Every Season Of Smallville Ranked, Worst To Best

Smallville is the longest-running live-action superhero series, providing a decade of interesting takes on the Superman mythos. The show stars Tom Welling as Clark Kent and Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. It primarily serves as a Superman origin story, yet it also gives his nemesis a fairly emotional origin as well. Their dynamic fueled the earlier episodes before later seasons took on other threats within the DC universe. A big draw of Smallville is the stellar cast, which also included Annette O’Toole, John Schneider, John Glover, Kristen Kreuk, Erica Durance, and more.

Despite going through so many changes, there’s really not a single season of Smallville that is bad. There are bad episodes for sure, but each season has redeeming qualities, whether they’re strong performances or standout stories. As such, a low ranking does not mean that the season is low quality. After all, when a show lasts as long as Smallville, it has to evolve, and those evolutions will resonate differently with different audiences. Here are all 10 seasons of Smallville, ranked:

10

Season 5 Has Both Some Of The Best And Some Of The Worst Of Smallville

It Starts Strong, But Climaxes Too Early In Episode 12

Season 5 of Smallville had its work cut out for it. All 4 of the previous seasons were set while Clark, Lana Lang, and Chloe Sullivan were all still in high school. Even when the stories differed, they all had that basic framework to rely on. Season 5 had the task of taking its younger cast members to college while tying their storylines together. As a result, it fumbles a bit. Naturally, this is the time when real-life friendships and romances start to falter, but Smallville keeps those intact.

The saving graces of Season 5 are the introduction of Brainiac and the final outing of Jonathan Kent. Brainiac is a force to be reckoned with, and he’s like a cockroach that Clark can’t seem to squash. Alternatively, Jonathan Kent is such a positive force for both Clark and the audience. Losing him, launches both into adulthood, without their “dad” to guide them. It’s a harsh inevitability, as Jonathan typically dies early in Clark’s life in other Superman media, but Smallville makes this moment especially impactful.

The Blur costume in Smallville Season 10

Would you be excited about an animated Smallville sequel series?

It’s recently been revealed by both Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum that an animated Smallville series has been pitched to Warner Bros. While there’s yet to be any kind of traction or an official green light for the proposed series, it follows that several fans of the CW’s original DC show would love this series. Having read the Smallville sequel comics that were released after the show’s tenth season, I would personally love it if an animated series was greenlit, allowing the Smallville universe to continue growing and expanding with Clark Kent officially serving Metropolis as Superman.

Unfortunately, this season is weakened by the latter stretch of episodes. Jonathan’s death is so beautifully done that nothing after would measure up. Additionally, appearances from Aquaman/Arthur Curry and Cyborg/Victor Stone are more than welcome. The series suitably bridges the gap, but it doesn’t have the same something special as that which came before and after.

9

Season 4 Finishes Smallville’s High School Years With A Bang

Lois Arrives In Smallville

Like season 5, Smallville’s fourth season has some growing pains. However, it weathers them better both because it can depend on the framework of high school and because it introduces some fresh new characters. The most important character who debuts in this season is Lois Lane. Sadly, she’s not in very many episodes, but her brash personality is established from her first outing as a great foil to Clark. The other new additions are Jason and Genieve Teague, a formidable mother-son duo. Both are played by immensely talented actors, Jensen Ackles and Jane Seymour.

However, their primary function is to serve as a common enemy to Lex and Clark. This season sees the former friends falling apart, and without the Teagues, our protagonists would not have had common ground. Overall, the season does what came before justice and closes out Smallville’s high school years well.

8

Season 6 Expands Smallville’s World

Oliver Queen Changes Smallville Forever

Smallville’s sixth season is a step in the right direction. It makes big moves, such as introducing Jimmy Olsen, kickstarting Lionel Luthor’s redemption arc, and bringing Oliver Queen/Green Arrow into a live-action production for the first time. The opening episode sets the tone, with General Zod possessing Lex and foreshadowing his descent. Season 6 also saw Lex and Clark decidedly at odds, due in no small part to the former’s marriage to Lana. For that matter, Lex and Lana’s relationship becomes a difficult watch that demonstrates the lengths someone who has been denied love will go to hang onto it.

where are the smallville cast now, smalleville cast lined up with tome welling in foreground

10 Best Original Characters In Smallville

As a modern take on Superman, Smallville created many new major and supporting characters to help bring the character into the 21st century.

The season’s most redeeming aspect is easily its introduction of Oliver and setting up for the future Justice League. Post-Arrowverse, seeing Green Arrow in live-action doesn’t seem special, but it was novel at the time. Oliver is a very fun addition to the show, and his inclusion has aged well, given the character’s future popularity.

7

Season 7 Chronicles Lex’s Descent

Lex Reaches The Point Of No Return

Smallville season 7 fills a unique niche. It’s more grown-up than what came before, due in large part to the inclusion of more Superman-centric characters. The season features Supergirl/Kara Kent as a series regular, along with guest appearances of Lara, Clark’s biological mother, and Zor-El, Clark’s uncle and Kara’s father. Another central element is Lex’s final evolution into a villain, yielding some of Rosenbaum’s best acting in the series. Season 7 has some truly great moments, but it suffers for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, Clark and Lana getting back together feels like a regression because they had both grown during their time apart when she was with Lex. Secondly, there are several short arcs throughout the season without a continuous thread. Zor-El wanting to conquer Earth, Brainiac returning, and Lex going full-on murder mode are all interesting stories, but they don’t have a lot of room to breathe. Even so, the season has one of the best finales of the series, with Lex and Clark’s climactic confrontation at the Fortress of Solitude.

6

Season 8 Charts A Bold New Course, For Better Or Worse

Doom Comes For Clark Kent

Smallville’s eighth season had its work cut out for it. Lex and Lana, two series mainstays, had left the series, and Clark was moving away from his farm boy roots. Lex is replaced by a successor named Tess Mercer, named for Eve Tessmacher and Mercy Graves. Oliver joins the main lineup of the cast, providing variety in the types of stories the show can tell and more action. Additionally, Lois transitions into a role more similar to her comic persona as the resident hard-hitting journalist, giving Chloe the chance to become the guy-in-the-chair for Oliver.

The most divisive aspect of the season is its inclusion of Doomsday. Not only does Superman’s killer appear very early in his timeline, but he is also given a human alter ego, Davis Bloome. Despite the obvious continuity issues this presents, the storyline is entertaining in a vacuum, largely due to Sam Witwer’s performance. Overall, season 8 is a solid step in the right direction.

5

Season 1 Builds A Great Foundation

Clark And Lex Form A Legendary Bond

Ranking Season 1 this far down the list is borderline sacrilege, but it’s not because its freshman outing is bad. On the contrary, Smallville’s first season is extraordinarily well done. However, the show’s debut is low stakes. Most of its episodes follow the freak-of-the-week formula, which works because it allows audiences to get to know the characters and how they think. It does an excellent job of defining character relationships, the world of Smallville, and the stakes of Clark and Lex’s respective conflicts.

Tom Welling from Crisis on Infinite Earths and his final shot in the Smallville series finale

The 10 Biggest Changes Smallville Made To Superman & His World

In its 10 years on the air, Smallville adapted many characters, settings, and storylines from the wider Superman mythos to varying results.

The arc of the season is simple, as Lex and Clark become friends after the latter saves the former. Lex then becomes curious about Clark’s seemingly superhuman abilities and begins investigating him. Most of the arcs pertain to teen crushes and familial drama, which again, is perfect for establishing Smallville’s major players.

4

Season 9 Let Smallville Grow Up

Clark Faces His Kryptonian Legacy

Season 9 lets Smallville hit its stride without lingering on the show’s past identity. It finally sheds the high school baggage of Clark and Lana’s relationship and allows an antagonist other than Lex carry the whole season. Major Zod, a younger clone of General Zod, is a menacing presence throughout, and he has some genuinely unsettling moments. Moreover, Lois and Clark’s relationship finally takes flight. The show mimicks the old school love triangle of Superman, Lois, and Clark by having Lois and The Blur interact regularly.

The wider DC mythos also gets more love in season 9. It introduces major characters like Amanda Waller, in an underrated performance by Pam Grier, as well as the Dark Archer, Speedy, and the Justice Society. Additionally, elements such as making Dr. Emil Hamilton a recurring character make the series feel more quintessentially Superman.

3

Season 2 Started Giving Us Answers

Clark Learns His Tragic History

Like season 1, the sophomore season of Smallville follows a primarily episodic formula based on meteor infected individuals. However, it is superior in two major ways. Number one, Lionel Luthor is promoted to the main cast, which provides a unifying enemy for the protagonists. Number two, Clark finally starts to get answers about his history. In a wonderful appearance by Christopher Reeve, Clark learns not only that he is from the planet Krypton, but also that his homeworld is gone. It’s equally satisfying because he gets the answers he’s yearned for yet sad because he learns what he’s lost.

Aside from the greater revelations of the season, Smallville also makes another good, comic-accurate choice: letting Pete Ross in on Clark’s secret. Giving Clark another character who knows the truth minimizes the frustration of his constantly hiding who he is. Overall, season 2 of Smallville is a solid continuation of season 1 that introduces more Superman lore into the mix.

2

Season 10 Fulfills The Series’ Promise

Clark Becomes The Hero He’s Destined To Be

Many long-running series don’t stick the landing, but Smallville avoided that curse by ending at the right time. Its final season focuses on making Clark become Superman, which is so satisfying after 9 years of buildup. Clark starts building his mild-mannered reporter persona. Lois finally learns his secret. Oliver goes public as Green Arrow. Lionel and Lex both return as villains. There’s an episode where Booster Gold and Blue Beetle appear, and it works. One scene even shows Clark changing in a telephone booth. The series fully embraces that it’s a superhero show.

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With a Smallville sequel in the works and Tom Welling confirmed to return, the question on most fan’s minds is: who else can we expect to see?

Smallville season 10 isn’t without its faults, but the genuine sense of fun it builds overrides most of its issues. For example, Smallville’s version of Darkseid isn’t exactly the most imposing, largely due to the lack of convincing effects. Yet, the series does what it can with the character and pulls off a good conclusion regardless.

1

Season 3 Is The Best Of Both Worlds

Lionel Is A Villain Of Shakespearean Proportions

Because the seasons of Smallville have disparate tones, the best has to be the one that balances those the best. Season 3 very much fits the mold of the high school years, but it takes a much darker turn with how it approaches Lex’s story. Throughout the first half of the season, Lex uncovers a conspiracy between Lionel and the crime lord Morgan Edge. Lionel then gaslights his own son, leading to a tragic series of events that put Lex on a darker path and strain his friendship with Clark.

Aside from Lex’s story, this is also the season that introduced Jor-El and the concept that Kryptonians had visited Smallville before. It also takes another essential step toward Clark becoming Superman by introducing Perry White. The reason season 3 of Smallville works so well is that it blends what came before with new and exciting lore reveals, proving the series could be more than a freak-of-the-week teen show.