25 Years Later, Netflix Revives One of the Greatest Superman Stories Ever Made

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David Gallagher and Allison Scagliotti in 'Smallville'

Published Feb 26, 2026, 3:49 PM EST

Erielle Sudario is a Collider News and Feature Author from Australia and has worked in the journalism industry since 2018. She has a passion for entertainment and pop culture news and has interviewed YouTubers, voice actors, film directors, and musicians throughout her career. When she's not writing, you can see Erielle building keyboards, reading a good book, playing video games, and creating content on social media.

Superman is back in a big way thanks to James Gunn's DCU reboot. The 2025 Superman film has earned over $618 million worldwide, and its success led to more "Super Family" projects getting greenlit. There's never been a better time to dive into the Man of Steel's story, and global fans agree, as a hit TV series from the early 2000s has surged up the streaming charts.

Ever since Superman made his comic book debut in Action Comics Issue #1 in 1938, the superhero has become an icon in the genre and pop culture. From his costume, powers, ideals, and beliefs, his story was adapted into various media, including TV shows, radio stories, and video games, and he also became the inspiration for other titles, like DreamWorks' Megamind and Omni-Man from Invincible. When Gunn released his Superman movie, he chose not to include Clark Kent's origin story and went straight to the action. But for those who want to know what the Man of Steel was like before he wore the red cape, there's a streaming TV show that showcases that story.

Smallville is a 10-season coming-of-age superhero drama that aired from 2001 to 2011, following Clark Kent's life before he becomes Superman, where he learns about his alien background while facing familiar adversaries like Lex Luthor. Recently, the show had a resurgence in popularity, climbing to No. 8 on Netflix's Global Top 10 TV Shows chart, ranking between The Lincoln Lawyer and Being Gordon Ramsay. The series starred Tom Welling as Clark Kent, alongside Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor, and Kristin Kreuk as Clark's early love interest, Lana Lang. Erica Durance later joined the cast as Lois Lane in the show's later seasons. Eight years after the series finale, Welling reprised his role during the Arrowverse crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths," appearing alongside Durance's Lois Lane. Since its release, Smallville has received numerous accolades, including Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series" and a Teen Choice Award for "Choice Breakout TV Star — Male" for Welling in 2002. Additionally, Smallville is still praised by fans and critics, with a 78% critic score and a 72% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

What's Next For 'Superman' in the DCU?

Following Superman's box-office success, Warner Bros. and Gunn have announced numerous projects set in the DCU Metropolis. The first is the upcoming Supergirl movie, starring Milly Alcock as Kara Zor-El, who's Superman's cousin. In addition, David Corenswet's Superman and Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor will team up in a follow-up film called Man of Tomorrow, in which they face Brainiac, played by Lars Eidinger. There's also a spin-off show in the works starring Skyler Gisondo's Jimmy Olsen. The show has yet to get an official title, but it's said to be a "true crime" docuseries, with Gorilla Grodd confirmed as the show's first big bad. A release day has yet to be announced.

Smallville is available to stream on Hulu and Prime Video. Follow Collider for more updates.

Release Date 2001 - 2011

Network The WB, The CW

Directors Mike Rohl, Jeannot Szwarc, Glen Winter, Terrence O'Hara, Whitney Ransick, Mairzee Almas, Paul Shapiro, Rick Rosenthal, David Carson, James L. Conway, Chris Long, Michael Katleman, Morgan Beggs, Allison Mack, David Barrett, Marita Grabiak, Michael W. Watkins, Philip Sgriccia, Rick Wallace, Thomas J. Wright, Todd Slavkin, Brad Turner, Charles Beeson, Craig Zisk

Writers Steven S. DeKnight, Holly Henderson, Don Whitehead, Caroline Dries, Mark Verheiden, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Philip Levens, Jordan Hawley, Kenneth Biller, Michael Green, Drew Z. Greenberg, Geoff Johns, John Chisholm, Drew Landis, Julia Swift, Doris Egan, Tracy Bellomo, Garrett Lerner, Greg Walker, Russel Friend, Shintaro Shimosawa, Tim Schlattmann, todd helbing