Key Highlights
- Smallville, a decade-old DC TV drama with over 200 episodes, is surging on Netflix.
- The show has become a worldwide streaming sensation, appearing in several countries’ top 10 charts.
- Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum have been developing an animated sequel series but are awaiting Warner Bros. approval.
A Decade of Smallville: A Streaming Renaissance
In a surprising turn, the long-running DC superhero show Smallville, which aired from 2001 to 2011 on The WB and The CW, is making a comeback through streaming platforms. This resurgence has been nothing short of a global hit, with the series now available in several international countries, including New Caledonia, Reunion, Guadeloupe, Kenya, Mauritius, Martinique, Germany, Austria, France, Nigeria, and Malta.
The revival of Smallville on Netflix is not just a nostalgic trip down memory lane for fans. According to FlixPatrol, the show has secured significant streaming positions in these regions, with the series placing as high as #3 in New Caledonia, Reunion, and Guadeloupe, and #4 in Kenya and Mauritius. This success is particularly noteworthy considering Smallville’s original run ended in 2011, making it one of the longest-running superhero shows of all time.
The Longevity of Smallville
Smallville (Season 1 | Trailer), which centered on young Clark Kent’s journey to becoming Superman, starred Tom Welling as the titular character and Michael Rosenbaum as his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. The show was instrumental in paving the way for the Arrowverse, a series of interconnected superhero shows that began in 2012 and ran until 2024.
Despite its conclusion in 2011, Smallville continued to have an impact on the DC universe. A tie-in comic launched by DC Comics, set after the series finale, further solidified the show’s legacy within the broader superhero landscape.
The Future of Smallville
While Smallville is now streaming successfully worldwide, there are plans for a potential animated sequel series. However, development has been slow, with actor Tom Welling revealing in an interview that Warner Bros. has not yet given the green light to the project. In a candid conversation with ScreenRant, Welling expressed both enthusiasm and frustration:
“We want it to work.
The honest answer is we have not been able to get Warner Brothers to give us the thumbs up. We need their permission.”
Welling further elaborated on the challenges, noting that the idea remains fan-driven and not a financial priority for the studio:
“It’s more of a fan-driven idea. It’s not going to be a blockbuster.
It’s not going to be a financial windfall for any of us. We all like each other, we all like working together, and if we could do it, it’d be fun. But Warner Bros. – and I’m not hating on them – they just haven’t gotten back to us.”
Despite the current hiatus, Smallville remains a beloved part of DC’s streaming catalog, with its original episodes available on Hulu in the United States and various international Netflix platforms.
