Let the rampant speculation begin: Smallville creators and executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar have announced they’re leaving at the end of season 7.
I’m hopeful that as time goes by details of why they’re leaving the show will surface, but for now they wrote a very polite open letter announcing their decision.
Here are a few short quotes from the letter (for the full thing you can check out the source link at the end of this post.):
“As the creators of ‘Smallville’ we look back at 7 amazing years. We look back at 152 episodes. We look back knowing that the show will continue into Season 8 without us. After much heartache and debate we have decided it is time for us to move on.”
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“We are incredibly proud of our work on this show. We achieved what we set out to do. We never compromised our vision. We leave knowing that ‘Smallville’ is the longest-running comic book based series of all-time.”
I find this very interesting.
Back in August of last year, Al Gough indicated very strongly that he wanted an 8th season of Smallville:
“We would all very much like a season 8, and that in our minds, would be the last season. But that will depend on many factors, not the least of which is ratings, so PLEASE KEEP WATCHING!”
That doesn’t sound like a guy who thinks the show is done.
In October ‘07 Gough still sounded like they were on board, and re-iterated that Clark would still not be flying in season 7.
Then came February and what I thought was the most terrible episode of Smallville I’d ever had the displeasure of sitting through. It was followed by another awful one the following week, but I’ll admit that after that the show did improve again.
Finally, last month CW confirmed that there would be an 8th season of Smallville. At this point it already seemed that the show was sliding in quality and I thought that they should let it end while it still had some shred of “good” left in it.
So… the question is: Has the show been getting worse because of Gough and Millar or in spite of their efforts to keep it at a higher quality level? My opinion? I think it’s the latter.
The evidence that will reveal which of those theories is correct will be apparent in the quality (or lack of it) next season. I’m guessing that the network might have put pressure on them to make the show more “dramatic” by making the plots and relationships more outlandish, and that they balked at this. Also with one of the best things about the show not being there next year: Lex Luthor – it could have been a factor as well.
On the other hand I could be totally out to lunch and they just want to go make big budget movies. I guess we’ll find out eventually.
What do you think is the story behind this and do you think the show will suffer for it?
Source: SuperHeroHype!
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19 Comments
I really never much cared for this show. Someone was like “dude its awesome” so I checked it out, but it was so twisted in what I already know about Superman and it was so melodramatic that I couldn’t watch it anymore.
Maybe it’s THEM (and NOT Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman) who are writing the SUPERMAN RETURNS sequel for WB, Singer & Co.
Of course, that’s insanely unlikely.
Obviously, season eight will be SMALLVILLE’s swan-song. Lex and Lana are gone and who knows how much longer Welling’s contract lasts (i.e. the moment it expires, he’s out the door faster than a speeding bullet).
Jamie
Sad news…
For the most part, Smallville surpassed my expectations. After seven seasons, any show starts to suffer in terms of quality control. Remember the final season of the X-files? I think Clark et. al. could have done what they needed after five seasons. Brainiac was the high point. Now we know there are more Kryptonians on Earth than Hillary Clinton supporters, the mystery behind the last Son of Krypton is gone.
I’m sure any of the actors with a future (Lex) wants to get his career and his hair back. I hope that Season 8 is a tribute to the fine work the writers maintained in the previous seven seasons. But it is time for a new series: Metropolis!
Well the whole reason I watched the show was to see how CK gets from a High School Geek to, the Daily Planet and Superman. Supposedly these guys had a vision of how that journey was supposed to end. So now what happens to that whole concept/idea. Some other team comes in and goes where ever it wants to ignoring the back story that got us to where we are today.
The bast part of Smallville was the big story arc stories, the ones about Krypton, Jor-el, the cave paintings, Kara coming to earth, Brainiac, Lex’s decent in to evil, all leading to the Blue Red and Yellow costume with the cape, the news paper reporter with the glasses, and the passive agressive relationship between Lois and Clark.
So I ask you now what happens?
I have been a loyal fan of the show watching every week waiting for the story to unfold to the end. Frankly I feel ripped off by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar’s exit. I would have rather seen the show end this year. I wasn’t really thrilled with the idea of an 8th season anyway, I thought this season was the time to get to the end.
I don’t blame you guys for wanting to move on to bigger and better things but I think you are doing a disservice to fans like me who have loved this show.
I can’t wait to find out the real deal about why you are leaving the show. I hope next season is the last and I hope it doesn’t go down hill fast but continues to get us to the end of the story that we all wanted to see.
I sort of hopes the last scene of the last episode we would get to see Tom Welling, in the costume flying over the earth just like in the movies. That my friends would be a fitting end to this saga.
I bet that the CW wanted to end the show with Clark flying or something and that Millar and Gough were holding firm to the “no flying” thing. I bet we see Clark fly (FINALLY!) next year. All I can say is that I am GLAD that Lana is leaving. I am sooooo sick of her character.
you guys catch the episode a few weeks ago with the stride gum? that made me physically ill! ive never seen such blatent product placement in all my life. then they follow it up by pushing some band and having them play 2 songs in the episode. i could not freaking believe it. they have some freaking gaul. the show has jumped the shark on multiple occasions, but that crap leaped the whole freaking tank
Andy: Yeah the Stride episode was disgusting. Too blatant, too obvious, to crass. I could handle that Chloe drove a Yaris, and that she even used the word in some dialog now and then, but the Stride stuff was way too up front.
It’s episodes like that, that make me feel like the show has lost it’s way and they are producing filler episodes that don’t service the big story. Get rid of that junk and just give us the meat.
Wow, fans of this
show are dying to see Clark fly….?
And that keeps them coming back every week….?
What grand expectations you all have….
I sure don’t get why this show has lasted 7 years.
Here’s what I think is needed for Season 8, now that Gough and Millar and (hopefully) their rules have left:
CLARK MUST FLY!
In the series finale, Clark wears his costume!!!
If Bruce and Diana can be used, USE THEM, DAMMIT!
If the above cannot be used, throw Hal Jordan, Ray Palmer, and Carter Hall in.
John Jones needs a bigger role. The MM is awesome, and he needs to shine.
HAVE A MIND-BLOWING JUSTICE LEAGUE FINALE! THROW IN DARKSEID AND A FEW APOKOLIPTIAN NEW GODS. Maybe show Metron, Orion and Mister Miracle.
Season 7 failed in the beginning because of a lack of overarcing story. In S6, the first half featured Oliver Queen. The second half cleaned up the 33.1 storyline. Sprinkle in a few Zoners and a proto-Justice League, and you were good. I didn’t see much of that this season, although the Veritas story seems to have some potential.
People, I’m a fan of continuity. But I wouldn’t worry too much (TOO is the key word here) about the Smallvillian (I just made that word)continuity, and how it affects the mythos. They haven’t been changing TOO much, although they are starting to repeat themselves, with Clark and Lana and all that. Remember also, Bizarro and (Doctor in the show) Professor Hamilton are dead in Smallville, but they know Superman in the comics.
The part involving the New Gods was a personal fantasy of mine. Metron is my favorite NG.
I also forgot that Lois and Clark MUST START SHOWING AFFECTION TO ONE ANOTHER. He really needs to get over Lana.
Maybe there can be a groundswell of fan support for season 7 to be the final one. We could send green-painted rocks to the CW.
………..keeping my mouth shut……….
Smitty
A friend of mine that was involved with the show very peripherally 1 or 2 years ago, said that Millar and Gough were both *very* busy with their big movie deals, etc. and delegated a lot. Obviously, that’s outdated info at this point, but my guess is they were mostly checked out already and left the show because they wanted to be able to pursue bigger and better paying ventures.
I really hope season 8 will introduce both Bruce and Diana.
I can’t believe there leaving! I mean without there guidance there is no show! I really hope they come back to do the 8th season of Smallville.
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