It was 20 years ago today that “Smallville” debuted on the WB network, raising the bar a bit for superhero shows.
The show’s goal, at first, was “no tights, no flights.” Instead, it would be a solid drama about a teen (played by Tom Welling, shown here) still adjusting to his superskills.
Eventually, WB would be the better half of the CW network, alongside the former UPN. And the emphasis would persist; this fall, seven of the CW’s nine scripted shows have a superhero and/or supernatural element.
Now “Smallville” has put out a 20th-anniversary edition. They also surprised fans today with a new discussion between Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, who played his nemesis, Lex Luthor. I’ll try to post it here; if this fails — my tech skills are notoriously awful — you can find it on YouTube. Anyway, here it is: