The debate goes on and on as to whether Smallville is going beyond the upcoming 9th season. In fact there are many things that are up in the air as far as what we know about the show.
The few things we do know:
- Tom Welling, who plays Clark Kent, has signed a 2-year contract renewal with the CW network.
- Allison Mack’s contract ends next year.
- Callum Blue & Brian Austin Green are hopping on board to play a few characters.
Things have been up in the air ever since Al Gough and Miles Millar left the show to the supporting showrunners Darren Swimmer, Todd Slakin, Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson. They’ve proven themselves, more or less with season 8, despite the emptiness of the season finale.
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But after having stepped up, Swimmer and Slakvin are moving on to take over Melrose Place, leaving Souders and Peterson to run the shop.
Where does that leave the show? My guess is that the power hitters of the foursome were asked to move on to take over the reboot gamble of Melrose. I could be wrong with that conjecture, but things are piling up to lead this editorial writer to that conclusion.
More Questions
We are still wondering the obvious. Will Clark Fly? Will Clark put on the suit? Will Smallville become Metropolis? Last December TV Guide stated that the CW was looking at a spin-off with Martian Manhunter but we haven’t heard any other word on that since then. We even have unsubstantiated rumors that there’s a Smallville movie on the horizon and things that we want to hear, like Rosenbaum might return for an episode or two.
More Conjecture From Justin Hartley
Now we can add to the mixer of hope that calling the 9th season of Smallvile the last season may be premature – Justin Hartley who plays Oliver Queen / Green Arrow has stated this in a recent interview. He further added to that by saying that the showrunners don’t know if they’re doing one or eight more seasons at this point in time.
Initially I thought he was chatting from some actual insider information, but I think all we’re seeing here is an actor being supportive of his own job.
While he was chatting, he added a little bit about his upcoming work in Smallville…
Hartley said that Oliver Queen might be going through some issues. Those issues are a few saves gone awry and Oliver might start drinking again. He also dropped the hint that he’ll be playing a younger Oliver Queen than we saw in season 8.
Is The Writing Is On The Wall?
If you recall, The CW moved Smallville to Friday nights for the 2009 / 2010 season as a lead-in to encore episodes of America’s Next Top Model. It will also be up against the likes of Law and Order on NBC, Ghost Whisperer on CBS and Supernanny on ABC in its time slot.
It’s harsh enough that they moved it to Fridays, but the competition even on the awful TV night that is Friday looks like it might just guarantee the show’s demise.
Even if the move to Friday cuts its ratings in half (like the move did to the ill-fated Sarah Connor Chronicles), The CW says that if the show outperforms their previous Friday night fare, then “that would be super.”
To me, that seems to say an awful lot about just how the network feels about the show. If they wanted it to go on, why Friday?
Here’s hoping all goes much better than it appears it might. The 9th season of Smallville starts on Friday, September 25th and ends in May of 2010.
So is the writing really on the wall? Or do you think that Smallville could make it to season 10 and beyond?
Source: Sci Fi Wire
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212 Comments
This show started with Clark in high school. It has been 8 years, it’s time for him to stop all this childish crap and become what everyone wants. They need to end the series with a great 2-hour episode in season 9, ending with him flying away in the suit. Then, like others have said, give us a good made-for-TV Superman (or Metropolis) movie. Better yet, work on it more, more money, and give us a great theatrical movie.
Well we’ll know if the Metropolis TV movie is real or not in a couple of weeks, since all this speculation stemmed from allegedly leaked material from the comic con panel.
Foopher that’s my point. He should be there by now and I’m also pointing out that they refuse to use the suit or make him fly ever. If they stretch it out yet another year it just gets pathetic. He’s gonna be 35 when the show ends and still not have been able to fly once or be superman.
by the way Tom is 32 now it’s time for superman give me a break. I watched the first three seasons gave up then watched when James Marsters showed up because I’m a fan then stopped watching again. The first season was ok, but it just got worse and worse. I peaked in on an episode or two every year and it keeps getting worse every year. By the time season 10 rolled around the show would have B movies looking like brilliant works of art and block busters.
Well maybe if you watched it the whole way through you could appriciate it more. that goes for everyone. is it really that bad that the show about clark BEFORE he’s superman doesn’t have superman yet. If they do that it would just be the adventures of superman. they have enough shows and movies about that. Smallville gives us something that’s “not the norm” and i think that’s awesome.
I loved the first 3 seasons. But when season 4 came around, i think it was then when the show was on its way of being waterdown but with still great episodes along the way. Episodes other than the first 3 seasons i really enjoyed were, Run, Hidden, and the episode where Lana dies for a short time, but later was Jonathan Kent as if clark really had to make a choice. I love Erica Durance as Lois Lane, much more so than Kate Bosworth. But anyways, i think its time we saw what we been wating for. For Clark to fly. If he’s not gonna wear the suit, then needs to fly or attempt to throughout the season. Hopfully michael Rosenbaum comes for a few episodes this season and somehow help get things back on track.
smallville is about the young clerk kent discovering who he is and what his destiny is. he has no idea he is going to be the worlds best superhero. i love smallville and i think all seasons were great. but season 7 could have been a whole lot better. i wouldn’t like to see clark in the suit. probably in the last episode but for the last scene. his character doesn’t involve him being superman yet. just the journey to become superman. so yes a lot of you are right for saying smallville to end with season 9 and the Metropolis movie. and of course lex isn’t dead. i mean come on, how can he die, then who the hell is the person he fought with in superman returns? so probably will return but just to let him know that he is alive and will live the rest of his life trying to kill him. i love michael rosenbaum as lex. he is probably the best character in the whole series.
Foopher at this point yes it is bad. For 5 years it makes sense, but now he’s so old that it’s a little over due. Hell even if he isn’t superman he can at least fly it’s idiotic that he still won’t fly and he’s already as old as he is. The show was a novel idea for a little while, but it got old fast especially when they absolutely refuse to do a suit or at least flying.
Here is something to think about. If you have seen the DVD cover for Season 8(coming out in August) it has a picture of Clark and Lois. But there is another version that will be available only at an undisclosed retailer. The other cover is a shot of Metropolis with the Daily Planet centered; no people, just the city. Could this be an indication of ‘Metroplolis’ coming? Maybe Season 9 retitled(and they announce it with the DVD release) or the two hour movie that has been mentioned? Comments?
Another thing about Clark becoming Superman; in the comics, he doesn’t show up until he is around the age of thirty or so. He didn’t just put on a suit the day after he got out of high school or college. Some stories suggest he spent years in the Fortress. Kind of like Batman who traveled the world to get himself prepared to fight crime. So in theory, they can keep the show going without putting on the suit. As for flying….
@ Luke
Yea I agree with your breakdown of the seasons. Only thinkg is that I really did not enjoy the last season at all. Where I do agree that season 7 was not good by any means, I DID think that season 8 was worse. Yeah season 7 had Lex’s “clone bros” but at least it had Lex, and there were some cool parts. Season 8 was just miserable…it turned into a show about characters I did not care about, they completely ruined teh image of Lana for me by giving her powers, Doomsday was just done completely horribly, Chloe had too much dawsons creek like drama and there were too many herendous episodes (Stolleto, requiem for ex)
The show bounced back from seaosn 4 to season 5 I felt as well, and I hope to see it do the same this next season,
BUT the truth is that it wont
well you seem confident and confidence is key
I agree with Tricia’s idea of clark not flying on account of his training with Jor-El not being finished. Think about it, in “Superman: The Movie” clark goes to the fortress as clark, meets his father, then “time lapse”, he’s standing there in his suit and flys away.
At the beginning of the movie, we see him out-running a train. “RUNNING”. he shant fly until his training in the fortress is complete.
Yes, why is this training taking so long? I mean, come on. Season 8 would have been a lot better is Clark flew. But unlike you both I enjoyed season 8, they mixed things up a little bit, took things in a different direction. But that’s just me, I’m not too quick to critisize. I would like them to bring Lex back as a part-time regular (10-12 episodes), bring in Perry White and the other famed reporters at the Daily Planet to make that whole storyline spicier and also get that Lois and Clark relationship on the move.
Tasouli, yeah I noticed that our season ratings were very similar. It’s nice to know that someone agrees with me for the most part, because you’d be surprised how many other fans (especially at KryptonSite) complain about Season 6 being one of the worst (Lana seems to be the biggest complaint) and actually seem convinced that Season 4 was one of the better ones.
I definitely understand your complaints about Season 8, I think I had similarly mixed feelings to it as you did to Season 7. There were parts that were horrible lame (The Saw ripoff episode, the Cloverfield ripoff episode, emo druggy Jimmy) parts that could’ve been good but they absolutely ruined (Green Arrow’s origin, the Supervillain Team) and parts that really made me mad (Getting rid of Manhunter’s powers, Lana returning with ninja and then kryptonian powers, and Chloe the entire last half of the season). There was a lot that I didn’t like, even hated, but as in Season 4 there was *just enough* to keep me interested. I was really happy to see Oliver become a regular cast member and I thought the episodes where they first set up “the mysterious killer” (Prey, Identity) were done extremely well. Of course the whole Davis/Doomsday/Chloe storyline ended up becoming completely riddiculous by the end of the season, but those two episodes gave me hope, even if that hope was completely shattered by mid-season.
Most of all, however, I was just happy to see Clark make some sort of progress toward becoming Superman, with the red-blue blur. Clark has been spinning his gears for so long, without any real character development (”I must finish my training with Jor-El and accept my destiny, but I can’t quite yet because of —-”, repeat for three seasons) that it was nice to actually see some progress on that front. We’ve had some great character development over the years with other characters, but Clark has become such a stagnant character. That seems to be the single greatest criticism of the series, Clark just hasn’t moved any close to becoming Superman. Maybe he does need to finish his trainign with Jor-El, but if so why have the been putting it off for five years now? It’s just ridiculous. It’d be like if Luke went to train with Yoda in Empire Strikes Back, but then after he left to rescue the others we had to wait an another five films for him to actually become a Jedi. Storywise, there’d be no point, they’d just be stalling the series so they could make more money. As much as I like Smallville that’s what they’re doing, Foopher and the others are right, once Clark becomes Superman the series is over. The studio knows that.
Yea also in the comics he was flying when he was much younger. Also he’s Tom Welling just doesn’t pull off young clark anymore he’s in his 30’s already.
Basically season 9 should feel like ‘Superman’. Daily Planet. Lois and Clark. Perry White. Justice League. Jimmy Olsen. Doomsday vs. Superman.
“the Cloverfield ripoff episode” ??? which one was that?
Foopher,
I think that was the wedding episode.”Bride”
Wasnt somebody taping the entire day up to Doomsdays arrival?
Oooooh. that’s right. i forgot about that part. i get it now.
i thought that was a neat effect. but it seems like i have no idea of what’s good television so i’m sorry.
Actually,
I liked the episode too.
it was cool. i liked how they also “tarantinoed” the episode too. i lik seeing what happens then finding out how it happened.
The “saw ripoff”, i’m assuming is COMMITTED, was a cool one too. (If you ask me, i’d say that MERCY in season 5 was more like “Saw”, but whatever)
Oliver;s origins was neat in TOXIC. seeing that the show isn’t about him, i didn’t have a problem with that episode.
The super villian team- i had completely forgot about that so in INJUSTICE i was like “oh look, bad people trying to kill Tess. Cool”
Getting rid of Manhunter’s powers was a tool to get Clark to start looking out for more people; trying to get him into his “super” mood. Also when they bring his powers back, he’ll probably take on the green skin/red eyes combo like we’re all used to.
I just wanted to point out the reason They signed Welling to 2 seasons was because if they decided to renew the show at the end of season 9,
they would have to renogotiate at the end of next year.
A two year contract isnt a guarantee of a 10th season,
Its just good business .
Gary I would just like to point out that no one said it was a guarantee. In fact everyone has said that it merely makes it possible.
I thought the first 3seasons of Smallville were its best.
They lost me after 7 when they took the Luthors out of it.
I think, with the lack of Lex, the seasonheld it’s own. Face it. It could’ve gone a LOT worse. I thought for having new wirters and losing members (key members) of the cast, the season was better than anyone expected.
@ Luke
Same views on me man about the show.
I completely agree about the star wars ref with Luke and Yoda. Yea it has been dragged out for way too long at this point. They need to move forward at a faster pace and try to go out on a good night.
Analogy:
Smallville is to TV
as
The Saw series is to movies
It started off well, had a good second and third parts….then dragged itself out to the point where it has just become stupid
Obviously not, seeing that it’s going into a 9TH season. It still has people watching. That’s the point of a TV show, to make money.
They didn’t start the show to tell the wonderous story of how Superman came to be. They made it because they knew people would be interested and they could make money off of it. So they’re gonna drag it out as long as possible. And, for me, that’s good because i have enjoyed every episode thus far, and will continue to be entertained until the end.
GO SMALLVILLE!!!
Foopher they also didn’t start it out with the idea to make great stories and they didn’t either.
I would prefer a Spin-Off show called “The Justice League: The early Years”. I think it could be a show that could show “Heroes” how to do a real Heroes show. with Heroes that we can believe in and already know. I think Season 9 should end with the TV movie “Metropolis” as the lead in to Clark finally wearing the right suit instead of us having to wait until December 2010.
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