When Smallville aired on the WB, it featured a new take on Superman’s origin story. The bulk of the series followed a teenage Clark Kent as he came of age in the titular small town and built a network of allies around him. The series paved the way for a lot of the superhero series TV fans can see today, like the CW’s extended Arrowverse.
For those fans feeling the void of Smallville in today’s TV offerings, there are quite a few shows that include different aspects that made Smallville great, like its teen hero origin story, the small town setting, and even the mysteries solved by the end of each episode.
10 Stargirl Fills The Young Hero-In-Training Void
Unlike Clark Kent, Courtney Whitmore doesn’t have powers at a very young age, but her life does change drastically as a teenager with the help of the Cosmic Staff. She’s the titular character in CW’s Stargirl.
Smallville fans will remember that a version of the character appeared in the older series, but the new show brings the characters into the 2020s as Courtney moves to a small town with her family and uncovers the secrets of the Justice Society of America. She’s as committed to getting to the truth as Lois Lane, and as committed to saving her small hometown as Clark Kent. Courtney even has a group of friends to help her along the way.
9 Nancy Drew Has Smallville’s Monster Of The Week Format
Smallville and the CW’s Nancy Drew are definitely very different shows, since one deals with ghost stories and the other with the birth of a superhero. They do, however, both feature a small town setting in which the main character does everything they can to unravel weekly mysteries.
Both shows feature long term story arcs that play out as the result of “freak of the week” or “monster of the week” storylines. Nancy Drew excels in featuring a more contained mystery in each episode that feeds into the larger storyline. Smallville fans will definitely appreciate that, as well as enjoying another modern take on a classic literary character.
8 Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. Features A Unique Origin Story
Fans knew going into Smallville that they’d be watching a teenager slowly become Superman. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. flipped that idea. The show initially approached its main characters as normal people dealing with the fallout from superpowered problems, instead of being superpowered individuals themselves.
Along the way, however, the episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. built up a found family and found a superhero in Quake as Daisy Johnson learns about her own past and saves the world more than once. Fans who enjoy the way Clark doesn’t solve his super problems on his own will appreciate that the show is truly an ensemble, with Daisy sharing her origin story spotlight with a half-dozen other characters.
7 Burden Of Truth Features A Smallville Regular
It might not seem like a Canadian legal drama would have much in common with Smallville, but Burden of Truth does feature a Smallville regular. Kristin Kreuk headlines the show after starring as Lana Lang in the superhero series.
Much like Smallville, Burden of Truth is set in a small town. It also features a main character who wants to do the most good as she can while taking on a conspiracy that involves young women in town falling ill because of a corrupt pharmaceutical company. Clark Kent would admire her efforts to get truth and justice.
6 Lois & Clark Is Smallville For An Older Generation
Before there was Smallville, there was Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman. It took Clark out of Smallville as an adult, an established hero, and a reporter.
Though the series is very much a product of its time, rife with ’90s fashion and dialogue, the show explores the work-life balance that Clark Kent and Lois Lane have to establish. One of them is always in danger, whether that’s a result of his role as Superman or their roles as investigative reporters. The duo have to learn to deal with that danger while still doing their jobs and having a relationship.
5 Legends Of Tomorrow Has Smallville’s Lighter Approach
Despite both Smallville and Legends of Tomorrow dealing with some darker subjects, the tones of both shows overall are lighter and more fun than a lot of the television properties inspired by DC Comics.
The Arrowverse in particular features many shows with a much darker tone. But by featuring time travel and alternate universes, the heroes and villains of Legends of Tomorrow manage to escape a lot of that darkness. It’s definitely developed the more eclectic feel that Smallville embraced as it began introducing more heroes to the show.
4 The Republic Of Sarah Seeks Independence In A Small Town
Fans who really love the small town feel of Smallville won’t find that in most other corners of the modern Arrowverse. Gotham, Star City, and Central City are major metropolitan centers that often deal with large-scale villains. Heading outside of the superhero world, however, is The Republic of Sarah.
The series features a small town history teacher who accidentally ends up advocating for her hometown to be declared its own country. Her decision comes as a result of a technicality born from old maps that reveal the town isn’t technically a part of the United States or Canada. It’s also born from the desire to save her hometown from a potentially destructive land development deal. Smallville’s residents would admire Sarah’s commitment.
3 Supergirl Provides New Twists On A Fan Favorite
This version of Supergirl exists within the Arrowverse, but Smallville fans might be interested in seeing just how different this version of Supergirl is from the one they knew. Kara Zor-El pursues a career in journalism, inspired by her cousin, and learns to stand up as a hero outside of his shadow.
Laura Vandervoort, who played the character for Smallville, even appears early in the series as a villain, getting to revisit the DC comic book world. Vandervoort’s version of the character didn’t get closure in the eyes of some audience members, but this Kara has several seasons of story to tell.
2 Superman & Lois Brings Audiences Home To Smallville
The newest version of Superman’s story makes a return to Smallville. It’s not in the same universe as the latter show, but Superman & Lois is rooted in family, just like the origin story.
In this version, Clark and Lois move back to the former’s hometown with their teenage sons after Clark’s mother leaves him the Kent farm. He’s not a teenager, but the show does revisit aspects of his young life in Smallville with characters like Lana Lang and flashbacks to Clark deciding to leave town. The show gets to explore the Superman story in a new way as Clark’s sons deal with their dad being a hero.
1 The Newsroom Offers A Healthy Dose Of Journalism
For fans who loved to watch Clark finding his footing as a journalist in Smallville — or just seeing Lois Lane enter his life — then The Newsroom is a good binge. It’s drastically different in tone, but when it comes to fictional journalism, there’s no show that beats it according to its die-hard fan base.
From the mind of Aaron Sorkin, the series follows a group of characters as they investigate and report on headline news amidst the backdrop of their own personal dramas. It’s like if The Daily Planet had its own news station.
About The Author