Superman and Lois Season 1: Holding a Mirror up to Smallville
Can you mirror a similar show from the past and still be new and interesting?
Holding up a mirror to old TV shows for long running characters is something that happens a lot in film and television. Fans being the people who most obviously do it. With Superman having such a long history in so many different mediums means it's pretty much guaranteed to happen. There's nothing inherently wrong with that if it's done properly. And if the writers and filmmakers do it properly, the similarities are offset by differentiating it effectively.
Much has been made of the similarities between the early episodes of Superman and Lois and the last time the story of Superman was on TV, Smallville. The comparison isn't without its merits. Things such as the sudden onset of uncontrollable shakes and the development of super powers. These are all things that were a major part of Smallville. Obviously the setting is naturally there. What makes it different though is the circumstances under which it plays out.
On Smallville, many of the “meteor freak of the week” characters as they were called on the show, were metaphors for growing up or some other issue. Clark's development of powers was largely attributed to puberty, as it was obviously by heat vision and how it came about. Tom Welling has famously said that at the heart of Smallville and his Clark Kent was focused on the search for identity. They held firm to that and it worked out pretty well for them. You don't go for 10 seasons if it doesn't work more than it doesn't.
That isn't what Superman and Lois is about. Despite the fact that Superman's kids are in high school and growing up, this isn't the focus of the show. As was pointed out in a previous post, Superman and Lois is about going home again. It's about finding a place in the world that you can call home. There are elements of that which are part of identity, but it's from a different perspective. Jordan and Jonathan have fairly solidly established identities. They had lives in Metropolis that they enjoyed and felt comfortable in. Even their parents have a solid understanding of who they are and what they want.
What they need to figure out is how to fit that identity into the new situation. Who they want to see that identity and whether or not anyone will actually like it. It might not fit but they're going to have to try. Smallville didn't necessarily have that. The world is largely accepting of Superman and other superheroes in existence. Green Arrow, The Flash, Black Lightning, even Superman's cousin Supergirl are all very well established and largely accepted by the public in this universe.
There's no big ethical and moral struggle going on within the focus of a “freak of the week”, if one even really appears. More often than not the problems are natural instead of supernatural. Can Clark balance his responsibilities as Superman with his responsibilities as a father? Will he be able to guide his family through the difficult and murky waters they find themselves in? How much do they want him in their lives now that his kids know who he is? These are the core questions to be answered in the show.
A reflection does exist between Smallville and Superman and Lois, but it's far from a perfect one. There's more of a curve to it or a conclave.
And it's the differences between the two that make both worth watching.
Check out Superman and Lois on the CW App in the United States and Amazon elsewhere.
You can also check out Smallville on Hulu in the United States and Amazon elsewhere.