Published Jun 4, 2026, 5:49 PM EDT
Andy Behbakht has worked as an entertainment journalist since 2010, covering all the latest in Hollywood on both the big and small screens, from staying on top of the biggest breaking news, analyzing movies and television shows in Hollywood, to in-depth interviews with actors and storytellers.
Andy's career includes having worked for publications such as FanSided, KSiteTV, TV Fanatic, It's Just Movies, Heroic Hollywood, TV Overmind, and more. Outside of his career as an established reporter, Andy is the host and producer of The Showrunner Whisperer, The Flash Podcast, the editor-in-chief of Multiverse of Color, and the network director of DC TV Podcasts.
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Netflix is seeing big success for a major comic book television series.
While Hollywood has various heroes and villains making their way to the big screen every year, the comic book genre also has a prominent place on TV. With more adaptations than ever, one of the biggest series is now finding a new audience through streaming.
Smallville, which starred Tom Welling as Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman, has made its way back to the top of the streaming charts for Netflix worldwide. The decade-long Man of Steel prequel has surged to #3 for the streamer in Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, and the Maldives, as well as #4 in Kuwait, South Africa, and Sri Lanka.
The DC TV property is also sitting at #5 for Netflix in Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, while also performing at #6 in Oman, #7 in the United Arab Emirates, #8 in the Philippines, and #9 in Saudi Arabia. The decade-long drama premiered back in 2001 when superhero properties were still fairly limited on television and in cinema.
Smallville, which is available to stream on Hulu (via Disney) in the United States, began its run on The WB and aired until season 5. For season 6 and beyond, the series aired on The CW, following The WB's merger with UPN, making it one of their flagship shows.
To this day, Smallville is the longest-running live-action Superman TV show, as it aired 218 episodes until its end in May 2011. The story follows Clark learning about his Kryptonian powers and heritage, while taking the necessary lessons needed before he could become the DC legend.
The streaming resurgence is coming at the perfect time for Welling's series, but also the larger Superman and DC brand. The show is celebrating its 25th anniversary as of October 16, 2026.
Smallville making it to Netflix's top charts worldwide this month is also fitting, as My Adventures with Superman season 3 and DC Studios' Supergirl movie with Milly Alcock are releasing on June 13 and 26, respectively. James Gunn's Man of Tomorrow film is also currently filming, with David Corenswet reprising his version of Krypton's last son.
Had it not been for all the Smallville seasons between 2001 and 2011, The CW would most likely never have launched the Arrowverse, which began one of the active DC live-action universes at the time. The extensive Superman origin drama paved the way for Greg Berlanti's franchise, which ran from 2012 to 2024.
Welling even got to come back as Clark with Erica Durance's Lois Lane during the big Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover in 2019, allowing Smallville to exist within the larger Arrowverse multiverse franchise. While running for 10 seasons, a revival is something that the lead star has attempted to bring to fruition.
Along with Lex Luthor himself, Michael Rosenbaum, Welling has been working together with his co-star to develop a Smallville animated sequel series. Al Gough and Miles Millar, who created the original show, are intended to be part of the potential continuation.
As of writing, development has been moving slowly, with DC Studios currently prioritizing Gunn's DCU Chapter 1: "Gods and Monsters" slate. If Smallville were to get greenlit for a comeback, it would exist under the Elseworlds banner.
Catch Smallville on Netflix internationally and on Hulu (via Disney+) in the United States.
Release Date 2001 - 2011
Showrunner Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Brian Peterson, Kelly Souders, Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer
English (US) ·