to popular characters like Clark and Lois while giving them more dimension and thoroughly fleshing out its lesser-known or original characters with similar depth.
The drama of the show felt authentic and relatable, not melodramatic and monotonous as has become the standard in other Arrowverse shows. The look and feel of the show was simply appealing, and the writing rarely made missteps in its direction and messaging. All in all, the show was refreshing and invigorating for fans of Superman and his niche in comic and pop culture. The second season will be airing to high expectations in early January.