A Smallville Family Tree Project
This is a repost of something I wrote a few years ago. DC TV's CW Universe owes a lot to what came before. This is an examination of just how much the Arrowverse owes to Smallville.
Tom Welling is returning to television. Not only that but he's returning to the DC TV family with his role on Lucifer, based on a Vertigo title which is under the DC umbrella of imprints. That fact got me thinking about the whole DC TV family and how it all basically began with him on Smallville.
I don't think it's a stretch to say that given that almost none of the DC TV shows would be on the air without it.
Smallville was a seminal work of TV and essentially sparked a revolution about what could be done on television. It started in 2001 shortly after the World Trade Center attacks on that year and actually wouldn't have come about if it hadn't been for that horrible tragedy.
As the creators explain in the DVD commentary for the pilot episode, they'd originally conceived of an idea for a Bruce Wayne before he became Batman origin story series (you're welcome Gotham). However after the attacks, they wanted to be a little more upbeat and hopeful about what they were putting into the world. So they changed the idea to a Clark Kent before he was Superman series.
And a legacy was born.
Smallville ran for 10 years (2001-2011) and 217 episodes. By the end of the series it had just barely edged out Stargate SG-1 (1997-2007) as the longest running sci-fi series of all time which ended with 213 episodes. They also pioneered a huge step forward in what could be done with a TV budget for special effects. Each year they attempted to do something new and innovative as they slowly introduced one of Clark's many powers each year. He originally only had super speed and invulnerability in season 1.
It also pioneered the concept of long form storytelling with the meteor freak of the week format always serving the larger story of Clark's journey towards destiny. It introduced a whole new generation to the Superman character and showed him to be more than just the boy scout most people dismiss him as. All resting on the broad shoulders of Welling who proved more than up to the challenge.
And this is where the legacy of the DC TV universe owes its ancestry.
First of all, the idea for Arrow came about because Smallville introduced the character of Oliver Queen into the series. Justin Hartley played the character so well and was so widely popular with fans that a series based around the character was seen as viable by the network. Interesting side note, Hartley got the job after the Smallville creators cast him in a failed adaptation of Aquaman with a Smallville twist.
Additionally, Smallville would cast Alan Richson in the role of Aquaman on the show who was recently cast as Hank Hall on the upcoming Titans TV show. So again, you're welcome Titans.
Arrow wouldn't have been possible without Smallville, particularly because many of the crew and primary creative team behind the show began on Smallville. Which means that all the spin off series, The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow and now Black Lightning wouldn't have been possible without Smallville.
One could even make the case that Smallville is the father of Arrow and the grandfather of the DC TV universe.
The Flash wouldn't be able to do the special effects that it does if Smallville hadn't pioneered super speed on its show. And that big team up event where the Legends of Super Flarrow verse came together? You can thank Smallville for that too.
Over the course of Smallville's time, it introduced multiple other heroes including Bart Allen as Impulse, otherwise known as The Flash, Victor Stone as Cyborg, as well as the previously mentioned Aquaman and Green Arrow. Once introduced, they all came together in the season 6 episode "Justice" to form the Justice League. The characters would go on to have a recurring presence on the show for the remaining 4 years.
They also had a version of Supergirl appear on the show. Basically, there's almost no aspect to the Legends of Super Flarrow verse that doesn't owe some aspect of its existence to Smallville.
Even Lucifer itself is connected to Welling and Smallville. Constantine, the short lived TV show canceled after 1 season, crossed over into the Legends of Super Flarrow verse. The comic on which Lucifer is based on? Introduced the character of Lucifer in the Constantine comic book. It was shortly after Constantine was canceled that Lucifer was put into production.
So much of what we now take for granted about this golden age of superhero TV shows that is powered by The CW owes its existence to Smallville. Even the network itself owes a debt to the show. Smallville was for many years the only real hit the network had. The show survived the rebranding of the network originally known as The WB to The CW.
The only other major hit show the network had (and still has today)? Supernatural, and even that show owes a debt to Smallville. Jensen Ackles who plays one of the Winchester brothers? He originally auditioned for the role of Clark Kent that eventually went to Welling. Ackles even had a season long series regular role on Smallville for season 4. He was written off so he could be on Supernatural.
You're welcome Supernatural fans.
The legacy of Smallville is long and enduring. Arrow is in its sixth season, The Flash is in its fourth, Legends is in its third and Supergirl is in its second. By the end of the 2017-2018 season of television, Legends of Super Flarrow will have accumulated 331 episodes of television combined. They have eclipsed Smallville's episode count by over a hundred episodes. Add them together and you get 548 episodes of television and over 25 years worth of superhero TV.
And that's not even counting the yet to premiere Black Lightning show which is believed to be in the same shared universe as Arrow. As well as the Titans TV show which may or may not be connected. Not to mention the Superman prequel series Krypton.
Stephen Amell even joked recently that Arrow on its own is 100 episodes shy of Smallville's episode count. The show will have 139 episodes by the end of season 6. If the DC TV universe continues on pace, you're looking at a multi generational impact all stemming from the same place.
A small little town in Kansas State which got hit by a meteor shower and delivered a small alien child to loving parents.
To paraphrase Alexander Luthor from the Infinite Crisis comic event series that came out in 2005, several years into Smallville's run:
"For some reason, it all begins with Smallville."