Let’s start with this: I literally had no idea that this show was a thing until I was told it was coming on the CW the night it premiered and I immediately had my doubts (and for good reason which we’ll get into later in this review). Surprisingly, the series premier was honestly amazing and went above and beyond my expectations.
We all know about the famous Man of Steel. But for those who aren’t aware, Superman has been around since 1938 and has many comics made about him as well as movies, tv shows, video games, and many other forms of pop culture that we know today. He’s from a planet called Krypton which was destroyed just moments after his parents placed him on a ship and was sent to earth. When he lands on earth, Smallville, Kansas to be exact, a couple find him and take him in, name him Clark Kent, and raise him as their own. He grows up and eventually becomes Superman. A pretty simplistic yet captivating storyline.
“Superman and Lois” takes place during Clark’s adult years. He works at The Daily Planet, he has twin sons, and seems to have an unhealthy balance between work life and family life. One of his sons, Jordan, has anxiety and attends therapy while the other is seemingly the poster child for the perfect American son. After tragedy strikes the family, they return to Smallville to mourn but an accident leaves the boys confused as to what really happened.
A lot happened in the series premier that I really want to discuss but that would mean giving away a lot. But one thing I really want to point out is how much heart and soul it had. If you’re a fan of Smallville then you know exactly what I’m talking about. The sense of family. Protection. Kindness. Togetherness. The first episode alone had so much character to it that it felt like watching a movie rather than a tv show. Even the shots felt so warm and inviting; the interior of The Fortress of Solitude, the Kent farm. Those scenes in particular personally gave me a sense of safety and comfort. Overall, the cinematography definitely added to the emotions of the show which was why it had so much character that I haven’t seen on a series premier for a superhero show since Smallville.
I mentioned that I had doubts about this show and here’s why. Arrow premiered back in 2012 (which seems like forever ago when you think about it). It was good for maybe the first three seasons. Then the writing went downhill, and from my experience with CW shows, the writing tends to get repetitive as well as sloppy. It becomes fan service at some point which is what I think happened to Arrow (this is simply my opinion on the matter). I’m not sure about The Flash because I haven’t seen it in a long time but I’ve heard people say that it’s starting to go downhill as well. But something tells me this won’t be the case with Superman and Lois. I have a good feeling about this one. The writers seem competent and capable of telling a story without making it into terrible fanfiction on screen. It feels fresh. It feels new. I have high hopes for this series and it would absolutely break my heart if the writing were to go downhill and it just became like most CW shows these days. So far both the cast and crew seem very capable and know what they’re doing so it’ll be interesting to see what happens in later episodes.
Let me talk about Tyler Hoechlin for a moment. Loved him on Teen Wolf, don’t get me wrong. But I find the writers didn’t exactly give him much depth or much of anything for that matter. But Hoechlin as Clark Kent? I had doubts at first but the concept quickly grew on me. Now I absolutely adore him. He’s so charming and such a dork that it’s impossible not to fall in love with the character. I’ve seen a lot hate towards him (and the super suit) but you have to realize that there are more than one interpretation of Superman out there. You had George Reeves. Christopher Reeve. Dean Cain. Tom Welling. Brandon Routh. Henry Cavill. All of these actors might have played the same character but they all brought something new and made it their own at the same time. Hoechlin is a fresh and new take on the superhero icon that I can’t wait to see more of.
In addition to the show having hardcore Smallville vibes, there were also little Easter eggs here and there in shoutout to either notable names such as crew members or to a past Superman show. For example, the room that the boys were staying in on the Kent farm had a Crows flag on the wall which was the name of the high school football team on Smallville. So it’s little details like these that really brings back memories from previous show lore. You just have to pay close attention in order to find them.
“Superman and Lois” is definitely a show to check out. Even if you’re not a big fan of superheroes, you might still find the other aspects of it interesting such as the coming of age story or the sense of family. You can watch this fantastic new take on the CW as well as stream on the CW app.
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