“Smallville” was a triumph of superhero television. Its groundbreaking 10-season run helped usher in a new era of comic book heroics on the small screen, reminding audiences and studios alike that superheroes need not be reserved for the movies. However, even the biggest “Smallville” fan can admit the show tended to drag its feet. Sure, the slow burn of Clark Kent’s (Tom Welling) transformation into Superman was what kept viewers tuning in, but the relationship between Clark and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) could certainly have progressed faster — and the show’s creators would agree.
In reflecting on the series with The Hollywood Reporter, creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar explained their personal struggles with the show. “The Clark-Lana thing played out way too long,” Gough admitted. “Something else had to happen there. I think that was one that got a little repetitive.”
As Clark Kent’s first girlfriend in DC Comics continuity, it was no wonder that Lana Lang was a central character throughout the majority of “Smallville.” She spent the series flitting between relationships with multiple characters, struggling to make things work with Clark. But for Gough and Millar, it was too much.
“My younger daughter is now … going back to watch ‘Smallville,’ and she’s in Season 2,” Gough continued. According to the co-creator, his daughter doesn’t fully understand the constant drama between Clark and Lana. “So, I think there are things there, if we went back, we probably would be a little more adventurous with some of those relationships and bring them to certain heads and let them play out.”
How the Smallville creators would change their approach to Lana Lang
Of course, the goal for a long time was to extend “Smallville” to a certain length, which meant that plotlines had to be drawn out. “We were definitely cautious and just very conscious of the fact we wanted to get to five seasons,” Millar explained. “We ended up at 10 seasons, but we’re just like, ‘Okay, if we split them apart, what are we gonna do?'” The struggle to sustain interest in Clark and Lana’s relationship was certainly a challenge.
“Again, as the father of girls, I think the female characters we would do differently today,” Millar added. “I think Lana, her agency was not there. She could have been a much stronger character, and she always felt put in positions of weakness.” The “Smallville” creators note that the show was made in a “different era,” which limited what they felt they could accomplish with the character at the time.
Despite these changes that the creators of “Smallville” would make, the series remains a beloved and important piece of superhero television history. Without it, the television landscape of the next decade would certainly have looked quite different. It’s wild to think that Tom Welling tried to turn down his most popular role.
