An American television series created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Smallville debuted on October 16, 2001, on The WB -- a fledgling network that was also home to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 7th Heaven, and Angel. At the time, Smallville produced the highest-rated debut for any WB show, pulling in 8.4 million viewers for its "Pilot" episode.
Smallville tells the story of a young Clark Kent (Tom Welling) and places an emphasis on his journey to becoming "The Man of Steel." Each season that passes corresponds to a new year in his life. When the series begins, Clark is about 14 years old, a freshman in high school.
Primary characters to start the series included Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum), Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk), Pete Ross (Sam Jones III), Martha and Jonathan Kent (Annette O'Toole and John Schneider), and best friend Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack). Periphery characters included Whitney Fordman (Eric Johnson) and Lex's father, Lionel Luthor (John Glover), who would become a series regular in Season 4. Also in Season 4, Lois Lane (Erica Durance) was introduced. In Season 6, Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore) was added.
The show is currently in its 8th season and airs on The CW (the resultant network after a 2005 merger between The WB and UPN). To start the current season, Clark entered The Daily Planet and now works side by side with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. Familiar DC Comics characters have also appeared throughout the series as a way of tying Clark to the Superman mythos (e.g. Aquaman, Green Arrow, General Zod).
The show is filmed in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. Creators Al Gough and Miles Millar left the show prior to the start of Season 8, at which time Kelly Souders, Brian Peterson, Todd Slavkin, and Darren Swimmer became the main showrunners. At the end of Season 7, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, and John Glover ended their contract runs. In Season 4, Jensen Ackles was a regular as Jason Teague and in Season 7, Laura Vandervoort portrayed Clark's cousin Kara (Supergirl).
