Smallville is an American television series of the superhero fantasy subgenre of science fiction and offers an alternate take on the infamous comic book character Superman. The series was developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on concepts originally developed by comic book writers/artists Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster back in 1938. The show was produced by Tollin/Robbins Productions and aired on the WB Network for five seasons, with the last four seasons of the show broadcast on the CW Network. In total, the series ran for ten seasons and a total of 218 episodes, making it the longest running television series of it's genre.
Alternately known as Smallville Beginnings or Superman: The Early Years, the series focuses on the trials and tribulations of young Clark Kent and life in the small town of Smallville, Kansas. The series receives favorable ratings although viewer opinion varies depending upon the demographic. Many comic fans have voiced their disapproval of the show based upon several facets including the liberal departure from the known history as it has been chronicled in the Superman family of comic titles.
Prior to its initial airing, producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar trumpeted a strict "no flights – no tights" policy in regards to the Man of Steel. Effectively, it was their intention to focus more on the characterization of troubled teenaged Kent, and the burden of his budding super-powers without the added aloofness of brightly colored outfits or excessively showy displays of super-prowess. While it is true that Clark has never donned the infamous super-suit, he is usually seen wearing casual attire appropriately color-coded to reflect his comic counterpart's red and blue fashion sense. On a few occasions the infamous "S" shield has been known to appear on his chest, but always under singularly unique pretenses. To date, Clark has demonstrated his ability to fly at several different points, but always with a distinctive qualifier attached to it, which allows the production staff to maintain their stance that Clark Kent will never be seen flying on Smallville. In one episode he is shown floating above his bed, but this is actually a form of levitation as he is technically not propelling himself. In other instances, Clark's power can be construed as super-leaping rather than flight. In one example, he leaps across two skyscrapers (in a single bound) in Metropolis in order to rescue his mother. In another mishap, Clark uses a super-leap to stop a runaway missile from breaking Earth's atmosphere. In the fourth season premiere episode Crusade, Clark is seen streaking across the Smallville skyline. However, circumstances reveal that he is actually possessed by his darker, Kryptonian persona and is technically not in control of his body at the time. In a flashback episode Tom Welling plays a younger version of his birth-father Jor-El and is seen flying through the air over Smallville. However, as this is Jor-El and not Clark, Gough and Millar can still attest that they have maintained their "no flights – no tights" edict.
