Are you considering watching the Superman-related sci-fi show, Smallville? Great, there are 218 episodes, spread out across ten seasons, giving you plenty of entertainment for days, weeks, months, or maybe even years (if you like to savour things).
But what if 218 episodes is a bit daunting, and instead you would like to dip in and out of the show. Is there a way to check out certain ‘eras’ of Smallville instead?
For example, Lois Lane appears in the series in a prominent role, but she doesn’t appear in every season of Smallville. If you just want to check out the era featuring Lois, which seasons should you focus on?
Well, this post can help. Below you will find a simple guide to the eras of the show, covering the major characters and situations.
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Clark Kent/Smallville era and the Superman/Metropolis era
OK, so it’s important to note the core focus of Smallville‘s ten-year journey is the development of Clark Kent (Tom Welling). While Smallville is a Superman-related show, it’s not really about Superman, it is very much about Clark’s journey to become the Man of Steel.
As such, there isn’t a specific Clark Kent era, or a specific Superman era, it’s mostly one big era. But the show does lean more towards Clark in some seasons, and more towards Superman in others.
In the early years, the show is very much about Clark’s time in Smallville, while in later years, Clark spends more time in Metropolis and takes on a super hero persona (the Red/Blue Blur). This effectively moves the show towards more Superman-like stories in the latter years, even if Clark isn’t officially Superman at this point in time.
- Should you wish to watch the era focused primarily on Clark’s time in Smallville, then watch: Seasons One to Seven.
- Should you wish to watch the era focused more on moving Clark into more Superman-style adventures (with Clark working at the Daily Planet), then watch: Seasons Eight to Ten.
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High school era
When Smallville made its debut back in 2001, Clark Kent was a high school student at Smallville High. He attended classes, hung out with his friends, and got caught up in various teen-related dramas.
During this point of the show, Smallville was (at times) quite similar in style to the early years of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. During this period, Clark battled super-powered foes, learnt lessons about himself, and eventually graduated.
- Should you wish to watch the high school era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons One to Four.
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Lex Luthor era
One of the big mainstays of Clark’s journey on Smallville was his fractious relationship with Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum). Luthor was a little older than Clark, but the pair both lived in Smallville and developed an on/off friendship.
That ‘friendship’ became a significant centre-point for the show for years, and only really started to come to an end when Lex Luthor actor, Michael Rosenbaum left the show. However, that wasn’t quite the end of Lex’s time on Smallville, and the character did pop-up a couple of times in later seasons.
- Should you wish to watch the Lex Luthor era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons One to Seven, the Season Eight episode ‘Requiem‘, and the Season Ten episodes ‘Finale‘.
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Lionel Luthor era
Lex wasn’t the only Luthor in Smallville. Standing by his side throughout a significant chunk of the show was his father, Lionel (John Glover) – a character who went on quite a journey himself.
Lionel didn’t appear all the way through the show, however, he was there at the beginning, and he is there are the end.
- Should you wish to watch the Lionel Luthor era of Smallville, then watch: Season One through to the Season Seven episode ‘Descent‘, followed by the Season Ten episodes ‘Luthor‘, ‘Beacon‘, ‘Scion‘, and ‘Finale‘.
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Tess Mercer
And sticking with the Luthors for one last member of the family, the show also included Tess Mercer, aka Lutessa Luthor (Cassidy Freeman). Tess joined the show in the latter seasons, during Lex’s absence, and remained on board as a core part of Smallville.
- Should you wish to watch the Tess Mercer era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons Eight to Ten.
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Doomsday era
While the Luthor family were the big villains of Smallville, the show introduced various foes to battle Clark. Some of them popped up in one-off episodes, while others turned up a few times (Brainiac, Toyman, etc). Perhaps the most significant comic book foe to appear in Smallville was the monstrous Doomsday/Davis Bloom (Sam Witwer), who had his own story-arc in the series.
- Should you wish to watch the Doomsday era of Smallville, then watch: Season Eight.
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The Zod era
While Doomsday was arguably the most significant comic book foe in Smallville, there were other iconic foes in the show. One of these foes was Zod – a fellow Kryptonian.
Zod initially appeared in the series very briefly as a Phantom Zone ‘phantom’ who possessed Lex Luthor. A younger version (Callum Blue) was then introduced into the series in Season Nine, taking a much more significant role.
- Should you wish to watch the initial, ‘older’ Zod era of Smallville, then watch: Season Five episodes ‘Arrival’, ‘Solitude‘, ‘Oracle‘ and ‘Vessel’.
- Should you wish to watch the second, ‘younger’ Zod era of Smallville, then watch: Season Nine, as well as the Season Ten episode ‘Dominion‘.
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The Darkseid era
And if Zod and Doomsday aren’t enough for you then you may wish to seek out the Darkseid era. Darkseid appeared as more of a ‘shadowy’ background villain, but did have a significant role in Clark taking his final steps towards becoming Superman.
- Should you wish to watch The Darkseid era of Smallville, watch: Season Ten.
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The Kents era
OK, let’s move away from villains to focus on the good folk in the series, beginning with Clark’s parents, Jonathan (John Schneider) and Martha Kent (Annette O’Toole). The Kents play a huge role in Smallville, specifically during the early years of the show, as they helped guide Clark and send him on his heroic path.
- The Kents appear all the way through the series, in some shape or form, but there are points in the series when they are not so prominent. Should you wish to watch The Kents era of Smallville, watch: Seasons One to Six, as well as the Season Nine episode ‘Hostage’, and the Season Ten episodes ‘Lazarus‘, ‘Beacon‘, ‘Kent‘ and ‘Finale‘.
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Chloe Sullivan era
As well as support from his parents, Clark also got a great deal of support from his best friend, Chloe Sullivan (Allison Mack). Chloe became a very popular character in Smallville, and appeared throughout the majority of the series, with a few absences here and there.
- Should you wish to watch the Chloe Sullivan era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons One to Nine, as well as the Season Ten episodes ‘Lazarus‘, ‘Collateral‘, ‘Beacon‘, ‘Masquerade‘, ‘Fortune‘, and ‘Finale‘.
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Lana Lang era
Moving into the romantic realm now, because while Clark had a great friendship in Chloe, when it came to romance he had his eye on two specific characters. The first of these characters was high school sweetheart, Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk).
Lana played a significant role in Smallville for quite a while, before leaving the show for pastures new. However, after Lana left, she did make a few more appearances to conclude her story arc.
- Should you wish to watch the Lana Lang era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons One to Seven, as well as the Season Eight episodes ‘Bride‘, ‘Legion‘, ‘Bulletproof‘, ‘Power‘, and ‘Requiem‘.
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Lois Lane era
The second character who had a romantic connection to Clark was future Daily Planet reporter, Lois Lane (Erica Durance). Lois didn’t appear in the beginning of the series, but she was slowly introduced in the fourth season where she made a big impact.
- Should you wish to watch the Lois Lane era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons Four to Ten.
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Kara/Supergirl era
And from romance to super-powered assistance, which Clark (sort of) got via the introduction of his cousin, Kara, aka Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort). Kara was introduced into Smallville during the seventh season, where she had a short but memorable run in the series.
- Should you wish to watch the Kara era of Smallville, then watch: Season Seven, the Season Eight episode ‘Bloodline‘, and the Season Ten episodes ‘Supergirl‘ and ‘Prophecy‘.
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Oliver Queen/Green Arrow era
And finally, another hero could be found in Oliver Queen, aka the Green Arrow (Justin Hartley). Oliver was introduced into Smallville during the sixth season of the show where he quickly became a fan-favourite character and an important ally to Clark. He also formed the Justice League.
- Should you wish to watch the Oliver Queen era of Smallville, then watch: Seasons Six to Ten.
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Thank you for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about Smallville. For more posts be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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