Smallville has long been a beloved DCTV property, and that remains the case more than a decade after the show completed its 10-season run. That enduring popularity has been so palpable that there are those who’ve been eager to see a continuation series of sorts. A revival has indeed been discussed in some form or fashion and, as a longtime fan, I’d be down to see that come to fruition. Now, I feel even more passionate about now being the time for such a show after hearing some recent comments shared by Justin Hartley.

Why Should A Smallville Revival Happen Now?

The superhero media landscape has obviously become so much more vast since The WB/CW’s Superman prequel series flew onto the small screen in 2001. It was a novelty at the time and ironically went on to create the spark that led to the inception of the Arrowverse. Now, even that latter franchise is done, and that’s in great part due to the rise of the DCU continuity. DC Studios co-presidents James Gunn and Peter Safran are cooking up some cool stuff, but I’d really love for the pair to bring back Smallville.

There’s an endearing quality to the property, which certainly has moments of action and suspense, but also places a heavy emphasis on the characters. Speaking of which, the cast is downright impeccable, as I still consider Tom Welling an excellent Clark Kent. Michael Rosenbaum also crushes the role of Lex Luthor, and I could imagine him sliding back into it. Also, I have to mention the talents of cast members like Erica Durance (Lois Lane), Kristen Kreuk (Lana Lang) and Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen), who I’d love to see back in the fold.

Quite frankly, a revival project wouldn’t even necessarily need to be a show, as a TV movie could work as well. By the time an older Clark appears during the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, he’s given up his powers for unknown reasons. A movie could focus on that story, which could essentially be his final fight as Superman. Whatever the case, I’d love to see more from this specific continuity, and I’m encouraged after hearing Hartley share his thoughts on suiting up again.

How Would Justin Hartley Feel About Playing Green Arrow Again?

Since hanging up Oliver Queen’s bow and arrow in 2011, Justin Hartley has seen a considerable amount of success. He starred on the hit NBC drama This is Us and, right now, he’s headlining the CBS drama series Tracker. Hartley recently appeared on The Jennifer Hudson Show to discuss his latest show, and the host brought up Smallville. She then asked if Hartley would be open to playing another hero, and he not only explained (in the YouTube clip) that he would play Green Arrow again, but he also explained why he’d like to return:

What I think would be really cool though, now that I'm older, I have different life experiences and I would approach it differently and I think it would be a different story. I'd like to jump back into that Green Arrow suit…. Maybe not that exact suit but something a little hipper.

Hartley has spoken fondly about working on Smallville and, on that note, he’s shared positive thoughts on his experience playing Green Arrow. Considering how Hartley has changed in the time since he last wore that jade outfit, I’d love to see him get another crack at it in some way. (And, yes, I’d agree that his superhero suit could use an upgrade.) Of course, if a sequel show were to happen, it would probably have to occur after Tracker is done (barring any kind of master scheduling). Or maybe Hartley could just recur on that theoretical show. Whatever the case, since the Smallville cast is getting older, the revival would need to happen sooner rather than later.

On that note, Welling and Rosenbaum have been trying to pitch an animated sequel series, though their efforts have seemingly stalled due to the changing of the guard at Warner Bros. (which is also now set to be acquired by Paramount Skydance). So a new Smallville show may be only a dream right now but, for the time being, I’m holding onto hope that it’ll happen. For now, fans can check out all 10 seasons of the original show with a Hulu subscription.

While there are some superhero-based titles on the 2026 TV schedule, there was a time, not that long ago, when The CW was literally chockablock with action-packed dramas about DC comics characters. Widely known as the Arrow-verse, the programming reached its peak with six shows on the network, and was so-named for the one that started it all: Arrow. But, wait…did that Green Arrow-focused show actually start the spate of DC titles on the network? Series star David Ramsey recently had a friendly argument with Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum about which show truly led the charge.

What Prompted Arrow’s David Ramsey And Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum To Have A Friendly Argument

Superheroes have been a big part of pop culture for decades, but TV shows that followed them had lots of trouble getting (and staying) off the ground until relatively recently. While the Stephen Amell-starring Arrow can certainly be credited with helping to change that for fans, a little 10-season series called Smallville (which focused on Clark Kent’s teen and young adult years) was, technically, first out of the gate.

David Ramsey portrayed John Diggle (Oliver Queen’s confidant and eventual non-Green Lantern partner in vigilante justice) throughout all of Arrow’s eight seasons, and with appearances on other franchise shows like The Flash. During a recent chat with Michael Rosenbaum’s Inside of You podcast, Ramsey revealed that he had a conversation with Smallville’s Justin Hartley not long ago, which led to the Tracker star bringing up his earlier stint as Oliver Queen. Leading Rosenbaum to add:

While Hartley didn’t seem to push the issue of Smallville being the show that really served to kickstart the whole DC series universe, Ramsey’s story did prompt Rosenbaum to push a little harder on that note. Man, stirring the pot and trying to sound innocent is such a Lex thing to do, isn’t it? And, Ramsey couldn't really argue his point too much, as he responded:

I love the fact that Hartley enjoyed his time as Oliver/Green Arrow so much that he felt the need to bring it up to Ramsey when they met not long ago. As the actor told Rosenbaum (who, of course, starred on Smallville as Lex Luthor for Seasons 1 through 7, then returned for the series finale) he met the This Is Us star while doing a guest appearance on Tracker, but Hartley’s first long-running primetime role was as Green Arrow on Smallville from 2006 through 2011, which was just about a year before Arrow began.

Listen, folks who are in the know fully realize that Smallville is legendary and was the first to really do some of the DC-based stories right on television, but Ramsey is still correct that Arrow has a special place in the comic book hero sun for directly leading to such a beloved TV franchise.

Smallville really was one of the best DC shows of the modern era, and it treated Millennials to a younger Clark Kent who'd yet to become Superman. The WB/CW series is still a favorite amongst fans due to its comic book-esque action and teenage/young adult drama. It’s been well over a decade since Tom Welling played Clark Kent on that show and, since then, he's moved away from Los Angeles. In fact, he actually ended up going from Tinseltown to a “smallville” of his own, and he explained why.

Whether someone is a fan of the aforementioned prequel series or has watched all of the Superman movies, they likely know the Man of Steel's origins involve a farm in Kansas. Well, Tom Welling isn’t far from that life himself, as he told People how one family trip to Northern California during the COVID-19 pandemic inspired them to leave L.A.:

I mean, there's no time like the present. Welling said he was sold on a ranch he and his family saw, which had two homes. And, before they knew it, they became permanent homeowners there.

The Lucifer alum also helps his wife’s horse breeding business, which includes sport horses and jumpers. Funny enough, on Smallville, Clark’s high school girlfriend, Lana Lang, also had a passion for horses. It seems that for the model-turned-Hollywood star, art and life are really imitating each other in a major way.

Some fans may be tempted to think Tom Welling would still have to deal with a lot of attention even in ranching area. Fortunately, the Cheaper By the Dozen actor doesn’t have to worry about that in his new residence:

It's hard to beat that, and I would imagine that it must be refreshing for Welling not to have to deal with much paparazzi. Ironically, Smallville's EPs previously said Welling was the “perfect” Clark Kent due to having no interest in fame despite taking on the Man of Steel role. So, it looks like Welling’s humbleness still lies within him even after the height of his fame. I love that the Fog actor finds his new life on the ranch “peaceful.”

The New York native still holds onto Smallville, though. At present, Welling co-hosts a rewatch podcast with former co-star Michael Rosenbaum called Talkville, where they rewatch and discuss episodes from their superhero series.

Also, there were plans for an animated revival series of their beloved DC show. But its EP gave a disappointing update, as they explained that plans were on hold due to the Superman projects being done at DC Studios Hopefully, Tom Welling’s Clark Kent -- who returned in the Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earth's crossover in 2020 -- will eventually soar onto our TV screens once again.

In the meantime, though, it seems Tom Welling is very happy with his new surroundings. If he can balance acting, family, and being in business with horses, I can't think of a better life. Feel free to revisit Clark Kent’s life on a farm in Smallville, as all 10 seasons are streamable with a Hulu subscription.

I thought I’d clocked every major swing James Gunn took with his 2025 take on Superman. The brighter tone. The emphasis on optimism. The quiet promise that this wasn’t going to be another grim reboot pretending hope was a liability. I watched closely. Or at least, I thought I had — until Gunn slipped in a Universe change so small, so nerdy, and so deeply rooted in the hit 2000s television show Smallville that it caught me entirely off guard.

In a response to a fan on Threads, Gunn confirmed that the decision to swap out the familiar “LexCorp” for “LuthorCorp” was a decision he directly credits to Smallville. The fan had written:

If that made your brain light up, you’re not alone. After the fan thanked Gunn for the change, Gunn’s response was brief and quick, giving credit where it was due. The director wrote:

For longtime Smallville fans, LuthorCorp isn’t a new moniker. The CW series consistently used the more formal name, emphasizing Lex’s obsession with legacy, power, and respectability. It wasn’t branding for branding’s sake — it was about control and perception. Lex didn’t want to be seen as a comic-book villain-in-waiting. He wanted to be taken seriously as a leader. LuthorCorp sounded colder, sharper, and more permanent. LexCorp always felt a little too cute by comparison.

What’s fascinating is how quietly Gunn folded this into the first chapter of the DCU. There was no major announcement, but a simple background detail rooted in a show that shaped an entire generation’s understanding of the Last Son of Krypton’s lore. It’s the kind of choice that doesn’t change the plot, but absolutely changes the texture of the world.

It also reinforces something Gunn has been signaling all along, and that is that this Superman isn’t built in a vacuum, as he’s pulling from decades of interpretations of the character. Smallville mattered. It influenced how people think about Clark, Lex, and the slow erosion of friendship into rivalry. Acknowledging that influence, even in something as granular as a corporate name, feels validating for this longtime fan of new DC movies.

And LutherCorp makes more sense than LexCorp. LexCorp always felt like a comic-book brand, whereas LuthorCorp feels like a multinational entity. This totally aligns with Lex’s personality and obsession with legacy. The best part is how easily this could’ve gone unnoticed. I missed it. A lot of people probably did. But once you see it, you can’t unsee it — and you start to wonder what other Smallville-adjacent choices are hiding in plain sight.

If this is the level of detail Gunn is willing to canonize, it's clear the Studio Co-CEO continues to respect the past without being trapped by it. And it makes me even more excited to see what is coming down the pike with the upcoming Supergirl, soon to hit the 2026 movie schedule, and the Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow, beginning to take shape.

For anyone who wants to see the roots of that choice, Smallville is streaming for everyone with a Hulu plan, while Gunn’s Superman is now available to watch at home with your HBO Max subscription.

Years after being arrested and charged in connection to the NXIVM cult, Allison Mack has been opening up about her experiences. Many of those recollections were revealed on a podcast limited series, on which the Smallville alum discussed her life before, during and after the cult. Mack recalled her role within the group and the circumstances that allegedly contributed to her joining in the first place. Now, she’s discussing what happened after her arrest and what it was like being questioned by federal agents.

Mack – who played Chloe Sullivan on the aforementioned DC show throughout its 10 seasons – recently caught up with former co-star Michael Rosenbaum on his Inside of You podcast. During the episode (which was posted to YouTube), the pair discussed Mack’s legal issues, which were set in motion after she was arrested in 2018 for alleged sex-trafficking, sex-trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy. She eventually cooperated with the feds and, in this recent interview, she recalled her questioning sessions:

The Marilyn star further explained that the process of collaborating with federal agents in a case like hers is known as “proffering.” As part of that, officials seek to determine whether a defendant is fit to testify in court and to gather information that can potentially be used by prosecutors. Mack also clarified to Rosenbaum that at no point was she required to take a lie detector test while sharing her comments on the cult.

Sometime in 2006, Mack joined NXIVM, which was started by Keith Raniere in 1998. On the podcast series Allison After NXIVM, Mack claimed it was co-star Kristin Kreuk who encouraged her to join the organization though, at that point, both actresses only believed it to be a self-help group. Mack’s position within the cult eventually rose, and she eventually amassed “slaves,” who were branded. Mack says that after her 2018 arrest, she “stopped talking to about 90%” of the people in her life, and she also had dark thoughts:

Mack, who also considered suicide, also had a small support system that she says “saved” her life. In 2021, she pled guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges and, around that same time, she apologized for her actions in a statement. The Wilfred alum explained to Michael Rosenbaum that she was initially looking at “16 to 22” years in prison. However, she was sentenced to three years and three years of probation. She was released early in 2023 after serving 21 months at California’s Federal Correctional Institution.

At this point, NXIVM has been defunct since 2021, and its history was detailed in the docuseries The Vow, which can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription. Meanwhile, Allison Mack says she is now “rehabilitated” and that she can “very clearly understand what happened and it was wrong.”

Allison Mack is now opening up about her involvement with the sex-trafficking cult NXIVM, of which she became a key member. The former actress recently shared her experiences as part of a seven-part podcast called Allison After NXIVM. Aside from detailing the inner workings of the cult, Mack also lightly discusses her work on the long-running superhero show Smallville. Among the topics Mack discusses is her friendship with former co-star Kristin Kreuk, who she alleges is the person who introduced her to the organization.

Both Kristin Kreuk and Allison Mack joined Smallville at the start of its first season, with the pair playing Lana Lang and Chloe Sullivan, respectively. At the time, both actresses were teenagers and had only just landed what would end up being massive roles for them. During the premiere episode of Allison After NXIVM (which is on YouTube), Mack recalls she and Kreuk becoming quite close while working together. As they hung out and even vacationed together, they discovered they were also having some of the same internal feelings:

The Wilfred alum went on to recall that at the time, both she and her co-star had “beautiful boyfriends and all the things.” However, Mack felt what she now describes as a sense of “odd emptiness.” Eventually, Mack and Kreuk became aware of a “life-coaching course” that some Vancouver-based actors were taking, which was headed up by NXIVM (Keith Raniere in 1998). In time, Kreuk took a course and then allegedly relayed her experiences to Mack, as the latter claimed on the podcast:

Around the time that details of Allison Mack’s involvement with NXIVM began to surface, Kristin Kreuk released a statement. When responding to allegations about her own ties to the organization, Kreuk, at that point, said that she’d left about five years prior and that she “took an Executive Success Programs/NXIVM ‘intensive’” under the pretense that it was “a self-help/personal growth course.” Kreuk said that any claims that she was part of “the "inner circle" or recruited women as ‘sex slaves’ [were] blatantly false.”

Mack’s involvement, on the other hand, goes deeper, as she admitted to working closely with Keith Raniere (with whom she also became romantically involved). As part of the cult, Mack helped recruit other young women, who subsequently became her “slaves.” During the podcast, Mack talked about the power she felt over the women who were subservient to her. She even likened her behavior at that time to that of a “dictator.” Mack also established other aspects of the group’s culture, even helping to establish a way of branding the women.

Ultimately, Allison Mack was arrested by federal agents in 2018 and charged with sex-trafficking, sex-trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy. She eventually pled guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges and was ordered to serve three years in prison. Mack was released early, however, and her stint behind bars concluded in 2023. Before serving, though, Mack also released a statement in which she apologized for her actions.

Kristin Kreuk hasn’t spoken in depth about her connection to NXIVM, though she is featured in part of the docuseries The Vow, which is streamable with an HBO Max subscription and examines the aforementioned cult. As for whether Kreuk will respond to Allison Mack’s latest comments remains to be seen.

Allison Mack – the former actress best known for her role as Chloe Sullivan on Smallville – made headlines several years ago when her involvement with a far-reaching cult was revealed. The group in question was NXIVM, a sex-trafficking organization founded by Keith Raniere in 1998. Mack became a high-ranking member and was arrested and charged with various offenses, before beginning her prison stint in 2021. Now, Mack is shedding light on her duties within the cult and the impact those responsibilities had on her.

The 43-year-old Wilfred alum’s account of her experiences with the cult is being chronicled in a seven-part limited series podcast called Allison After NXIVM. As part of the show, Mack took part in conversations with Vanity Fair correspondent Vanessa Grigoriadis as well as her podcasting partner, Natalie Robehmed. During the talks, Mack gets candid about having been tasked by Keith Raniere to recruit other young women to their cause. On the podcast, Mack describes herself as the link between Raniere and the victims:

With NXIVM, Raniere established a caste system of sorts, which saw “slaves” educated on how to become totally submissive to their “masters.” Allison Mack was instrumental in finding new recruits, leading to the expansion of the cult. Other notable celebrities – like Smallville alum Callum Blue and Battlestar Galactica’s Nicki Clyne – also became involved at different points. While Mack admits in one episode of the podcast that she’s not abrasive by nature, she did manage to tap into assertiveness to get what (and who) she wanted:

Back in 2018, Mack was arrested by federal agents on charges of sex-trafficking, sex-trafficking conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy. Around that same time, alleged details on the star’s involvement in the cult were also divulged, including how she supposedly established the branding method for “slaves.” In 2021, Mack pled guilty to charges of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy and was sentenced to three years in prison.

After her guilty plea, Allison Mack released a formal statement and apologized for her role in the cult. She eventually served time at Federal Correctional Institution and was ultimately released from prison early in 2023. Looking back on her position with NXIVM now, Mack – who also became intimately involved with the since-arrested Keith Raniere – can admit she was consumed with responsibilities she was given:

NXIVM’s exploits have been chronicled in multiple documentaries, with Allison Mack’s role in the organization being particularly highlighted in The Vow (which is streamable with an HBO Max subscription). Mack, who’s currently pursuing a master’s degree, expresses remorse over her actions today. As for how people react to her comments, she says that regardless of blowback, she now has the opportunity to “say it out loud.”

Episodes of Allison After NXIVM are being released weekly. However, listeners who subscribe to CBC True Crime Premium on Apple Podcasts or CBC True Crime’s YouTube channel can listen to the series in its entirety now.

These days, Alan Ritchson is best known for starring in the action series Reacher and movies like Fast X and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. But long before those projects, he left his mark on the DC Comic TV space by first playing Aquaman in a few Smallville episodes, then Hawk in Titans Season 1 through 3. Ritchson has now confirmed he’s in talks for a role in the DC Universe franchise, and I’m living for how he described the kind of character we could see him play in an upcoming DC movie and/or upcoming DC TV show.

While promoting his 2025 movie Play Date, which premieres to Amazon Prime Video subscription-holders next week, Ritchson confirmed to ScreenRant that he has been in discussions about joining the DCU. He had this to say about whether he’d want to play a hero again or a villain instead:

It's good Alan Ritchson’s talks with DC Studios are going well so far, but now I’m eager to learn what role he’d be playing if this ends up working out. After playing two superheroes, I can’t say I blame him for wanting to tackle a character who doesn’t fit that traditional mold. However, I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention that Hawk, a.k.a. Hank Hall was messy to a degree during his time on Titans, from his complicated relationship with Dawn Granger, a.k.a. Dove, and his more brutal methods of dealing with criminals.

Given his star power, I think it’s safe to say that if Alan Ritchson joins the DCU, it would either be as a leading character for a specific project or as a key supporting character in someone else’s project whom he’d be able to continue playing. For the latter, think along the lines of how Jason Momoa is debuting as Lobo in Supergirl. Of course, there’s no shortage of fans who’ve thought Ritchson would be a good fit to play the DCU’s Batman, and DC Studios co-head James Gunn at least sounds open to that casting. Just don’t expect Ritchson to play a new version of Aquaman.

While we wait to see if anything comes from Alan Ritchson’s conversations with DC Studios, feel free to revisit his prior superhero roles by streaming Smallville and Titans with you Hulu subscription and HBO Max subscription, respectively. Otherwise, catch him getting into action-heavy hijinks with Kevin James in Play Date starting Wednesday, November 12.

Jensen Ackles’ new show, Countdown (which is currently available with an Amazon Prime subscription), has made him a prominent name on the 2025 TV schedule, and he is staying as busy as ever. So, between that, his upcoming appearance on the third season of Tracker, the new The Boys prequel Vought Rising, and the final season of The Boys, he seems to be everywhere these days. He’s also done quite a lot over the years, including, of course, Supernatural, which he was on for 15 years. Considering all of that, fans were asked what he’s most recognizable from, and I’m happy that they aren’t all saying SPN.

Between Supernatural, Smallville, Dawson’s Creek, The Boys, and many, many more, it’s hard to believe just how many projects Ackles has been in, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. And because of his extensive filmography, people know him from different things. The actor recently threw the first pitch for a Toronto Blue Jays game, and the official MLB X account asked fans where they recognized him from. There are a lot of responses, and it really shows just how much he’s been in:

• Lana's ex in Smallville, then he went to another show called Supernatural which was really good for a few seasons. -BatchaTheGreat
• Supernatural. It should always be Supernatural. But I will respect anyone who says My Bloody Valentine 3D. -MiraculousMets
• Solider Boy from The Boys and Vought Rising, Mark Meachum on Countdown. (Airing now. Check it out if you haven’t. ) and Dean Winchester on Supernatural. -adder4741
• Dark Angel and then on to Supernatural. -BareMaire19492

It's fun to see what people know him from, and I love that it isn't just Supernatural. Of course, that one would be the most common one, considering the series ran for 15 seasons and spawned a prequel that he was also part of. So, it’s great to see the legacy that Supernatural has, even almost five years after it ended.

However, there are so many other projects he's been a part of that are worth calling out, too. And that includes deep cuts such as My Bloody Valentine 3D, and even Days of Our Lives, the latter of which my mom knows him from.

I really loved seeing all the love for his entire body of work here, as I read posts from fans like:

• Dark Angel, Smallville, Supernatural, Big Sky, The Winchesters, The Boys, Tracker, Countdown... and more to come. Our boy has quite the baseball card! -MMagnitudo
• Days of our lives -dmartymcfly
• Days of Our Lives -melissa0208
• Big Sky -ghelman17

I also love the fact that fans are pointing out his most recent projects, such as Countdown. The series only premiered on Prime earlier this summer. However, a lot of Supernatural fans were excited to watch it simply because Ackles was in it. But it seems the series has drawn in a lot of other non-SPN fans, and I'm here for it.

That being said, Supernatural will always reign supreme. Ackles spent a good chunk of his life on that show. Whether or not it will ever get a reboot is unknown, but both he and Jared Padalecki have shared their thoughts on what they want in a revival. Plus, the two are reuniting on the upcoming fifth and final season of The Boys, along with Misha Collins.

So, as we wait to see if that ever happens, it's nice to see the actor in other projects and to see said projects getting a lot of love:

• Supernatural. Always, but back in the day Smallville put him on the map for me officially so from there too lol -lyndzz20
• THE BOYS -MLBWeeklyAI
• Currently on Amazing "Boys" as "Soldier Boy" and "Countdown" as Mark Meachum -RM3_SpOrts
• Supernatural. Countdown. Dark Angel. The Boys. -GMOtterby

Ackles did well pre-Supernatural and is continuing to do well post-Supernatural. Thanks to streaming, people are also able to discover him and that beloved CW series. Although SPN is one of the most rewatchable shows ever, his role as Dean Winchester is not the only great role he’s played. And all this talk is making me want to go back and rewatch his other projects.

The CW’s DC era may have ended last year with Superman & Lois, as it was one of the many shows ending and canceled in 2024, but it was actually the perfect way to end it. The era closing out with Superman after opening with Superman was pretty fitting because, before there was the Arrowverse, there was Smallville. The series centering on Clark Kent’s origin pre-Man of Steel, premiered in 2001 and ended in 2011 after 10 seasons. The show is still loved by many today, and Kristin Kreuk shared a reunion with Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling, which showed just how great they're all doing now.

The trio reunited at Fan Expo Canada over the weekend along with Laura Vandervoort and Erica Durance, and it seems like, in between photo ops, Kreuk, Rosenbaum, and Welling took photos on their own. Kreuk, who played Lana Lang on the first eight seasons, took to her Instagram Story to repost a sweet photo shared by the Lex Luthor actor with her and her two on-screen love interests. Even 14 years after the series came to an end, I love how close they are and how good they look:

Of course, this isn’t the first time that they’ve reunited as they frequently do conventions together, but it’s always great seeing them together. Especially since they are all so busy doing other projects, having them come together for Smallville and meeting fans of the series just shows how much it still means to them and how much they mean to each other.

Meanwhile, with the Smallville cast still keeping the show alive, what does this mean for the potential animated sequel series? It was previously reported that Welling and Rosenbaum have been trying to get an animated revival off the ground with the OG producers. One EP, however, recently weighed in on the proposed show, explaining that not only has Warner Bros. gone through a lot, but with the studio revamping DC with Superman, it might make it a little more difficult to make something like another Smallville series happen.

Even though an animated revival may not happen any time soon, fans still got a taste of Smallville after it ended. Both Welling and Erica Durance reprised their roles as Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event on The CW in 2020. Despite his protectiveness of the beloved character, Welling wanted to return after knowing it was just for one scene. And it was a pretty great one that saw Clark admitting to Jon Cryer’s Lex that he gave up his powers for his family.

Smallville will forever be one of the best shows ever, and it helps that the theme song is pretty great, too. So, even if we aren’t lucky enough to see the Smallville cast reunite on-screen, at least it happens off-screen, and the OG series is streaming in full with a Hulu subscription.

Nicholas Hoult landed the role of Lex Luthor even though he auditioned to play the Man of Steel, but there were no hard feelings, as the British actor knew reading the script that the antagonist role was more in his wheelhouse. Still, to best play Superman’s well-known villain, Hoult shared some advice given to him by Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum, who, in turn, had a lovely response to his kind words.

Michael Rosenbaum’s Lex Luthor Advice to Nicholas Hoult

When taking on a timeless role like Lex Luthor for James Gunn’s Superman movie, it helps to get advice from actors who’ve been in the villainous role before. Batman V. Superman’s Lex Luthor’s Jesse Eisenberg's blunt advice to Nicholas Hoult was… basically not to watch his performance.

On the other hand, Nicholas Hoult had the pleasure of meeting the Lex Luthor he grew up watching: Smallville’s Michael Rosenbaum. They’ve had a couple of occasions to meet. A year ago, on the American actor’s podcast, the two talked about Hoult getting fit to play the role, and thy met again on set during Rosenbaum’s cameo in Superman. Hoult got real with Entertainment Weekly on what it was like to finally meet the man behind his childhood villain, saying,

I completely relate to Nicholas Hoult in growing up watching Michael Rosenbaum play Lex. Smallville was one of the best DC superhero shows for the modern era and introduced younger audiences to the Man of Steel’s beginnings. I remember Rosenbaum was on-point in portraying Lex’s sinister personality while also being low-key – knowing his friendship with Clark Kent would uncover secrets of the Kryptonian native.

It must have been a real dream for Nicholas Hoult to finally meet Michael Rosenbaum. But before they parted ways, the podcaster made sure to impart some sage words of advice onto the next Lex Luthor. Hoult recounted,

Michael Rosenbaum may have wanted to take the Lex Luthor role away from Jesse Eisenberg, but it looks like he’s kindly given the go-ahead to Nicholas Hoult.

One can tell Nicholas Hoult was enjoying himself playing the role in a new Superman clip that was released featuring Lex poking fun at Superman for missing his dog. While there may be a lot of pressure to portray a role that’s been done many times before, the actor has earned acclaim for his performance.

Michael Rosenbaum’s Reaction to Nicholas Hoult’s Praises

Nicholas Hoult’s kind words about Michael Rosenbaum didn’t escape the eyes of the talented actor. Rosenbaum took to Instagram to return the favor for Hoult, writing:

Michael Rosenbaum knows what he’s talking about since he’s worked with James Gunn in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 as Martinex. I’m sure he trusts that the filmmaker's vision of Lex Luthor would be one his longtime pal would be proud of.

Nicholas Hoult must have felt a wave of nostalgia meeting Smallville’s fan-favorite Lex, who offered him wise advice on the role. Fortunately, he and Michael Rosenbaum plan to meet again on his podcast for the two to discuss their take on the new Superman. You can see Hoult’s version of Lex Luthor in the 2025 movie release playing in theaters now.

Over 20 years after its debut, Smallville is still beloved and has amassed a firm fanbase. That sheer level of love is the reason why many are still hoping that the Superman prequel series might continue in some form. For some time now, two of the show’s lead actors, Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, have reportedly been looking to get an animated revival series off the ground alongside the original series’ OG producers. Updates on the project have been few and far between, but a fresh update now has me feeling disappointed.

Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling have been co-hosting the Talkville rewatch podcast since 2022, and they frequently welcome special guests. During the most recent installment, which is on YouTube, they spoke to producer Alfred Gough on the phone. Talk eventually turned to the possibility of the animated series. Gough still seems to have interest in joining the project should it ever happen, but it seems changes at Warner Bros. are holding it up:

At present, DC Studios is indeed working on a new production involving the Man of Steel. James Gunn’s DCU continuity is taking shape, and the first film in that franchise will be the highly anticipated Superman, which opens in theaters this coming July. It’s an exciting prospect, though it’s bittersweet, considering that it may be hampering any kind of Smallville follow-up. The presumed logic here is that WB wouldn’t want a specific property being split between two mediums. It was previously reported that such thinking factored into the cancellation of The CW’s Superman & Lois (though cast member Elizabeth Tulloch said that went beyond Gunn).

So it would appear that the chances of fans seeing Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling reprise their roles in the near future are slim. Nevertheless, when it comes to this ever-evolving media landscape, one can truly never say never. Alfred Gough alluded to that notion later during his conversation with his longtime colleagues:

Smallville, which premiered on The WB in 2001 and ran for 10 seasons, has had significant staying power. Even after the show ended, the continuity continued through the Season 11 comic book series. And, back in 2020, Tom Welling appeared as Clark Kent again, when he decided to join the Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, which encompassed the various Arrowverse shows. In my eyes, Welling was the “perfect” Clark, while Michael Rosenbaum defined the role of Lex Luthor for a generation.

Needless to say, I’d be delighted to see both stars take on their characters once more. That may not be in the cards right now but, at a time like this, I’ll simply hold onto an ideal that’s synonymous with Superman – hope. In the meantime, stream all 10 seasons of Smallville now using a Hulu subscription.

Justin Hartley has been winning over the hearts of television watchers for decades now. While fans of the actor all have their favorite roles — mine happens to be his work as Kevin Pearson in NBC’s Thursday night hit series This Is Us — Hartley also has one moment in his career that he feels most proud of, and it perhaps shockingly has nothing to do with his iconic Green Arrow suit he wore on the DC super-drama Smallville.

Hartley shared a list of details with Us Weekly that even his biggest fans don’t know about him. In the middle of those factoids, the Tracker star shared what he feels is the proudest moment of his career, and it just so happens to tie directly to the CBS drama that returned to the 2025 TV schedule in February.

The action drama series is adapted for the screen from the 2019 novel The Never Game, and follows Colter Shaw (Hartley), an experienced survivalist who helps law enforcement and private citizens locate missing people and solve crimes. The first season was met with strong viewership, scoring the broadcast drama an early Season 2 renewal, and as of February 2025, it was picked up for a third season.

Hartley pulls double duty on the show, playing the lead role and also serving as one of the top executive producers alongside showrunner Ken Olin. It marks the first time the This Is Us star has produced television since getting his acting start in the early aughts.

It’s no surprise, then, that Hartley’s first foray into television producing ranks leagues above his days wearing the Green Arrow suit in Smallville. Though, I’m sure fans of the superhero drama would disagree. But don’t worry, Hartley did love his time playing the superhero.

In fact, the Tracker star said in the same interview that he’d love to play a superhero again, maybe even an older version of Green Arrow. If DC doesn’t take him up on the offer, I’m sure the ever-expanding MCU would be glad to welcome the Daytime Emmy nominee. Hopefully, we won't be waiting long to see him in an upcoming superhero movie.

For now, Hartley is kept busy with Tracker’s grueling schedule that has the entire team filming one high-action episode every week. Something even he thinks shouldn’t be possible but is clearly working for the show that managed to grow its ratings at the end of 2024, unlike many other CBS shows.

You can catch new episodes of Tracker every Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. The series is also available to stream with an active Paramount+ subscription.

Some of the best TV theme songs were already hits or great songs that were adapted as a theme song. These are songs that were written for the show, like the retro ones that still slap, but these are all great songs.

Like The Who contributing to the CSI franchise, or Jane's Addiction lending one of its songs to Entourage. For this list, we're going to avoid covers or reworked versions of the songs that were already famous, like the cover of The Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," which was used for the show Life Goes On. This is our list of existing songs that became awesome TV theme songs.

"Who Are You" - CSI

All of the CSI franchise shows have used songs by The Who as their theme song, creating a nice symmetry between the shows. The original show, CSI, or later CSI: Las Vegas used "Who Are You," and it turned out so great, that when CSI:Miami became the first spinoff, the producers chose

"California" - The O.C.

The band Phantom Planet released their second album, The Guest, in 2002, which included the earworm "California." It was a natural choice for The O.C. which has to be one of the most "California" shows ever. A fun fact about the song is that Phantom Planet's drummer at the time, and on the track, was actor Jason Schwartzman.

"I Don't Want To Wait" - Dawson's Creek

"I Don't Want to Wait" was first recorded and released on Paula Cole's second album, titled This Fire, in 1996. A couple of years later the song was chosen to be the theme song for the WB's first mega-hit Dawson's Creek. The song likewise became a hit, rocketing to #11 on the Billboard charts.

"Bad Reputation" - Freaks And Geeks

19 years after Joan Jett told the world she didn't care about her "Bad Reputation," the cult classic show Freak And Geeks used it as its theme song for its one and only season. The song has had a life far beyond the show, just as the show has had a long life beyond it's only season.

"With A Little Help From My Friends" - The Wonder Years

If you're going to set a TV show in the '60s, it's a good idea to dig deep into that well of amazing rock and soul music of the era. The Wonder Years smartly used tons of great music from the era, including a theme song by a famous musician who first had a hit with it in 1968. Joe Cocker's version of The Beatles song "With a Little Help from My Friends" was a bigger hit than The Beatles' version, and this was the song that led off The Wonder Years.

"We Used To Be Friends" - Veronica Mars

The Dandy Warhols are one of the great cult bands from the late '90s/early '00s. It was one of their songs, "We Used To Be Friends," that was chosen to be the theme of Veronica Mars and it's frankly the perfect choice for the show. The band, like the show, has a strong fanbase that won't let the song, or the show, be forgotten.

"Way Down In A Hole" - The Wire

This one is a little tricky because technically it breaks our rule about having cover versions of the original song (or the original hit, at least). The first season of The Wire featured a version of the Tom Waits song "Way Down In The Hole" by the Blind Boys Of Alabama. But we're in luck because the second season of the HBO classic features Tom Waits' original version. The 3rd, 4th, and 5th seasons would also feature cover versions of the song.

"C'mon, C'mon" - Rescue Me

The Von Bondies were a good band that really only gained the attention they deserved when their song "C'Mon, C'Mon" was chosen to be the theme song of Rescue Me, starring Denis Leary. For seven seasons, the song ran over the opening titles and as a result, became a big hit for the group.

"Teardrop" - House

Massive Attack has never been a...massive band in the United States. In Britain, however, they are huge. The trip-hop electronic act has released a slew of fantastic records, though their third album, Mezzanine, remains probably the most popular. One of the best songs on that album, "Teardrop" became the theme song for House, though a different, more generic song has been used on streaming and in syndication.

"Reflections" - China Beach

There aren't a lot of shows about Vietnam, but there are a lot of movies about the war. All those movies feature great songs from the era and thankfully the one hit show about the Vietnam War followed suit. China Beach chose the fantastic song "Reflections" by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Solid choice, for sure.

"Save Me" - Smallville

"Save Me" was the lead single on the album The Golden Hum, by the band Remy Zero. It was dubiously released on September 10th, 2001. A week later the WB hit Smallville debuted, using "Save Me" as its theme song. The song became a minor hit for the band, but sadly, Remy Zero broke up before recording a follow-up album.

"Woke Up This Morning" - The Sopranos

"Woke Up This Morning" by the British band Alabama 3 was a minor hit in the U.K. in 1997, when it was released, but didn't gain any traction in the U.S. That changed in a huge way when it was picked to be the theme song of The Sopranos. The song became one of those spine-tingling moments whenever viewers would here that famous HBO audio mark right before the beat of the song would hit as Tony drove from New York City to his house in New Jersey each week.

"Love And Marriage" - Married... With Children

For a show that took pride in just how crude it can be, it's kinda awesome that the theme song was by one of the classiest singers of all time. Married... With Children used the Frank Sinatra song "Love And Marriage" as its theme song and it worked amazing for that intro with the shot of a fountain in Chicago.

"Little Boxes" - Weeds

Malvina Reynolds wrote "Little Boxes" in 1962 and gave it to her friend, legendary folk singer Pete Seeger, who had a minor hit with it in 1964. It was Reynolds' version that would become the biggest hit when it was used as the theme for Showtime's Weeds.

"Superhero" - Entourage

Jane's Addiction had their biggest hits in the early '90s before they broke up (for the first time) in 1994. When they reconvened in 2001, they finally recorded their third "proper" album, Strays (JA fans will tell you it was their fourth album, including their debut live album commonly called XXX). The song "Superhero" from Strays became the best-known song from the album when it was used for the theme of HBO's Entourage.

"Stand" - Get A Life

Highlighting just how offbeat Get A Life, starring Chris Eliot, was, the show managed to score an REM hit for its theme song. "Stand" from the REM album Orange was a huge hit and the band was notorious for protecting their songs from too much commercialization. In short, they were the last band you'd expect to allow one of its songs to be used on TV. But the show was so unique, that it made perfect sense.

"Rock Around The Clock" - Happy Days

We know what you're thinking, "Wait a minute, Happy Days had its own song. You're right, but that famous theme song wasn't used until the show's second season. The theme in the first season was the Bill Haley and the Comets hit "Rock Around The Clock."

"Jessica" - Top Gear

"Hold on! Top Gear used a cover version of The Allman Brothers Band's song "Jessica"" is what you're thinking here. Well, you're right. But the old Top Gear, the original version that ran from the '70s until the late '90s, used the original version by The Allmans.

"Wanted Dead Or Alive" - Deadliest Catch

Even reality shows like to use big hits. Take, for example, The Deadliest Catch, which used a perfect song, Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead Or Alive." There's no way you can find a more perfect theme, nor could anyone write a more perfect one.

"Straight Up And Down" - Boardwalk Empire

One of the coolest ideas the showrunners of HBO's Boardwalk Empire had was to use a very modern song by The Brian Jonestown Massacre. For a show set in the 1920s, you wouldn't expect a song like "Straight Up and Down" and yet it works perfectly.

"Low Rider" - The George Lopez Show

It might be a little on the nose, but somehow it still works. The George Lopez Show uses the band War's hit "Low Rider" which is one of the best songs Chicano rock songs of all time.

"What A Wonderful World" - Family Matters

This is another one where you might be thinking that the show had its own, unique theme song and you're right. For most of its run Full House used its own song, but for the first five episodes of Season 1, the show used the classic "What A Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong.

"Carry On My Wayward Son" - Supernatural

If we're being honest, "Carry On My Wayward Son" by Kansas doesn't jump out as the perfect theme song for a fantasy show like Supernatural, but today, it's impossible to think the theme song to the show could be anything other than the 1970's hit.

"Tea For The Tillerman" - Extras

"Tea For The Tillerman" by Cat Stevens is the perfect choice for the Ricky Gervais show Extras. The song wasn't a huge hit, it was more of a coda on Cat Stevens' album by the same, which was a huge hit when it was released in 1970.

"Bad Boys" - COPS

COPS is one of the longest-running TV shows of all time, as it's basically been on the air in one form or another since 1989. In total, there have been well over 1000 episodes of the groundbreaking reality show and all of those episodes have started with the song "Bad Boys" by reggae legends Inner Circle.

"Closer To Free" - Party Of Five

Wisconsin band BoDeans landed their biggest hit when their song "Closer To Free" from their fifth album became the theme song to Party Of Five. The song charted as high as #16 once the show took off.

"Bad Things" - True Blood

Singer-songwriter Jace Everett released "Bad Things" in 2005, but it failed to make a big impression on the public. It was a great song though, and when it was picked as the theme to the HBO hit True Blood, the song, like the show, took off and became a hit among fans of the show.

"Livin' On The Edge" - Ice Road Truckers

Following in the footsteps of his cousin, Deadliest Catch, Ice Road Truckers picked another song from a hair metal band. The theme for the first four seasons of the nail-biting show was "Livin' On The Edge" by Aerosmith, a perfect choice.

"Next Year" - Ed

NBC's Ed found a cult following during its four seasons on the air, but the band whose song was the theme, The Foo Fighters, is anything but a cult band. They were then and are still one of the biggest bands in the world and their song "Next Year" is one of their many hits.

"Flagpole Sitta" - Peep Show

it's sad to say that Harvey Danger, who released "Flagpole Sitta" in 1997, is a one-hit wonder. They deserve so much better. But alas, "Flagpole Sitta" was their lone hit, but what a hit it's been. It's seemingly everywhere, even more than two decades since its release. That includes as the theme for the British show Peep Show for the show's final eight seasons.

"Where You Lead" - The Gilmore Girls

The Gilmore Girls has been a surprisingly enduring show over the years. Though it ended almost two decades ago, the show remains beloved by its fans. It's fitting that the show's theme song is an enduring hit too. "Where You Lead," by Carole King, was first released in 1970. it's worth noting that the theme song is slightly reworked by King and recorded for the show by King and Louise Goffin.

"Forever Young" - Parenthood

Parenthood pulled off quite the coup when they landed the Bob Dylan song "Forever Young" as its theme song. Dylan is famously protective of this music.

For decades, countless TV shows have relied on a trope that has come to be known as the "will they, won't they?" phenomenon, in which the story teases the romantic potential of two central characters with great chemistry. The gimmick has worked on many audiences who love tuning in to see if the couple is one step closer to breaking from their platonic dynamic, however, when that moment finally comes, it does not always lead to a happily ever after, especially for the show they were on. We looked at several classic TV sitcoms and hits of other genres, too, and found some prime examples of couples who perhaps should have stayed friends for series' sake.

Rachel And Joey On Friends

The first couple of seasons of Friends largely focused on the potential romance between Ross Gellar (David Schwimmer) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), which ultimately proved to be one worth rooting for even during their rough patches. However, Rachel and Joey's (Matt LeBlanc) brief attempt to date after developing feelings for one another was so awkward that it was even acknowledged by the characters before they decided to go back to being platonic.

J.D. And Elliot On Scrubs

When J.D. (Zach Braff) and Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) first come together on Scrubs, it is one of the most fun and fulfilling plot developments from the medical comedy's early days. However, their rekindling in Season 8 does not have quite the same magic, which might also be a symptom of its less-beloved final years.

Troy And Britta On Community

Following hints that Troy Barnes (Donald Glover) and Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) had developed feelings for each other, the study group members' romance was made official in Season 4. Of course, that season, considered the worst season of the show, is also referred to as "The Gas Leak Year" to explain why everyone at Greendale was acting a little off during that time and we consider this awkward and unfunny coupling an essential example of that.

Mulder And Scully On The X-Files

Creator Chris Carter's The X-Files, which follows the unusual investigations of Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), is considered to be one of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time but another genre you could lump it in with is romance. However, the series was at its best when it only went as far as implying a spark between the FBI agents but was at its weakest any time it went in more explicit directions.

Barney And Robin On How I Met Your Mother

The first season of How I Met Your Mother saw Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) going back and forth on his feelings for Robin Scherbatsky (Cobie Smulders) before they finally took the leap in a satisfying way or, at least, far more satisfying than Robin's relationship with Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris). The coupling never quite felt right and the fact that most of Season 9 is set at the weekend, which leads to divorce in the finale, makes it feel even more wasted.

Dawson And Joey On Dawson's Creek

The concept of James Van Der Beek's title character from Dawson's Creek having romantic potential with his childhood friend, Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) was already a little too on-the-nose at the time. Their tumultuous "will they, won't they" arc was so irritatingly drawn out and their inevitable coupling proved to lack some significant chemistry, ultimately making it clear that they were not right for each other.

Steve And Laura On Family Matters

You could argue that making Steve Urkel actor Jaleel White the star of the Family Matters cast was the true beginning of the end for the sitcom in terms of overall quality, considering it was originally supposed to be about his neighbors, the Winslows. However, seeing the stereotypical nerd's one-sided crush on Laura (Kellie Shanygne Williams) turn into an actual relationship might be the series' furthest leap over the shark.

Sam And Rebecca On Cheers

Perhaps the quintessential example of an ideal "will they, won't they" relationship is that of Sam Malone (Ted Danson) and Diane Chambers (Shelley Long) from the Cheers cast, whose relationship may have ended by bittersweet means but was fun and satisfying while it lasted. As a result, the bartender's similar "will they, won't they" dynamic and eventual romance with his manager Rebecca Howe (Long's replacement, Kirstie Alley) was not necessarily a detriment to the long-running series but deeply pales in comparison.

Luke And Lorelai On Gilmore Girls

An essential example of a "will they, won't they?" dynamic being far more entertaining than the inevitable romance is Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) and Luke Danes (Scott Patterson) from the Gilmore Girls cast. Everything about the single mother's relationship with the diner owner, especially their witty banter, was at its peak when they were still strictly friends who occasionally flirted.

Maddie And David On Moonlighting

One of the first couples that comes to mind when the topic of "will they, won't they" arcs with disappointing turnouts is brought up is David Addison (Bruce Willis) and Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) on the Emmy-winning comedy, Moonlighting. The pair – a sarcastic detective and a former model managing a private investigation firm – drove each other nuts and teased a potential romance for several seasons until they finally gave it a shot but with an underwhelming reception from critics and audiences alike.

Erin And Andy On The Office

If there is one undeniably positive thing we can say about Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) and his relationship with Erin Haynes (Ellie Kemper), it is that the hapless Dunder Mifflin salesperson and flighty receptionist make a much better couple than he and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey). However, Andy and Angela's tragically one-sided dynamic (particularly due to her secret affection for Dwight) led to jokes and storylines that were far more interesting by comparison.

Damon And Elena On The Vampire Diaries

The CW's hit vampire TV show, The Vampire Diaries, boasted the distinction of having a "will they, won't they" arc that branched off from a different trope: the love triangle between Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) and undead brothers Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder). While "Delena" ended up becoming the winning couple, the challenges they faced – from memory-erasing storylines to Dobrev's exit from the cast – made for an exhausting watch until their happy ending in the series finale.

Daenerys And Jon On Game Of Thrones

Most fans of Games of Thrones would agree that the HBO original series started to go downhill once the writers began deviating from the original source material, George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire novels. One such disappointing element of the epic fantasy show was the romance between Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) – a relationship that saw the fan-favorite characters veering into directions that seemed unnatural for how they were developed.

Nick And Jess On New Girl

Even though they retained a pleasantly platonic relationship early on, anyone who has ever seen a sitcom likely was able to predict that Jessica "Jess" Day (Zooey Deschanel) and Nick Miller (Jake Johnson) from the New Girl cast were destined for romance from the beginning. For how much it was a delight watching the roommates become a couple, most would agree that the show was always at its best when they were still friends.

Booth And Brennan On Bones

Fans of Bones would argue that seeing forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) and FBI agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) officially becoming a couple after years of teasing did not ruin the crime procedural by any stretch. However, many viewers were disappointed to see the series immediately jump ahead and show them settled down and with a baby on the way instead of taking the time to show the natural evolution of their relationship.

House And Cuddy On House

Admittedly, it was fun to watch Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) flirt with Dean of Medicine Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) but no one could have imagined that such as selfish, manipulative, and emotionally unavailable jerk like him could be in a loving relationship with her. Of course, it was these very behaviors that doomed their romance, which ended permanently when Edelstein left the hit medical drama.

Rory And Jess On Gilmore Girls

The romance between Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel) and Dean Forester (Jared Padalecki) was a sweet tale of first love that made Gilmore Girls' inaugural run a winning first season. Unfortunately, after Luke's troubled nephew, Jess Mariano (Milo Ventimiglia), moved to Stars Hollow and piqued Rory's interest, it ruined the relationship and, after she and Jess became official, her likability began to wane.

Buffy and Spike On Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Angel (David Boreanaz) briefly shared a romance that Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans would agree was fun and exciting. In fact, we can think of several reasons why Buffy should have picked Angel over Spike (James Marsters), who was never intended to be a regular character in the first place anyway.

Josh And Donna On The West Wing

There is no denying that among the West Wing cast members, Bradley Whitford's Josh Lyman and his assistant Donna Moss (Janel Moloney) had one of the most irresistible dynamics. However, when their relationship became more than strictly professional, the coupling was largely deemed as coming too late into the political drama to make for a satisfying outcome.

Jane the Virgin

Jane the Virgin was an otherwise sweet and inspiring dramedy who did not know how to handle the blossoming romance at the center of it all. Because of various contrived developments and signs of incompatibility, the title character (played by Gina Rodriguez) and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) are considered one of the weakest TV couples in recent memory.

Max And Helen On New Amsterdam

One of the biggest mistakes that a TV show can make when pairing up a "will they, won't they?" couple is changing the fundamental makeup of each character. That is how many fans felt when Dr. Max Goodwin (former The Blacklist cast member Ryan Eggold) and Dr. Helen Sharpe (Freema Agyeman) struck up a relationship on the NBC medical drama, New Amsterdam.

Clark And Lana On Smallville

Smallville established at the very beginning that Clark Kent (Tom Welling) had a crush on classmate Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and eventually formed a relationship with her that was riddled by an unstable foundation before they split in Season 8. Luckily, soon after, Clark would begin dating his true soulmate, Lois Lane (Erica Durance).

Jackie And Fez On That '70s Show

To be fair, fans and critics would agree that That '70s Show had already been experiencing a steep decline in quality by the time Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis) developed a crush on Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) out of the blue in the seventh and final season. However, seeing them finally come together in the finale following years of Jackie rejecting him just felt weird and the creators seemed to agree, based on how they split them up and got Jackie and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) back together for That '90s Show.

Zack And Kelly On Saved By The Bell

Watching Zack Morris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) pursue Kelly Kapowki (Tiffani Thiessen) to no avail was always one of the most fun things about Saved by the Bell. Watching the often horribly behaved sitcom kid become a true romantic and win Kelly's heart just felt off-brand and things only became more ridiculous when they got engaged during Saved By the Bell: The College Years.

Coulson And May On Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe have enjoyed shipping characters, but few "will they, won't they?" couples in the franchise were more popular than Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and his colleague, Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen). It is just a shame that it took Coulson's imminent death, and with only days left to spare, to inspire them to finally give a relationship a try.

Shawn And Juliet On Psych

Fans of Psych would likely agree that the best relationship on Psych is Shawn Spencer (James Roday Rodriguez) and Burton "Gus" Guster (Dulé Hill). Yet, it might be a hot take to say that Shawn's slowly built-up coupling with Det. Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson) was added to show for a needless element of romance but without taking the time to build the relationship into something genuinely worth rooting for.

Lane And Zack On Gilmore Girls

There are many polarizing romantic storylines on Gilmore Girls but most fans have come to agree that Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) and Zack Van Gerbig (Todd Lowe) have the worst. To be frank, they just feel Lane's former bandmate is a bad influence on her.

Oliver And Felicity On Arrow

While audiences are willing to suspend disbelief for all kinds of reasons when watching a comic book TV show, fans and critics had a hard time believing the relationship between Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Felicity Smoak (Emily Bett Rickards). The wealthy vigilante and his employee-turned-lover were incompatible for an irritating number of reasons.

Pete And Myka On Warehouse 13

What made the coupling of Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly) a low point for SyFy's Warehouse 13 was that there was no actual "will they, won't they" buildup. They were clearly and perfectly platonic duo until Pete realizes he is in love with Myka completely out of the blue.

Michael And Holly On The Office

Let's make something clear: seeing Michael Scott (Steve Carell) find a happy relationship with Holly Flax (Amy Ryan) was a grandly heartwarming sight. We're only counting their relationship because it led to Carell's exit from NBC's The Office cast and, with it, the series' creative downfall.

Maeve And Otis On Sex Education

Over the course of four seasons, it seemed like Netflix's Sex Education was building toward a long-awaited happily ever after for Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield) and Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey). Unfortunately, the series betrayed its centerpiece couple by introducing a long-distance relationship plot, ultimately ruining them for good.

Lucifer And Chloe On Lucifer

Despite having the actual Devil as its main "hero," Lucifer is a fun, bizarre take on the crime thriller genre. Yet, many fans felt that the show went in an overly dramatic direction when the title character Tom Ellis and Det. Chloe Decker (Lauren German) became a romantic couple.

Tom Welling has forged a firm place for himself within superhero media through his role as Clark Kent on the WB/CW series Smallville. For ten seasons, Welling played out Kent’s extensive journey to becoming the Man of Steel and became quite synonymous with the character. With that, Welling eventually became “protective” of the character, though he did opt to reprise it in Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the Arrowverse’s crossovers. Now, the actor is discussing why he returned, and he revealed a keen suggestion he made on the set.

Smallville’s 10-season run ended in 2011, seemingly ending the journey for Tom Welling’s Clark Kent and those in his orbit. So it was a pleasant surprise when it was revealed that Welling would return for 2020’s Crisis event alongside Lois Lane actress Erica Durance. While attending Fan Expo New Orleans alongside Durance and fellow co-stars Kristin Kreuk and Laura Vandvoort, the Draft Day alum was asked about his decision to reprise the role. Welling (as seen in a YouTube video) then proceeded to share a very thoughtful answer:

As for what that one scene (from “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two”) entailed, it saw Jon Cryer’s Lex Luthor visit the Kents’ farm on Earth-167. Luthor – who’d been killing Clarks across the multiverse – sought to do the same to Tom Welling’s Kent. However, the villain opted not to do so – due to his ego – after Clark revealed that he’d since given up his powers and settled down with Lois. And, after Luthor’s departure, Lane approached her partner to explain that their daughters were waiting for him. It was a brief scene but also a sweet one that serves as a solid bookend for Kent’s story.

I can still understand why the Cheaper by the Dozen alum would be hesitant just to take any opportunity to reprise his character, though. There’s a lot of love and affection for his iteration of Mr. Kent. And, as has been said by Smallville’s EPs, the Fog actor made for the “perfect” Clark Kent, so why mess with that legacy if it’s not worth it? At the expo, the veteran actor went on to reference Clark’s big superhuman abilities twist and more, but I really love the thoughtful way he approached playing this version of Clark, which led to a subtle suggestion:

As a fan, I greatly appreciate just how thoughtful the Winchesters alum was when approaching his return as Clark. I also love the fact that he went on to give Erica Durance kudos for her brief appearance and for managing to quickly respark the playful relationship that Clark and Lois possessed for some many years. Fans are still pining to see more of their dynamics and those of the other characters and, if some of the cast get their way, it could happen.

Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum (who played Lex Luthor) have reportedly been attempting to produce an animated continuation series, with the OG creators attached as well. Previously, Welling said that for a spinoff to happen, they’d need a firm answer from Warner Bros. So it’s hard to say whether that project will come to fruition but, at the very least, I’m glad Welling and Erica Durance decided to return for Crisis and managed to give some further sense of closure to their characters.

All ten seasons of Smallville are now available to stream with a Hulu subscription. You can also head over to Tubi to watch Tom Welling’s return as Clark Kent on Batwoman’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths: Part Two.”

Is there a single TV show that, for the entirety of its run, managed to keep its story going without any retcons? For one reason or another, it is common to see a popular series amend or completely disregard a pre-established story or character detail, often leading fans to wonder if they are losing their minds. Don't worry: you're not crazy but merely a victim of some confusing or even just annoying TV retcons like the following.

Cory And Topanga's Origins (Boy Meets World)

The romance between Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) could have been the perfect sitcom love story if the classic TGIF comedy could keep the details of their relationship straight. When Fishel first joined the Boy Meets World cast, she was initially introduced as the weird student in Cory's elementary school class but, when she is later reinvented as his love interest, the show tries to play them off as sweethearts since childhood.

Dan Is Alive (Roseanne)

Not only is Season 9 of Roseanne, in which the Conners' lives change when they win the lottery, revealed to be a fantasy in the series finale but we also learn that Dan (John Goodman) was dead the entire time, having suffered a heart attack. This controversial plot twist was ignored in 2018 when the sitcom was revived for a tenth season before it was rebranded as The Conners.

The Fate Of Frasier's Father (Cheers/Frasier)

On one episode of Cheers, Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer) tells his friends at the bar that his late father was a research scientist. However, in Frasier's self-titled and equally beloved TV show spin-off, we see Martin Crane (John Mahoney) is alive and well and a retired cop. In an episode where Ted Danson appears as Sam Malone, the show tries to explain that Frasier's dad was "dead to him" at the time after a bitter argument.

Sara Was Not Dead After All (Prison Break)

In the third season of Prison Break, Michael (Wentworth Miller) learns that Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies) was kidnapped and beheaded, only to see her come back in Season 4, which reveals it was never actually her head. In reality, the reason for the character's demise was due to a dispute involving Callies' contract but, when she was able to work out a deal to return to the series, her earlier death was rewritten as a head fake.

Jimmy Olsen Was Not Who We Thought He Was (Smallville)

In its sixth season, the acclaimed DC TV show Smallville introduced the iconic character of photographer Jimmy Olsen (Aaron Ashmore), only to kill him off three years later. It is at his funeral that we learn that his real name is Henry James Olsen and that the real Jimmy Olsen was his never-before-seen little brother the whole time.

Kramer Was Originally Named Kessler (Seinfeld)

In the pilot episode of Seinfeld, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) calls his next-door neighbor by the name Kessler but, from the next episode on, Michael Richards' character is referred to as Kramer, after Larry David's real-life friend on whom the role is based. The series tries to explain this in Season 9's "The Betrayal" with a flashback to the characters' first meeting when Kramer tells Jerry that the name on his buzzer is incorrect.

Bobby's Death Was All A Dream (Dallas)

When Patrick Duffy decided to quit the CBS primetime soap opera, Dallas, his character, Bobby Ewing, was written off the show in Season 8 when he was run over by his sister-in-law, Katherine Wentworth (Morgan Brittany), and was buried after succumbing to his injuries in the Season 9 premiere. However, after the writers urged the actor to come back to the cast, the Season 10 opener revealed everything that happened in the previous season was imagined by his wife, Pamela Barnes Ewing (Victoria Principal), in her sleep.

Gossip Girl's True Identity Does Not Make Sense (Gossip Girl)

As revealed in the series finale of Gossip Girl, Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) was the mysterious blogger the entire time but, if that's true, why does he act surprised by several posts about him, his friends, and his relatives in earlier episodes? Furthermore, Gossip Girl publicizes the fact that Dan and his girlfriend, Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively), share a half-sibling, which he adamantly wants kept secret. So, why on Earth would he make that public, even anonymously?

What Ever Happened To Judy Winslow (Family Matters)

YouTuber Vee Infuso debunked an urban legend believing that the youngest Winslow child, Judy, once walked up the stairs in a Season 4 episode never to be seen again. While Jaimee Foxworth's actual final appearance in the Family Matter cast came later that season in "Mama's Wedding," her subsequent absence (due to the writers having nothing interesting to come up with for her) was never explained nor acknowledged for the remainder of the series.

The First Time Chandler Said "I Love You" To Monica (Friends)

In one of the most ridiculous Friends episodes, "The One Where Everyone Finds Out," Chandler (Matthew Perry) is coerced by Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) feigned seduction into admitting that he is in love with Monica (Courteney Cox) to everyone's surprise, including her own. However, the otherwise touching moment seems to forget about an earlier Friends Thanksgiving episode, "The One With All The Thanksgivings," in which Chandler lets his feelings for Monica slip when she surprises him with a turkey on her head.

A Time Lord's Maximum Number Of Regenerations Changes (Doctor Who)

Early on in the long-running, classic sci-fi TV show's history, it is established that the title character of Doctor Who, like all Time Lords, can only regenerate a total of 13 times. However, that rule has since been negated as the 13th Doctor actor, Jodie Whitaker, was later replaced by Ncuti Gatwa.

The History Of Superheroes Dates Back Longer Than We Thought (Arrowverse)

After adopting his vigilante alter ego at the beginning of the hit series, Arrow, Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) is said to have become the first superhero. Yet, later down the road as the Arrowverse franchise would continue to evolve with its multiple spin-offs, it was discovered that superhero teams have existed as early as World War II.

Kimmy Gibbler's Sibling Count (Full House/Fuller House)

When Kimmy Gibbler is first mentioned in the 1987 pilot for Full House, D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure) says she has three sisters but the character (played by Andrea Barber) says in Season 3 that her parents stopped having kids after her. This could imply she is merely the youngest in her family but she was also known to mention having an unseen older brother named Garth. Furthermore, in Netflix's revival, Fuller House, we are introduced to her younger brother, Jimmy (Adam Hagenbuch).

Dean Loses His Urban Philosophy (Gilmore Girls)

When Jared Padalecki first joined the Gilmore Girls cast as Dean, the character was introduced as a Chicago native who had moved to Stars Hollow fairly recently and loves obscure books and movies. However, when New York transplant and obscure book and movie lover Jess (Milo Ventimiglia) is brought into the mix, Dean is suddenly reinvented as a more rural individual who has lost his cultural interests and thinks of Stars Hollow as his true home after living "most of his life" there.

The Disappearance Of Donna's Sister (That '70s Show)

We are willing to bet that, even if you considered yourself a huge That '70s Show fan, you had absolutely no recollection that Donna (Laura Prepon) had a sister. Tina Pinciotti (Amanda Fuller) makes one appearance in Season 1 and is subsequently mentioned only once more in a throwaway joke from Season 2's "Vanstock" but, from that point on, Donna is referred to as an only child.

Daenerys Goes Bad (Game Of Thrones)

Here is an example of something that is not so much a retcon but a deeply confusing and quite maddening TV character evolution that suddenly comes out of nowhere. One of the most heavily criticized aspects of the eighth and final season of Game of Thrones sees the normally level-headed and fair Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) become a coldhearted tyrant who commits unimaginably brutal crimes without a second's hesitation.

Are Jason And Cheryl Really Twins? (Riverdale)

There are a number of notable inconsistencies regarding the characters in the Riverdale cast, but one of the more glaring involves Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch) and her brother, Jason (Trevor Stines). While initially established as fraternal twins, later episodes of the Archie Comics-inspired dramedy imply that they are in two different grade levels at school.

Who Made Spike A Vampire? (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

A lot of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans like to count the sudden appearance of Buffy's never-before-seen younger sister Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) as a retcon. However, the sentient form of power's inclusion is explained by fake memories implanted into the characters' minds after she is sent to Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) to protect, so we are not counting that. Instead, we will mention how Spike (James Marsters) refers to Angel (David Boreanaz) as the vampire who turned him until it is later revealed that Drusilla is his true sire.

Why Sheldon Knocks Multiple Times (The Big Bang Theory)

One of the most iconic running gags on The Big Bang Theory is Sheldon Cooper's (Jim Parsons) compulsion to knock on people's doors three times, which was only first introduced in Season 2. However, in Season 10, he explains that he formed the habit after accidentally walking in on his father having an affair and wants to give people enough time to "get their pants on" with his courteous and incessant signal.

When Claire Gets Her Powers (Heroes)

In the first season of Heroes, it is established that Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) developed her rapid healing ability later in life when she hit puberty. However, in a later episode when she meets her birth mother, it is revealed that she was indestructible even when she was an infant.

The Rules Of Being A Vessel Are Inconsistent (Supernatural)

At one point in the 15-season run of Supernatural, it is established that being a vessel for a spiritual entity will result in the host's death once the entity no longer requires their physical form. However, Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles), and even the Lucifer-possessed President Jefferson Rooney (David Chisum) end up just fine after their time as a vessel ends.

Tina Admits She Was Faking Her Stutter (Glee)

When Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz) is first introduced in the first season of Glee, she speaks with a stutter that suddenly disappears after she joins the glee club. She eventually reveals she faked it hoping that it would make Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) like her more.

Randy Suddenly Gains An Uncle (Monk)

Even a detective show as clever as Monk has been known to make a few logical errors from time to time. For instance, Lt. Randy Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) says at one point that he has two aunts but no uncles but, in the Season 5 episode "Mr. Monk Visits a Farm," he inherits land from a recently deceased family member... his uncle, Harvey (Jack Kehler).

President Barlett's Death Tax Repeal Veto Is A Surprise (The West Wing)

In Season 2 of creator Aaron Sorkin's The West Wing, it is mentioned by political commentator Mark Gottfried (Ted McGinley) that President Josiah Bartlett (Martin Sheen) vetoed a Republican-backed education package. However, in the following season when he vetoes a repeal of the "death tax," it causes an uproar as people claim he had never used the veto before.

Barney Suddenly Knows How To Drive (How I Met Your Mother)

In Season 2 of How I Met Your Mother, we discover that Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) not only does not know how to drive a car but is absolutely terrified to get behind the wheel. Yet, two seasons later, in one of the best HIMYM episodes, "As Fast as She Can," he makes multiple attempts to get a speeding ticket to prove he can talk his way out of one and is also seen driving plenty of times afterward. Perhaps he could have worked up the courage to finally learn how to drive by then but there is absolutely no mention of it, making his sudden acquirement of this skill a bit sudden.

Fans Still Missed Moriarty (Sherlock)

At the end of Sherlock's third season, a message from the detective's archnemesis, Moriarty (Andrew Scott) suggested the criminal mastermind would play a pivotal role in the following season. Unfortunately, fans would discover that he had no involvement in Season 4, which is less of a retcon and more of an infuriating cop-out.

Walker Blood Is Not A Source Of Infection (The Walking Dead)

Early seasons of The Walking Dead established that getting blood from one of the undead in your eyes or mouth or in a wound would prove fatal, yet later seasons ignore this rule almost completely. This retcon goes further than just the TV series as it is an acknowledged and important detail in the Robert Kirkman-penned comic book series that inspired the AMC hit.

Al Dreamt Peg's Pregnancy (Married…. With Children)

By the end of Married… with Children's first season, half of which saw Peg (Katey Sagal) pregnant, it is revealed to have been all Al's (Ed O'Neill) dream but there is actually a dark truth to this retcon. As the actor explains in her memoir, Grace Notes, Sagal's real-life pregnancy at this time was written into the show but when she suffered a miscarriage, it was decided that the show would not bring another child into the cast.

SpongeBob Knew Sandy As A Child (SpongeBob SquarePants/Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years)

In the second-ever episode of SpongeBob Squarepants, "Tea at the Treedome," we see the title character (voiced by Tom Kenny) meet Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence) for the very first time. However, the prequel spin-off, Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years, suggests that the sea sponge and the squirrel knew each other when they stayed at the eponymous camp as children.

Peggy's Mom Keeps Changing (King Of The Hill)

The first time King of the Hill introduces Peggy's mother, she is depicted as a suburban homemaker but is later reinvented almost completely as the wife of a bitter old rancher. That is not even counting the fact that, in an episode when Bobby's secret admirer turns out to be his grandmother playing a trick, the elderly woman in question is neither Hank's nor Peggy's mother.

Andy's Father's Name Changes (The Office)

In NBC's The Office, after proposing to Angela (Angela Kinsey), Andy (Ed Helms) refers to his mother and father as Andrew and Ellen Bernard, implying that he is Andy Bernard Jr. However, when we meet his parents in "The Garden Party," the father is identified as Walter Bernard Sr. (Stephen Collins) and Andy explains that he used to be named Walter Jr. before his younger brother (played by Josh Groban) was deemed more worthy of the moniker.

The Rules For Transferring Powers (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)

In Season 2 of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, when Jason (Austin St. John), Trini (Thuy Trang), and Zack (Walter Emanuel Jones) are forced to leave, the team needs to acquire a special sword to transfer their powers to Rocky (Steve Cardenas), Aisha (Karan Ashley), and Adam (Johnny Yong Bosch). However, in the following season, when Kimberly (Amy Jo Johnson) needed to give her powers to Kat (Catherine Sutherland), she just handed over her power coin.

Being a superhero must be especially taxing around the Christmas season since vigilantes do not really have the luxury of being able to take the day off that time of year. At least it gives fans like me a chance to enjoy some entertaining and certainly non-traditional Christmas movies and TV specials in which our favorite comic book characters are forced to become protectors of holiday cheer. Celebrate the season in the most “super” way possible by watching these great Christmas movies, TV shows, and specials featuring your beloved costumed crime fighters.

Batman Returns (1992)

Director: Tim Burton

Starring: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer

What it’s about: A snow-covered Gotham City serves as a battleground for Bruce Wayne as he faces off against The Penguin and enters a flirtatious rivalry with Catwoman.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Batman Returns (also one of the all-time best live-action Batman movies for its dazzling production design and some of Michael Keaton's best Batman moments) teaches us that mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it, but a kiss can be deadlier if you mean it.

How to watch Batman Returns

• Stream Batman Returns on Max
• Rent or buy Batman Returns on Amazon
• Buy Batman Returns on Blu-ray on Amazon

Hawkeye (2021)

Starring: Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld

What it’s about: Retired Avenger Clint Barton crosses paths with young, aspiring archer Kate Bishop who helps him defeat a terrifying foe so he can make it back home in time for Christmas.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld’s chemistry and some fun action sequences make Hawkeye one of Disney+’s best Marvel TV shows yet and easily one of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most festive installments.

How to watch Hawkeye

• Stream Hawkeye on Disney+

Iron Man 3 (2013)

Director: Shane Black

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle

What it’s about: Tony Stark begins to suffer a bit of an identity crisis while facing his most dangerous enemy yet as the holidays roll around.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: The first of the Marvel movies to get into the holiday spirit (as confirmed by Disney+) was the uniquely thrilling Iron Man 3, which is also just one of many Christmas action movies from Shane Black.

How to watch Iron Man 3

• Stream Iron Man 3 on Disney+
• Buy Iron Man 3 on Amazon
• Buy Iron Man 3 on Blu-ray on Amazon

The Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)

Director: James Gunn

Starring: Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper

What it’s about: Hoping to cheer up Peter Quill, Drax and Mantis pay a visit to Earth in search of the perfect Christmas gift for him.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: The most recent MCU installment with a festive twist is The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which is destined to be a Christmas staple for its hilarious and heartwarming moments, a fantastic soundtrack, and an appearance by a cinematic icon.

How to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

• Stream The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special on Disney+

Arrow: Three Ghosts (2013)

Starring: Robbie Amell, Katie Cassidy

What it’s about: After Oliver Queen is drugged and left for dead by Cyrus Gold, he is given a cure by Felicity that causes him to hallucinate about his past.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: The ninth episode of the second season of Arrow (one of the best DC TV shows on Netflix), “Three Ghosts,” is an absorbing take on one of the most influential holiday stories of all time, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

How to watch Arrow: Three Ghosts

• Stream Arrow: Three Ghosts on Netflix
• Buy Arrow: Three Ghosts on Amazon

Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare On Christmas (2014)

Starring: Drake Bell, Mark Hamill

What it’s about: A run-in with Nightmare takes Peter Parker on a journey through his past, present, and future and offers a glimpse of a world without the webslinger.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Another fun Dickensian superhero Christmas special is the 22nd episode of the third season of Ultimate Spider-Man (one of the best animated Spider-Man TV shows), “Nightmare on Christmas,” which also bears some similarities to the plot of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.

How to watch Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas

• Stream Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas on Disney+
• Buy Ultimate Spider-Man: Nightmare on Christmas on Amazon

Smallville: Lexmas (2005)

Starring: Tom Welling, Kristin Kreuk, Michael Rosenbaum

What it’s about: After a gunshot puts him in a coma, Lex Luthor experiences a flash-forward in which he is raising a middle-class family with Lana Lang.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Another holiday episode of a comic book TV show boasting loose inspiration from A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life is “Lexmas” – the ninth episode of the fifth season of Smallville which is a largely heartwarming story before taking a dark twist.

How to watch Smallville: Lexmas

• Stream Smallville: Lexmas on Hulu
• Buy Smallville on Blu-ray on Amazon

Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas With The Joker (1992)

Starring: Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill

What it’s about: The Joker challenges Batman and Robin to rescue a kidnapped Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Summer Gleeson before midnight on Christmas Eve.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Another superhero Christmas episode featuring Mark Hamill as the villain is “Christmas with the Joker” – an all-time classic Batman: The Animated Series episode for the Clown Prince of Crime and the 38th episode from Season 1 of one of the best animated TV shows.

How to watch Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas with The Joker

• Stream Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas with The Joker on Max
• Stream Batman: The Animated Series: Christmas with The Joker on Amazon Prime

The Flash: Running To Stand Still (2013)

Starring: Grant Gustin, Mark Hamill

What it’s about: Weather Wizard breaks Captain Cold and The Trickster to collaborate on an attack against Barry Allen’s alter ego around the holidays.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Yet another superhero Christmas episode featuring Mark Hamill as a villain (The Trickster) is “Running to Stand Still,” which, as The Flash’s second mid-season finale, certainly does not disappoint as entertaining spectacle, let alone its holiday themes.

How to watch The Flash: Running to Stand Still

• Stream The Flash: Running to Stand Still on Netflix
• Rent or buy The Flash: Running to Stand Still on Amazon
• Buy The Flash on Blu-ray on Amazon

Shazam! (2019)

Director: David F. Sandberg

Starring: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Mark Strong

What it’s about: An abandoned teen is imbued with powers and an adult body by a wizard who chooses him to be his champion.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: One of the funniest superhero movies set around Christmas (or funniest comic book movies in general) is Shazam!, which you may recall features a wild third act set at an elaborate holiday display.

How to watch Shazam!

• Stream Shazam! on Max
• Rent or buy Shazam! on Amazon
• Buy Shazam! on Blu-ray on Amazon

Merry Little Batman (2023)

Director: Mike Roth

Starring: Luke Wilson, Yonas Kibreab, James Cromwell

What it’s about: With Bruce Wayne out helping the Justice League, his young son, Damian, is left to foil a villainous plot to steal Christmas.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: Imagine the plot of Home Alone, replace Kevin McCallister with Damian Wayne, throw in some “Grinchness,” and you basically have Merry Little Batman – one of the best movies on Amazon Prime for a family of DC fans to enjoy around the holidays.

How to watch Merry Little Batman

• Stream Merry Little Batman on Amazon Prime

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas (1996)

Starring: Dean Cain, Teri Hatcher, Howie Mandel

What it’s about: Clark begins reliving Christmas Eve over and over again with subtle changes to Metropolis citizens’ behavior each time, as part of a tricky imp’s spell.

Why it is one of the best Christmas superhero titles: There may be a few too many time-loop stories set around Christmas but only one has the Man of Steel and that is "Twas The Night Before Mxymas" – the charming, often hilarious, and even touching 11th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Season 4.

How to watch Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas

• Stream Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas on Max
• Stream Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Twas The Night Before Mxymas on Tubi
• Buy Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Season 4 on DVD on Amazon

Hopefully, these titles can help rescue you from a crummy holiday.

When it comes to upcoming DC movies, we’re about to meet a new Superman next summer with David Corenswet’s version. In the meantime, it’s fun to look back at the iconic portrayals of the Man of Steel over the years, isn’t it? Tom Welling, who played the role on ten seasons of Smallville, recently shared the time he got to meet the first big-screen Superman, Christopher Reeve, when the actor made an appearance on The CW series.

Tom Welling got to share the screen with Christopher Reeve on an episode of Smallville back in 2003 when Welling was 25 and Reeve was 50. When Welling was at Comic Con Stockholm (via Screen Rant) last weekend, he said this about how he found out he’d be working with a fellow Superman actor during the show’s second season:

The actor had no idea he would be working alongside the legendary Christopher Reeve (who was a real-life Superman in his epic life as well) until just days before. Here’s how it went in his words:

While Christopher Reeve flew high in four Superman movies that were released from 1978-1987, in 1995, the actor was thrown off a horse while taking part in an equestrian competition in Virginia. He suffered a serious injury that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After that, Reeve only made a few acting appearances, and Smallville was one of them.

As Welling recalled, he was only supposed to be on set for a few hours, but the actor was enjoying himself so much that he pushed his luck and spent double the time there.

The Smallville star recalls the actor’s nurse even had to put her foot down and threaten to “call the police” if he didn’t leave the set. It certainly speaks to Christopher Reeve enjoying himself as he returned to the world of Superman in Season 2’s episode “Rosetta”.

In the episode, Reeve played a brilliant and wealthy scientist named Dr. Virgil Swann who came across a message from Krypton and tracked down Clark Kent as a member of the alien race. The episode is an important one to the series, as Clark learned that his planet no longer existed from Swann.

Reeve returned for an appearance in a Season 3 episode called “Legacy” as well, which aired just six months before the actor died in 2004.

Tom Welling’s super story about meeting Christopher Reeve comes as the late actor is the subject of the new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which is one of the best movies we’ve seen this year. The movie is available to buy on digital now.

The DC universe may be continuing Superman’s legacy with studio CEO James Gunn’s new movie about the Man of Steel, but there’s still a Superman continuation of a different sort I’d like to see happening as well. Smallville’s Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum pitched a sequel project back in 2021 that brings their iconic characters back to life in animated form. However, the former CW actor reveals the biggest thing that needs to happen to turn this Smallville spinoff dream into a reality and I’m shocked it hasn’t happened yet.

Smallville may have ended back in 2011, but that doesn’t mean fans have forgotten Clark Kent’s incredible journey from being a farm boy in Kansas to embracing his Kryptonian heritage as the famed superhero. Last we saw of the long-running CW series, Michael Rosenbaum returned as Lex Luthor for the finale only for his antagonist character’s memory to be wiped out, setting the stage for more battles without knowing Superman’s identity. Daily Planet duo Clark and Lois were finally set to get married after seven years, but not before he flew off the roof to reveal his infamous suit.

During Comic Con Stockholm, Screen Rant spoke to Tom Welling about the latest update on his and Michael Rosenbaum’s pitched animated Smallville series. The American actor revealed there’s one frustrating thing that needs to happen in order for the proposed series to get the green light:

Maybe you’re thinking what I’m thinking: what’s the holdup, DC Studios?! Superhero projects are still popular with upcoming Marvel movies and shows as well as in the DC universe with The Batman and The Penguin. And how about the fact that Smallville created such a huge legacy during its ten-season run and opened doors for actors like Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Kristin Kreuk, Justin Hartley, and more?

Clark’s origin story show immediately set a record at the then-WB by becoming the network series premiere with the most views at 8.4 million, and received Emmy and Teen Choice Awards. With Smallville building such a huge fanbase, I’m confident ratings would soar for this potential animated series. It appears that a Smallville spinoff series is not necessarily a priority due to changes occurring with DC Studios.

DC Studios became a new division in 2022 that dissolved DC Films after merging with WarnerMedia and Discovery, Inc. It could be that the new studio is trying to get its footing going before taking on the proposed spinoff series. Plus, Smallville creators Al Gough and Miles Millar want to bring their fan-favorite series back, but Tom Welling said they’ve been busy with the Netflix series Wednesday. Maybe once James Gunn’s new Superman movie soars into theaters, seeing Clark Kent pick up where he left off in Smallville after Season 10 could have fresh appeal.

There’s no word yet on what the plot of a potential Smallville spinoff series would be. When Tom Welling made a cameo in the Arrow-verse crossover “Crisis on Infinite Earths,” a twist was revealed that Clark Kent gave up his powers so he could live a normal life with his wife, Lois, and their daughters on the Kent Family farm. That twist is likely just canon to the Arrow-verse, though, and it doesn’t appear that the Smallville: Season 11 comic series will be used for inspiration considering the Lucifer actor hasn’t read it.

If all we need is for Warner Bros. to reply back to Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum, let’s make it happen! As it’s been about three years since this series idea was pitched, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened by now. But once Superman: Legacy gets a theatrical 2025 movie release on July 11th, that could reignite the spark of Smallville fans to want to see Welling’s Man of Steel come back. Until then, you can watch all ten seasons of the popular CW series on your Hulu subscription.

When it comes to TV shows, character deaths are relatively common, as plenty of shows have axed main or supporting players throughout their runs. Feelings over such casualties can vary, with some eliciting waves of tears and others causing people to celebrate. What we’re going to discuss here are the fictional fatalities that fall into that first category. So break out the tissues as we discuss the notable demises that still break our hearts.

Joyce Summers (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

To say that Buffy the Vampire Slayer features its fair share of brutal and otherworldly deaths would be an understatement. Yet it’s the natural passing of Buffy’s mom, Joyce Summers, that arguably still hurts fans the most today. The matriarch dies in Season 5 due to a brain aneurysm, and her body is ultimately found by her daughter. Joyce’s death shakes Buffy and her friends to their cores, but it also prompts them to grow up and take a greater step towards adulthood.

Nate Fisher (Six Feet Under)

Mortality is a major theme of Six Feet Under and, while every main character’s demise is chronicled by the end of the show, one that really sticks out is the passing of lead character Nate Fisher. Diagnosed with arteriovenous malformation, Nate dies of a brain hemorrhage in a hospital with his brother, David, by his side. While Nate’s death prompts his family to cope with their grief and ultimately move forward with their lives amid the series’ final episodes, it’s a gut-wrenching development nonetheless.

Glenn Rhee (The Walking Dead)

The Walking Dead’s heartbreaking deaths are all painful in some way or another, but few can hold a candle to the moment Glenn Rhee is killed off. In Season 7, the thoughtful young man dies at the hands of the Saviors’ leader, Negan, who beats him to death with his barbed wire baseball bat, Lucille. Glenn’s death itself is sad, but it’s even more unfortunate considering that he leaves behind his wife, Maggie, and their unborn child.

Prue Halliwell (Charmed)

Drama between Charmed cast members Alyssa Milano and Shannen Doherty is said to be a contributing factor to the death of the latter actress’ character, Prue Halliwell. At the end of Season 3, Prue is murdered by a demon named Shax. In addition to marking the end of the character, this event also serves as a turning point for the remaining Halliwell sisters.

Hank Schrader (Breaking Bad)

Special Agent Hank Schrader is one of the best Breaking Bad characters and arguably has one of the most distressing deaths in the franchise’s history. Following a shootout, Hank is killed by neo-Nazi leader Jack Welker in the acclaimed episode “Ozymandias.” Schraeder’s drug-dealing brother-in-law, Walter White, witnesses the event and is left distraught. The loss of Hank is tremendous, and the only point of comfort is that Walt later avenges him by killing Jack.

Bill McNeal (NewsRadio)

The passing of comedian Phil Hartman in 1998 is what prompted the producers of the hit NBC sitcom NewsRadio to kill off his character, Bill McNeal, ahead of the fifth and final season. It’s explained in the premiere that Bill died (off-screen) from a heart attack, and his co-workers mourn him heavily. The episode is an emotional tribute to the character and the work of the great Hartman.

Dr. Mark Greene (ER)

One of the key storylines from ER Season 8 involves Dr. Mark Greene dealing with a serious brain cancer diagnosis. His health sadly declines as the season goes on and, in the penultimate episode, Greene dies. The situation is truly bittersweet as, before he passes on Greene, he’s able to spend time with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Rachel and Ella.

Ned Stark (Game Of Thrones)

Game of Thrones killed off Eddard “Ned” Stark in truly Shakespearean fashion. Joffrey Baratheon goads Stark into admitting to “treason” in order to save his children’s lives and his own. Stark eventually makes that declaration during a public hearing, though Joffrey orders him to be killed anyway, in what’s truly a devastating turn of events.

Caitlin Todd (NCIS)

Caitlin Todd’s death at the tail end of NCIS Season 2 might be one of the most tragic moments in the history of TV. The character is murdered via a sniper attack by Mossad double-agent Ari Haswari, who later reveals that he only did it to hurt Todd’s colleague, Leroy Jethro Gibbs. Caitlin’s demise is only made worse by the fact that her final words are “Wow, I thought I'd die before I ever heard a complim…”

Mark Sloan (Grey's Anatomy)

Mark Sloan’s death can be attributed to injuries sustained during a plane crash in Grey’s Anatomy’s eighth season finale. Mark is taken off life support in the Season 9 premiere after being in a coma. And that tragic event only adds to the sadness that his co-workers feel after Sloan’s lover, Lexie Grey, succumbed to injuries from the crash in the Season 8 finale.

Adriana La Cerva (The Sopranos)

It’s honestly hard to feel sympathy for a lot of the characters on The Sopranos, but Adriana La Cerva deserves some. La Cerva, who’s aware of fiancée Christopher Moltisanti’s mob dealings, eventually becomes a mole for the feds after being busted for drug possession. After she tells Chris about this and tries to convince him to disappear with her, he tells his uncle, Tony Soprano, who has Adriana killed.

Jonathan Kent (Smallville)

DC Comics fans surely know that there are many continuities in which Clark Kent’s adopted father, Jonathan Kent, dies. However, that doesn’t make seeing him die from a heart attack – while surrounded by Clark and Martha Kent – in the 100th episode of Smallville any easier.

Mrs. Dolores Landingham (The West Wing)

A character as endearing as The West Wing’s Mrs. Dolores Landingham doesn’t deserve to die at all. With that, many would surely agree that she didn’t deserve to be killed by a drunk driver near the end of Season 2. Landingham’s death still marks one of the most shocking moments in TV history.

Charlie Pace (Lost)

Of the various deaths that occurred on Lost, Charlie Pace’s passing still arguably hurts more than others. The fan-favorite character was killed off during the events of the third season’s finale. It’s in that installment that Charlie is doomed to drown after Mikhail Bakunin blows a hole in the underwater Looking Glass Station, though he dies a hero due to the fact that he saves some of his comrades.

Chet Hunter (Boy Meets World)

The father of Shawn and Jack Hunter, Chet died suddenly during Boy Meets World’s sixth season after suffering from two heart attacks. While the patriarch passes on before being able to formally reconcile with Shawn, the two do so when the younger Hunter later encounters his father’s ghost.

Mr. Hooper (Sesame Street)

Many members of Generation X surely remember one of the most emotional moments in Sesame Street’s illustrious history – the death of Will Lee’s Mr. Hooper, which occurred after Lee himself passed on in 1982. The episode that tackles Hooper’s passing is a truly emotional episode that sees the members of the community paying tribute to the late store proprietor. The installment also remains a groundbreaking piece of work for its exploration of death and grief in a children’s show.

Wallace (The Wire)

16-year-old Wallace possesses one of the most heartbreaking storylines ever presented by The Wire. During the first season, the young drug dealer finds himself in a tough spot after he chooses to cooperate with authorities and provide information on the local drug trade. Ahead of a trial, Wallace is found and killed by former associates, and the sight of the teen begging for his life before the trigger is pulled is still affecting.

Mike Ehrmantraut (Breaking Bad)

The wise and stoic Mike Ehrmantraut is murdered by Walter White, following an argument, amid the final season of Breaking Bad. After being shot by Walt, Mike sits by a riverbank, where he finally passes on. Ehrmantraut’s demise is made sadder due to the fact that Walt and his associate, Todd, later dissolve his body using acid.

Tara Maclay (Buffy The Vampire Slayer)

It’s during the sixth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer that Tara Maclay is sadly killed by a stray bullet to the heart. Tara’s passing ultimately plunges her girlfriend, Willow Rosenberg, into grief and pushes her towards her darker magical impulses. Willow’s rage is intense – but arguably not as explosive as the fan responses to Tara’s passing were at the time.

Henry Blake (MASH)

As humorous as MASH is, it also features some legitimately heartbreaking moments, and the death of Henry Blake at the end of Season 3 is certainly one of them. Blake is set to be discharged from military service and sent home. But, shockingly, it’s revealed at the end of “Abyssinia, Henry” that Blake’s plane has been shot down over the Sea of Japan and there are no survivors. At the time, this was a shock to viewers and to the actors involved in the scene, as it was a last-minute addition.

James Evans (Good Times)

Those who avidly watched sitcoms during the ‘70s can probably remember the night Good Times killed off family patriarch James Evans Sr. James dies off-screen at the start of Season 4, with his family receiving word of his death from a car accident in Mississippi via a telegram. In the years since that development occurred, fans have argued that James’ death marked a serious shift in quality for the Norman Lear-produced show.

Lawrence Kutner (House)

A TV character death that still hits incredibly hard is that of Lawrence Kutner, who is killed off after two seasons of House. Kutner dies by suicide, in what is an absolutely earth-shattering turn of events. What really makes this development so heartbreaking is that the exact reasons for Kutner’s decision to shoot himself are never made clear.

Edith Bunker (Archie Bunker’s Place)

Edith Bunker, one of the most iconic characters in TV history, dies in her sleep from a stroke in between the first and second seasons of All in the Family spinoff Archie Bunker’s Place. The mere notion of such a lovable character like Edith dying is sad enough, but watching her usually. boisterous husband, Archie, come to terms with her passing really tugs at the heartstrings.

Margaery Tyrell (Game Of Thrones)

Like so many Game of Thrones characters before her, Margaery Tyrell meets a brutal end. Tyrell’s death is due to the machinations of Cersei Lannister, who arranges for the Sept by Qyburn to be burned – with Margaery and many more inside of it.

Ben Sullivan (Scrubs)

Ben Sullivan doesn’t appear in many episodes of Scrubs, but he manages to leave a serious impression through his kindness and very mellow demeanor. So it’s understandable why his eventual death from leukemia is so affecting.

Poussey Washington (Orange Is The New Black)

Orange is the New Black sadly kills off Poussey Washington by having her unintentionally die by suffocation at the hands of Baxter Bayley. Her passing has a profound impact on the other residents at Litchfield Penitentiary. And, while her absence is felt as the show progresses, she at least returns via occasional flashbacks.

Anastasia "Dee" Dualla (Battlestar Galactica)

On the list of Battlestar Galactica’s most shocking deaths is that of Anastasia “Dee” Dualla, Dee dies by suicide by shooting herself in the head – a move that’s slightly prompted by her depression over seeing how ravaged Earth (now a nuclear wasteland) is. And, if that’s not sad enough, the final motivating factor in Dee’s suicide is her reconciliation with estranged husband Lee Adoma, which happens moments before she shoots herself. Dee ultimately wants to hold on to one final moment of happiness, so she ends her life.

Fred Andrews (Riverdale)

Beloved Riverdale character Fred Andrews dies as the result of a hit-and-run incident, leaving his son, Archie, and just about everyone in their eponymous town saddened. His sendoff episode is truly beautiful, as it not only honors Fred but also his portrayer, Luke Perry, whose death necessitated Andrews’ passing.

Lincoln Campbell (Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.)

At the end of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Season 3, the titular team is forced to say goodbye to another one of its own – Lincoln Campbell. The young Inhuman sacrifices himself by flying the villainous Hive and a nuclear warhead into space, where they can detonate. While Lincoln’s death hits hard, he goes out like a true hero. 

Teri Bauer (24)

A number of people meet their maker over the course of 24’s nine-season run, and one of the major characters to die early on is Teri Bauer. She loses her life to corrupt CTU operative Nina Meyers, as Nina shoots (the pregnant) Teri to cover her own tracks. Even now, it’s tough to shake the image of Jack Bauer cradling his wife’s body.

J.T. Yorke (Degrassi: The Next Generation)

Degrassi: The Next Generation fans are probably still shaken by the moment that beloved character J.T. Yorke was stabbed to death by Drake Lempkey. J.T.’s passing serves as a “loss-of-innocence” moment for his friends, who continue to cherish his memory. 

Howard Hamlin (Better Call Saul)

If any TV character has ever been in the wrong place at the wrong time, it’s Better Call Saul’s Howard Hamlin. The occasionally smug – but mostly well-meaning – lawyer is savagely killed by drug dealer Lalo Salamanca at Jimmy McGill and Kim Wexler’s apartment. What’s sadly ironic is that Howard goes there to tell off Jimmy and Kim for secretly sabotaging him and is merely killed by Lalo to keep his issues with Wexler and McGill quiet.

To have a father in your life whom you can trust and look up to is a blessing that should not be taken for granted. You can find more than enough men like this in some of our favorite movies and TV shows. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most honorable dads in pop culture and why we love them.

Chris Gardner (The Pursuit Of Happyness)

One of Will Smith’s best performances comes from 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness, which is inspired by real-life entrepreneur Chris Gardner’s experiences single-handedly raising a child (played by Smith’s real-life son, Jaden Smith) while struggling with poverty in 1980s San Francisco. In addition to the hard work he puts through to provide for his son, also named Christopher, he also guides him with moving words of wisdom, such as refusing to be told he cannot achieve his dreams.

Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch)

One of the most iconic sitcoms of all time is the story of a man named Brady — architect Mike Brady (Robert Reed) — who married the lovely Carol (Florence Henderson) and became the father to three young step-daughters, in addition to his three biological sons. While The Brady Bunch never offered a particularly grounded depiction of life in the 1970s, a man willing to accept the responsibility of six children (seven, if you count the later casting shake-up of Robbie Rist as Cousin Oliver) was refreshing for the time and remains as such today.

Atticus Finch (To Kill A Mockingbird)

Some of the most valuable lessons that a parent can teach their children are the importance of empathy and the evils of prejudice, which Atticus Finch explains to young Scout in Harper Lee’s influential novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. It is no wonder that Gregory Peck’s portrayal of the widowed Southern Lawyer — who comes to the defense of a Black man wrongfully convicted of assault — in the 1962 adaptation was named cinema’s greatest hero by AFI in 2003.

Philip Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)

While he often seemed irritated by his nephew’s antics, Judge Philip Banks (James Avery) clearly loved Will Smith (Will Smith), as evident by his willingness to let the Philadelphia-raised teen live with his family in California after a dangerous run-in. It is especially clear, however, in one of the most tender scenes from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (and one of the most heartbreaking serious sitcom moments ever) when Uncle Phil confronts Will’s real father after learning he plans to abandon him again.

Gil Buckman (Parenthood)

A major theme of Ron Howard’s Parenthood is the insecurities that parents often face when raising children, and no character from the 1989 comedy better represents that than Gil Buckman (Steve Martin). However, there is no doubt that the St. Louis ad executive is an exceptional father when he dons a cowboy outfit to fill in as the entertainment for his son’s birthday party.

Dan Conner (Roseanne)

Few TV shows represent the blue-collar lifestyle as authentically as Roseanne did in its original run and one of the crucial elements was John Goodman’s performance as Dan Conner. Roseanne’s husband was everything a middle-class family could ask for in a patriarch — a hard-working, optimistic, and lovingly supportive father who was also never afraid to tell it like it is.

Bob Ivanovich (My Life)

In the 1993 tearjerker, My Life, Academy Award nominee Michael Keaton plays Bob Ivanovich — a Los Angeles public relations firm manager who is expecting his first child with his wife, Gail (Nicole Kidman), when he is given a terminal diagnosis. Yet, he is not going to let his impending death prevent him from being there for his son, giving him the idea to film a series of videos in which he explains how to shave, how to cook, how to drive more valuable lessons every parent should be the first to teach their children.

Jason Seaver (Growing Pains)

With a job career in psychology, it seems like raising four children would be impossible to keep up with. However, Alan Thicke’s Dr. Jason Seaver on Growing Pains achieved a decent balance between his professional and personal life beautifully by always keeping his family as the highest priority.

Gomez Addams (The Addams Family)

To the average, everyday individual, Gomez Addams — portrayed by the likes of John Astin in the 1960s-era The Addams Family series and Raul Julia in Barry Sonnenfeld’s ‘90s movies — does not seem like an ideal role model. However, when you consider his creepy and cooky home life, he and Morticia really do seem to be pushing their daughter Wednesday and son Pugsley in a decent direction at the end of the day.

Danny Tanner (Full House)

Following the sudden death of his wife, Danny Tanner (the late Bob Saget) enlists the help of his brother-in-law, Jesse (John Stamos), and best friend, Joey (Dave Coulier), to help him raise his three daughters on Full House. Yet, if not for his job as a TV personality, we imagine the tidy and tenderhearted dad could have handled the job all by himself.

Bryan Mills (Taken)

When his daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace), is kidnapped while vacationing in Paris, retired CIA operative Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) travels to Europe and reignites his “particular set of skills” to find her. The role that made Neeson into a modern action movie icon — from co-writer and producer Luc Besson’s 2008 thriller, Taken — is the rare kind of father who would single-handedly take on an entire human trafficking ring to rescue his child.

Carl Winslow (Family Matters)

Reginald VelJohnson has played quite a few cops in his day, but none more iconic than Carl Winslow as part of the Family Matters cast for nine seasons. When he was not trying to keep society in line patrolling the streets of Chicago, the father of three did a wonderful job keeping his family in line with love and support that his neighbor, Steve Urkel (Jaleel White), must not have received at home, which might explain why he spent so much time at Winslow household.

Guido Orefice (Life Is Beautiful)

Writer and director Roberto Benigni also leads his Oscar-winning 1998 dramedy, Life is Beautiful, as a goofy Jewish-Italian man attempting to protect and shelter his young son (Giorgio Cantarini) from their treacherous surroundings while living at a Holocaust-era concentration camp. While one might say honesty is a more important parental quality, sometimes keeping your child smiling and laughing in the midst of tragedy is the one thing they need most.

Adam Braverman (Parenthood)

Peter Krause told TV Guide that what attracted him to joining the Parenthood cast as Adam Braverman was the character’s goal to be “the best father, the best husband, the best son, the best brother he could be.” Considering the immense dedication he showed for his children — especially toward Max (Max Burkholder), who is a young boy on the Autism spectrum — we would say he succeeded.

Jack Pearson (This Is Us)

There are few modern TV characters who cross off all the boxes of an admirable fatherly portrayal quite like Jack Pearson (Milo Ventimiglia) on This is Us, whose devotion to his wife and three children is stronger than many could claim. His wisdom and wit would even prove to be a large influence in his children’s lives long after his untimely passing.

Eric Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

In addition to being the real father of his teenage daughter, Julie (Aimee Teegarden), Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) acts as a devoted father figure to the Dillion High School Panthers football team he coaches on Friday Night Lights. Not to mention, what better advice could someone offer on or off the field than, “Clear eyes, full heart, can’t lose”?

Marlin (Finding Nemo)

In one of the saddest openings to a Pixar movie, tragedy makes clownfish Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks) a single father to a single son, Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould), whom he coddles to a suffocating degree as he grows up. However, by the end of Finding Nemo, he learns to be a more trusting father, but only after facing his greatest fears searching the ocean for his son after he is taken by a scuba diver.

Burt Hummel (Glee)

Just about any teen on the LGBTQ+ spectrum has gone through the challenging decision to come out to their parents, but they might have found some helpful encouragement after seeing Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) reveal his true self to his father, Burt (Mike O’Malley). Not only does the United States Congressman accept his son for who he is, but fights for his well-being against anyone who shows him adversity.

Johnathan Kent (Smallville)

Being the adoptive father of super-powered extra-terrestrial sounds like the toughest job imaginable, but John Schneider made it look easy with his portrayal of Johnathan Kent on Smallville. You could say that the farmer’s moral guidance is what led his son, Clark (Tom Welling), to become the crime fighter he needed to be when he accepted his destiny as Superman.

Louis Huang (Fresh Off the Boat)

Inspired by the childhood of celebrity chef Eddie Huang, Fresh Off the Boat follows the challenges of a Taiwanese family trying to make it in the States. The lovingly optimistic patriarch of the family, Louis Huang (Randall Park), is the embodiment of the American dream, working hard to ensure his children the life they deserve.

George Banks (Father Of The Bride)

In 1991’s Father of the Bride, George Banks (Steve Martin) struggles to let go when his daughter, Annie (Kimberly Williams-Paisley), becomes engaged to Bryan (George Newbern). The reaction is certainly a definitive trait of the typical over-protective father, but considering it comes from a place of great love for his daughter and a certain nostalgia for his early days as a parent, we cannot help but feel a heartwarming empathy for his “overreaction.”

Floyd Henderson (Smart Guy)

The underrated WB sitcom Smart Guy followed T.J. Henderson (Taj Mowry) — a young boy of above-average intelligence who still finds himself in need of the kind of guidance a child of his age typically requires. That is where his widowed father, Floyd (John Marshall Jones), would come in — answering his son’s complicated questions and even disciplining him without ever talking down to him, which even he understands would be a strange thing to do to someone with double his I.Q.

Man (The Road)

The 2009 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is one of the most frightening depictions of a post-apocalyptic society ever put to celluloid, but that is not what makes it a valuable entry to the genre. At its core, the film is a powerful story about an unnamed man (played by Viggo Mortensen) struggling to do the right thing for his son (played by Kodi Smit-McPhee), which is something any father in the real world can easily relate to.

Phillip Drummond (Diff’rent Strokes)

Before his former housekeeper suddenly passed away, widowed millionaire Phillip Drummond (Conrad Bain) promised to take care of her sons, Arnold (Gary Coleman) and Willis (Todd Bridges). That is the plot of Diff’rent Strokes — a hit sitcom that proved that family is defined by the devotion you have for each other and Mr. Drummond’s devotion to his adopted sons and his biological daughter, Kimberly (Dana Plato), was undeniable.

Mac MacGuff (Juno)

In another story about teen pregnancy, you might expect the father character to fly off the handle after learning his young daughter is with child, but that is not the case in 2007’s Oscar-winning dramedy, Juno. Mac MacGuff (J.K. Simmons) reacts to the news that his titular daughter (played by Elliot Page) is pregnant in a surprisingly calm demeanor and offers strong support to her through every step of the process.

Daniel Hillard (Mrs. Doubtfire)

We cannot deny that Daniel Hillard’s (Robin Williams) actions in the 1993 comedy favorite, Mrs. Doubtfire — posing as an elderly woman to act as his estranged family’s nanny after being denied custody — is a little messed up. However, there is no denying that his extreme decision came from a place of strong commitment for his children, who were actually delighted to learn their father was him in disguise.

Mr. Levenstein (American Pie)

Not too many teens actively seek advice about the more awkward moments of adolescence from their parents, but Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs) would not have to seek such conversations in the American Pie movies. His father (played by Eugene Levy) had no trouble openly discussing the most uncomfortably “adult” topics with his son, but always had the wherewithal to make the discussions somewhat more comforting with the caveat that these were “perfectly normal things.”

Alan Matthews (Boy Meets World)

If you could not figure it out before, the title of Boy Meets World refers to Cory Matthews’ (Ben Savage) journey to figure out what life is all about, often with help from his teacher, Mr. Feeny (William Daniels). Of course, he also received more than enough guidance from his admirable humble, down-to-earth father, Alan (William Russ), who also served as a father figure to Cory’s best friend, Shawn (Rider Strong), whenever he needed it.

Ted Kramer (Kramer Vs. Kramer)

Director Robert Benton’s Best Picture Oscar winner, 1979’s Kramer vs. Kramer, depicts a marriage that falls apart when Joanna (Meryl Streep) leaves her husband, Ted (Dustin Hoffman), forcing him to finally learn what it really takes to be a parent. By the time Joanna returns to take their son, Billy (Justin Henry), with her, she realizes from the love and devotion he shows that he belongs with Ted after all.

Michael Kyle (My Wife And Kids)

We would consider Tisha Campbell’s Janet “Jay” Kyle from My Wife and Kids a TV wife who often put her husband in his place whenever his more childish and egotistical attributes came out. However, Michael Kyle (series co-creator Damon Wayans) is still a TV dad for the ages because of his unique approach to teaching lessons that sometimes even involve elaborate pranks at his kids’ expense.

Mason Evans Sr. (Boyhood)

When Ethan Hawke first appears as Mason Evans Sr. in 2014’s Boyhood, he seems like the stereotypical irresponsible estranged father you might see in most movies centered on divorced families. However, in retrospect, he offers young Mason (Ellar Coltrane) and his daughter, Samantha (Lorelai Linklater), some very profound advice even then and proves, that by the time Mason reaches manhood, he becomes the dad he was always destined to become, including to his child with his second wife, Olivia.

Sonny Kofax (Big Daddy)

Adam Sandler’s role in 1999’s Big Daddy, Sonny Kofax, is the one character her who is not actually a dad and, in fact, is very irresponsible. However, the love he shows for Julian (the illegitimate son of his friend, played by Dylan and Cole Sprouse) is worth a million fathers combined.

Hopefully, you have or had a father (or father figure) who can hold a candle to any of these movie and TV characters.

There are those shows that ended long before we wanted them to, from '90s one-season wonders like Freaks & Geeks and My So-Called Life to perfectly timed dramas like Succession and Breaking Bad. These are not those shows. Instead, these television titles overstayed their welcome, long after their biggest stars departed, or the critical acclaim and awards dried up, or the storylines made any sense. Here are 32 TV shows that simply went on way too long. 

Californication

At the beginning of Showtime's Californication, which ran on the network from 2007 to 2014, the story of troubled novelist Hank Moody (David Duchovny) and his hedonistic ways felt fresh and edgy. But seven seasons of incessant drinking and womanizing majorly dulled any of that edge. 

The Walking Dead

How long can people survive a zombie apocalypse? Apparently, for a while—the AMC flagship series The Walking Dead went on for an unfathomable eleven seasons and the survival story of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) still isn't over, having been picked up in the spin-off miniseries The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. 

Dexter

One word: lumberjack. For eight seasons, the Showtime series followed Miami man Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) as he worked as a forensic pathologist by day and a vigilante serial killer by night. Spending nearly a decade watching Dexter get away with murder after murder felt both implausible and repetitive. And don't even get us started on that disappointing, woodsy series finale. 

Grey's Anatomy

It's felt like Grey's Anatomy has been resuscitated more times than any of the patients at Seattle Grace. It's been the longest-running medical drama on primetime, but it became barely the Grey's that O.G. fans remember. In later seasons, lead actress Ellen Pompeo, who plays Meredith Grey, scaled back to a recurring role, and beloved original characters like Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) were all long gone. 

The Handmaid's Tale

There's plenty of argument to be made that Hulu's dragged-out dystopian drama The Handmaid's Tale—which sees fertile American women (played by the likes of Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel and Samira Wiley) being forced into child-bearing slavery by a totalitarian government—should have been a one-and-done miniseries. After all, the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel on which it is based concluded after the events of the first season. 

Sons of Anarchy

Too-long episodes (many of which pushed way past the traditional hour-long mark) and irredeemable characters made it hard to continue to care about Jax (Charlie Hunnam), Gemma (Katey Sagal) and the rest of the outlaw bikers in the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club after seven seasons of the FX crime drama.

Shameless

Sure, Shameless had a jam-packed ensemble throughout its entire eleven season run, including Jeremy Allen White, William H. Macy, Cameron Monaghan and Shanola Hampton. But the grungy Showtime family drama lost its heart when lead actress Emmy Rossum—who played the older sister-turned-matriarch Fiona Gallagher—departed the series in season nine. 

White Collar

Many White Collar fans felt that things were getting a little rinse-and-repeat with the USA Network procedural by the end of its six-season run, with case-of-the-week storylines and stagnant character development. Imagine their surprise, then, when it was announced that the show was getting a Netflix revival, with actors Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay and Tiffani Thiessen reprising their roles. 

This Is Us

The earned emotionality of early seasons of This Is Us—an NBC family drama that follows the lives of two parents (played by Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore) and their three children (Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley,) in several different time frames—started to feel manipulative and maudlin after six years. 

Suits

Some television shows suffer from an unsustainable premise. Case in point, Suits, the USA Network legal drama that follows a college dropout with a photographic memory (Patrick J. Adams) who is hired to work as an associate at a prestigious law firm, despite not actually having a license to practice law. Sure, Jan. Despite the dubious concept, Suits aired for a whopping nine seasons. 

Supernatural

Exactly how many demons, ghosts and monsters did brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) have to hunt down to save the world? Fifteen seasons and 327 episodes worth! However, even many Supernatural superfans believe the CW fantasy series lost its way by the end and should have finished after season five when creator Eric Kripke left as showrunner. 

How I Met Your Mother

That is one long story that Ted Mosby (played by Josh Radnor) tells his adolescent children Luke (David Henrie) and Penny (Lyndsy Fonseca) about how their dad first met their mother. In fact, the tale took nine whole years, with many meandering tangents along the way, that we wouldn't blame the kids if they, too, got bored listening to it. 

Glee

Few shows faced quite the critical fall from grace as Glee. Early on, the FOX teen show—which centered on the plucky members of New Directions, the glee club of the fictional William McKinley High School—was an awards show juggernaut, winning several Emmys in its first few seasons, but those high notes were soured when the scripts focused less on the show's original characters and more on ad nauseum celebrity guests. 

Scrubs

Starting with the ninth season, many of the original Scrubs cast—including Zach Braff, Sarah Chalke, Ken Jenkins and Neil Flynn—stepped back from being main characters on the show, popping up in only a handful or as little as one episode that season. Longtime fans of the NBC medical comedy didn't love that their favorites got replaced with new characters, played by the likes of Kerry Bishé, Michael Mosley and Dave Franco.

The Big Bang Theory

Running for 12 seasons and 279 episodes, this CBS sitcom about Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) and their similarly geeky pals got bogged down by too many main characters, recycled old catchphrases and the use of laugh tracks as a crutch. 

The Simpsons

As old as, well, the person writing this very article, the satirical animated sitcom has broken several TV records in its three-decade tenure, including being the longest-running scripted primetime series in American television. And though Homer, Marge, Bar, Lisa, Maggie and the rest of the residents of Springfield are comedy legends, they now feel like relics of a different generation. 

Riverdale

The occurrences within the town of Riverdale were easy enough to keep track of in the early seasons of the CW teen drama, which was populated with the famous characters from Archie Comics (Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the like.) But as the writing got messier and mazelike, and the characters' storylines more and more outlandish, the soapy series became impossible to take seriously by the end of its seven-season run. 

Game of Thrones

The brazenness with which the Game of Thrones creators killed off some of its biggest, most beloved characters — Ned Stark (Sean Bean) in season one, his son Robb (Richard Madden) and wife Catelyn (Michelle Fairley) in season four — majorly lost its umph when the show killed off Jon Snow (Kit Harington) in the season five finale...only to resurrect him two episodes later. 

Homeland

The first two seasons of this Showtime espionage thriller — in which Claire Danes stars as a CIA officer with bipolar disorder, opposite Damian Lewis playing a Marine Corps Scout Sniper who has just returned home following eight years in captivity — received universal acclaim, including the 2012 Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. However, though Homeland had eight seasons total, it never recovered in quality following the death of Lewis's character in season 3. 

Two and a Half Men

It's always a gamble when you replace the main character of a TV show, especially such a long-running one as the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men. Originally starring Charlie Sheen as a hedonistic jingle writer living with his uptight brother (played by Jon Cryer) and his nephew (Angus T. Jones), the show misguidedly hired Ashton Kutcher to lead the cast in seasons nine through twelve after Sheen left the show to enter drug rehab. 

One Tree Hill

It rarely works when a high school show follows its characters to college and into adulthood. One Tree Hill, the early-aughts teen drama that ran for three seasons on The WB and another six on The CW, stretched the storylines of Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray), Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush) and the rest of the Tree Hill Ravens crew too long past graduation, especially as both Murray and Burton departed the show after season five.  

Lost

Airing 121 episodes over six seasons from 2004 to 2010, Lost packed a lot of supernatural nonsense onto that island, frustratingly devolving over the years from a character drama to a complex mythology swirling with time travel, smoke monsters and electromagnetic phenomena. Even co-creator Damon Lindelof has said that he wanted the show to end after three seasons instead of six. By the time the series aired its final episode, the sci-fi series had offered up far too many questions and far too few answers.

Modern Family

Even Modern Family star Sarah Hyland, who played Haley Dunphy in 11 seasons of the Emmy-winning ABC comedy, was kind of disappointed by the show's later seasons. And she seemingly wasn't the only one: though it had earned both critical acclaim and strong viewership for its earlier installments, season 10 had the worst ratings of the series. 

Once Upon a Time

The thing about fairytales is that soon enough you get to that happily ever after at the end. The ABC fantasy drama Once Upon a Time seemingly didn't get that message because it made fans wait for that storybook ending for seven long seasons — even Robert Carlyle, who portrayed Rumplestiltskin in the series, retrospectively admitted to The A.V. Club that he felt that the series "ran for too long."

Killing Eve

On paper, we should have never wanted Killing Eve to end, with its cast led by a superb Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer — as a British intelligence investigator and the psychopathic assassin she's tasked with capturing, respectively — and scripts from the brilliant mind of Fleabag scribe-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge. However, when Waller-Bridge departed as head writer after the first season, the once-great show simply ran out of story. 

Bones

Crime procedurals have a habit of staying on TV long after they should, what with their formulaic case-of-the-week structure that's easy to replicate season after season. And Bones, the long-running Fox crime drama starring Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz, is definitely no exception, overstuffed with soapy gimmicks, themed episodes and a way-too-long will-they-won't-they dynamic between Deschanel's Temperance Brennan and Boreanaz's Seeley Booth.

The Office

Of course, we love the entire Dunder Mifflin crew, but everybody knows that The Office should have naturally called it quits when lead Steve Carell — who played the "World's Best Boss," a.k.a. the delightfully incompetent Michael Scott — departed the show after its seventh season. Not even big-name actors like Will Ferrell and James Spader could fill the hole Michael Scott left. 

Westworld

Westworld's first season is to this day the most-watched first season of any HBO original series. However, that popularity, coupled with early critical acclaim, didn't last long for the dystopian Western — the writing and character work drastically declined by the time the show was canceled in November 2022, and just a month later, the entire series was brutally removed from HBO Max. 

That '70s Show

The Fox teen drama — centered on a groovy group of teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin — worked because of the chemistry created by its young cast, including Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama. So of course the show itself took a creative hit when that chemistry was altered following the departures of Grace and Kutcher after the seventh season. 

Smallville

Initially a show about a teenage Clark Kent dealing with issues both human (bullies, crushes) and superhuman (kryptonite and such) while growing up in fictional Smallville, Kansas, Smallville seemed to care less and less about the human side of the Man of Steel over the course of ten seasons. Many fans suggest that the TV superhero should have hung his cape after season seven, which saw the departure of both the show's main villain Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum) and Smallville creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. 

13 Reasons Why

Based on the young adult novel by Jay Asher, 13 Reasons Why is one of those cases where a multi-season show was made to be a limited series. Instead of just neatly telling the story of Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford) and the tapes she leaves behind after tragically ending her own life, the Netflix teen drama inexplicably changed genres throughout its four-season run, becoming a poor murder mystery in the show's third season. 

Heroes

Though the NBC superhero drama Heroes only went on for four seasons, critics of the show were already pointing out less-than-engaging storylines and lack of cohesion as early as season two. The tales of ordinary people who discover that they have superhuman abilities and have to work together to prevent catastrophic futures should have been adrenaline-pumping stuff, but it simply couldn't sustain that energy after its acclaimed first season. 

Justin Hartley’s new series Tracker is just getting bigger and bigger. The CBS drama has been a ratings success, and it has already been renewed for a second season. On top of that, the casting is A+ as Manifest star Melissa Roxburgh is joining the show as Hartley’s sister. Now the lead actor has announced that Supernatural alum Jensen Ackles will play his brother, and The Boys actor celebrated the news by posting some fun BTS photos with his CW pal.

Ackles and Hartley were both on the network that was once known for steamy YA dramas, superheroes, and the supernatural, literally, however their paths never crossed on-screen. For example, they were both on Smallville, however, Hartley didn’t come on as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow until Season 6 and Ackles was Jason Teagues in only the fourth season. However, given the fact that Ackles stayed on The CW for 15 years because of Supernatural, and Hartley also guest starred on Hart of Dixie, their paths likely crossed in real life over the years.

Now that the two are actually working together on Tracker, and playing brothers at that, they are making sure to document it. Jensen Ackles took to Instagram to share some fun pictures of him and Justin Hartley, captioning the post, “Working with old pals never gets old.” Now I desperately need the episode to air:

Since the duo will be playing brothers, it helps that they go way back. While Tracker viewers don’t know too much about Russell, the series has occasionally brought up the drama between him and Colter. So, it will surely be interesting to see how their first on-screen meeting goes down. Plus, with Melissa Roxburgh also being brought on as a Shaw sibling, it seems like Colter will be flooded with reunions, which could be a good or a bad thing for him, but either way, it'll make for great TV.

Hopefully, all this casting news leads to Hartley, Ackles, and Roxburgh on screen together, because they are all incredible talents, and I'd love to learn more about Colter's family. I'd also love to see how Hartely and Ackles' real-life friendship translates to the screen. 

It would be a shame to have Colter reunite with his siblings and not have them all be together, so hopefully, it’s only just a matter of time. Even if it doesn’t happen with Season 1, there is a guaranteed Season 2 on the way.

As of now, no concrete details have been released about Ackles’ appearance, but just going off of the pictures and videos that he and Hartley have posted, the wait will surely be worth it. It’s always fun when actors who are longtime friends work together, and Ackles and Hartley are no exception. 

While we wait for their on-screen interaction, fans can watch new episodes of Tracker at 9 p.m. ET on CBS on the 2024 TV schedule or stream them the next day with a Paramount+ subscription.

There have been dozens upon dozens of movies featuring professional wrestlers over the years, but there have been just as many, if not more, TV shows with titans of the industry like The Rock, Hulk Hogan, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Dating back to the early days of the TV sitcom, some of the most famous men and women who have ever entered the ring have appeared either in starring roles or in brief yet unforgettable cameos. 

Some of these are iconic while others may have slipped between the cracks of our shared memories, but here are 32 TV shows featuring professional wrestlers.

That '70s Show (The Rock, Ken Shamrock, The Hardy Boyz)

That ‘70s Show premiered in the middle of the Attitude Era, so it wasn’t all that surprising when The Rock, Ken Shamrock, and The Hardy Boyz showed up very early on in the Fox sitcom’s run. During the first season, those WWE legends portrayed some very ‘70s wrestlers, with Dwayne Johnson getting much of the screen time with a character strikingly similar to his real-life father, Rocky Johnson.

The Simpsons (Bret Hart)

Dozens of celebrities have played themselves on The Simpsons, including former WWE Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart, who popped up in “The Old Man and the Lisa” back in Season 8. In the episode, Hart is revealed to be a potential buyer of Mr. Burns’ mansion after the uber-wealthy character loses his fortune.

Thunder In Paradise (Hulk Hogan, Sting)

After leaving WWE in August 1993 and before joining WCW the following March, Hulk Hogan did what anyone with his amount of influence, power, and star power would do, he created his own TV show. Thunder in Paradise, which feels like both a spinoff and knockoff of Baywatch, lasted only one season on TNT, but it was as wild as it was short-lived. Plus, the likes of Sting, Jimmy Hart, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, and Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake also popped up from time to time.

Boy Meets World (Mick Foley, Vader)

Boy Meets World, like other ABC sitcoms of its era, featured multiple wrestlers over the years, including Mick Foley (as Mankind) and Vader, who actually made more than one appearance on the long-running show.

Baywatch (WCW Roster)

When it comes to the biggest TV shows of the ‘90s, Baywatch is definitely on that list. Though the show didn’t earn its “iconic” status because of its wrestling cameos, the appearances by Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and other WCW stars in “Bash at the Beach” did make for a wild crossover event. Jet skis, Ric Flair challenging Hogan to a match to decide the fate of a youth center, and so much more happens in this unforgettable episode.

Family Matters (The Bushwackers)

Some of the best Family Matters episodes were those where Carl Winslow (Reginald VelJohnson) and Steve Urkel (Jaleel White) teamed up, dressed up in costumes, and then took on some kind of goons. One of the funniest is “Psycho Twins,” which saw the unlikely duo wrestle WWE Hall of Fame tag-team The Bushwackers in a hilarious match. It’s silly and it makes no sense, but Luke and Butch made the most of it.

The Dick Van Dyke Show (Classy Freddie Blassie)

“Classy” Freddie Blassie will forever go down as one of the most fearsome and legendary wrestlers to ever enter the ring. But did you know he also made an appearance on The Dick van Dyke Show? Well, the all-time great heel showed up in “The Twizle” and twirled Rob Petrie over his head by the time the credits rolled.

The Bernie Mac Show (Triple H)

Before Paul “Triple H” Levesque became WWE’s Chief Content Officer, the 14-time world champion made quite a few movie and TV appearances. Though it’s probably not the first one that comes to mind, Triple H’s appearance on a random 2005 episode of The Bernie Mac Show is comedy gold. After Bernie’s nephew keeps calling “The Game” and pestering him, the WWE legend shows up at his house and utters his “It’s time to play the game” catchphrase wearing a turtle neck and apron.

Sabrina, The Teenage Witch (Kevin Nash)

Kevin Nash has been in movies like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, John Wick, and Magic Mike, but did you know he also showed up on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch back in 1997? Around the time he was dominating WCW as a member of the NWO, Nash portrayed “The Giant” in an episode of the beloved ‘90s sitcom.

Parks And Recreation (John Cena)

While it’s not on one of the best Parks and Recreation episodes, John Cena did show up during the hit NBC comedy series’ seventh and final season. Playing himself, the “Doctor of Thugonomics” popped up on “The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show,” where he had a classic scene with Chris Pratt’s character. 

I Think You Should Leave (Aron Stevens)

Tim Robinson has to be one of the biggest wrestling fans in the entertainment industry because he is constantly bringing wrestlers onto his various shows. This includes the most recent season of his I Think You Should Leave sketch comedy show which features Aron Stevens, formerly known as Damien Sandow in WWE, in the instantly iconic bit where Robinson tries to start a “pay it forward” chain in a drive-thru. 

Nash Bridges (Stone Cold Steve Austin)

Remember Nash Bridges, the CBS action-comedy series starring Don Johnson and Cheech Marin from the ‘90s? Well, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin got in on the fun back in 1999 when he showed up as Jake Cage, a tough-as-nails cop who stole just every scene he was in throughout his six appearances on the series.

Peacemaker (John Cena)

The DC streaming series, Peacemaker isn’t really a wrestling show, but with John Cena taking the lead role, we had to include it. This hilarious, violent, and charming comic book show sees one of the most detestable and annoying characters from The Suicide Squad and turns him into an American treasure.

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia ('Rowdy' Roddy Piper)

The Late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was one of the first and most successful wrestlers-turned-actors, appearing in movies like They Live, Hell Comes to Frogtown, and countless others. He also had a recurring role as Da’ Maniac on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where he quickly became one of the best side characters the show ever created.

Ballers (The Rock)

The HBO sports drama series, Ballers, spends more time focusing on professional sports than pro wrestling, but with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson taking up a lot of screen time, it has to be included. It has always felt like Johnson’s Spencer Strassmore was a version of The Rock that got into being a sports agent instead of the Peoples’ Champion.

Smallville (Kane)

Throughout the 2000s, if a TV show needed big strong men who could also act a little, they’d call upon WWE to fill the void. And Kane did just that in an episode of Smallville where he goes toe-to-toe with Tom Welling’s Clark Kent in an unforgettable and painful fight.

Married... with Children (King Kong Bundy)

Married… with Children was a show that pushed the limits of broadcast TV censors during its run, and some would consider low-brow humor. That being said, it was only fitting that the beloved Fox sitcom would feature a wrestling episode that saw WWE legend King Kong Bundy step into the ring with Bud Bundy (David Faustino), who was dressed up like a bumblebee for extra dramatic effect.

Psych (The Miz)

Monday Night Raw has been on USA Network for most of its 31-year run, and Psych called the channel home throughout its eight seasons, so it’s only fitting that there would have been some crossover. Well, we got just that in a 2012 episode where The Miz popped up as a contestant on a dating show who has a big secret. He got to yell, he got to smash things, and have a ton of fun.

Charmed (Booker T, Scott Steiner)

During the final years of WCW, you’d see wrestlers show up in movies like Ready to Rumble and shows like Charmed for some reason. In the episode “Wrestling with My Demons,” five-time WCW Champion Booker T, Scott Steiner, and Buff Bagwell all appeared and showed off their skills in a demonic ring.

GLOW (Multiple WWE, TNA And AEW Wrestlers)

Netflix’s GLOW is one of those shows that was canceled too soon. Despite not being around all that long before it lost a “loser leaves the streaming platform” match, the semi-autobiographical series about the Glorious Ladies of Wrestling promotion featured multiple WWE, TNA, and AEW wrestlers, including John Morrison, who has wrestled for all three of those promotions.

3rd Rock From The Sun (Chyna)

Years before her untimely passing, Chyna, aka, the “Ninth Wonder of the World,” had a recurring role on 3rd Rock from the Sun as Janice, a very muscular rookie cop who later became Harry Solomon’s (French Stewart) girlfriend.

Hannah Montana (John Cena)

Years before he was leading Peacemaker or killing it in the Fast & Furious franchise, John Cena appeared on all manners of kids shows, including Hannah Montana. During the show’s fourth season, the future WWE Hall of Famer gave Jackson Stewart (Jason Earles) a personal, and physical, lesson in the importance of reading.

Star Trek: Voyager (The Rock)

The Rock didn’t immediately become the biggest thing in Hollywood. Instead, he worked on various TV shows and film projects throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, including Star Trek: Voyager where he played the  Pendari Champion who fought Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in an unforgettable contest.

The Flash (Edge)

In addition to being one of the most decorated wrestlers of the 21st century, Edge has also spent the past few decades appearing on all kinds of TV shows, including The Flash. In Season 2 of The Flash, the Rated-R Superstar took on the role of the villainous Atom-Smasher. 

The Cleveland Show (Ric Flair)

The Cleveland Show is another animated series to feature a wrestling legend. In the Season 3 episode titled “BFFs,” the “Nature Boy” Ric Flair hosts a camping trip that quickly goes from being a bad time to an all-time terrible experience for all involved. But hey, Flair seems to be having a great time.

Law & Order: SVU (Goldberg)

Former WCW and WWE Champion Bill Goldberg made his presence known on the 2007 episode of Law & Order: SVU with his portrayal of Cupid. Though he’s not around all that long, the former NFLer’s time on screen is absolutely insane and sees him get hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, through a bench, and slam someone through a window.

Billions (Becky Lynch)

Becky Lynch, who has been one of the most impactful female wrestlers on the planet for the better part of the past decade, has made her fair share of TV appearances during that time. That includes a 2020 episode of Billions where “The Man” dropped by to give a motivational speech to Axe Capital. It was brief but it was very exciting, to say the least.

The X-Files (Rob Van Dam)

Rob Van Dam, aka, “Mr. Monday Night,” is one of the most legendary ECW champions of all time, and the former WWE Champion even took his exciting in-ring abilities to The X-Files back in the day. Though he was not around all that long, and he was wearing a mask for a portion of that time, Van Dam had a key role in the “Fight Club” episode where he took on Randall “Tex” Cobb’s Bert Zupanic in a fun wrestling match. 

Arrow (Cody Rhodes)

Cody Rhodes and Stephen Amell have had quite the history over the years, and part of that includes the “American Nightmare” showing up on Arrow. Rhodes’ Derek Sampson appeared in a total of seven episodes split between Seasons 5 and 7. And yeah, he did get to finish his story this time.

Cousins For Life (Roman Reigns)

Roman Reigns may be the feared Tribal Chief and Head of the Table in the Bloodline, but before he became the dominant Undisputed WWE Champion on his historic title reign, the wrestler appeared on an episode of Cousins for Life. In the 2019 episode “Farewell to Arthur?” Reigns gave a brief yet hilarious performance that has us begging for a face-turn.

G.I. Joe (Sgt. Slaughter)

The G.I Joe: A Real American Hero animated series is one of the most beloved cartoons of the ‘80s, and perhaps one of the reasons for this is Sgt. Slaughter’s unforgettable run portraying a fictionalized version of himself. The cartoon and toys based on the show made Slaughter an even bigger name in wrestling, even if he turned his back on Hulk Hogan and America at the start of Desert Storm.

Detroiters (Kevin Nash)

Sam Richardson and Tim Robinson are from Detroit, and former WWE Champion Kevin Nash is from Detroit, so it only made sense for the iconic wrestler to have a recurring role on the comedy duo’s Detroiters. On the show, Nash played “Big Hank” Cramblin, Robinson’s on-screen father who had quite a presence.

These are just a couple of dozen TV shows that have featured wrestlers in one way or another over the years. Though some are more memorable than others, each of these shows featured some of history’s best wrestlers having a grand ole time on the small screen.

Justin Hartley will always be recognized for his starring role on the long-running NBC drama series, This Is Us, but the actor (who is sometimes confused with Glen Powell) had a rather prolific small-screen career long before he played Kevin Pearson for six seasons. With Hartley’s latest offering, CBS’ Tracker, being one of the biggest series on the 2024 TV calendar so far, we thought it would be fun to go back and look at other shows that featured the actor over the years.

From major parts on shows like Smallville to one-off appearances on crime dramas like CSI: NY and Cold Case, Hartley’s done a little bit of everything throughout his career. Let’s take a look at 10 of those shows right now, including two different soap operas.

Passions (2002 - 2006)

Like countless other major stars, Justin Hartley got his start on a soap opera, specifically NBC’s Passions. Similar to other soaps, Passions was heavy on romance, double-crossing, and drama, and Hartley’s Nicholas Foxworth Crane experienced it all throughout the actor’s four years on the show. It’s hard to find clips where the actor isn’t either hooking up with someone, shirtless, or involved in some far-fetched and over-the-top scheme.

But in case you’ve never watched an episode of Passions (which you should change right now), you should know that the soap opera features all kinds of paranormal shenanigans and other dramatic twists. It’s wild, to say the least. 

CSI: NY (2007)

Justin Hartley made an appearance during a CSI: NY Season 3 episode in which a music mogul is found murdered in his penthouse apartment, but he was only around for one scene. Hartley, who played an across-the-hall neighbor to the victim, was shirtless when speaking with the detectives trying to get information about the case in a scene that is barely a couple of minutes long. But this wouldn’t be the last time the actor appeared on a CBS crime procedural in 2007.

Cold Case (2007)

The Cold Case Season 5 episode titled “Justice” saw Justin Hartley take on the role of college valedictorian Mike Delaney, a character who was murdered just hours after his graduation. The case is brought up years later after someone vandalized his grave, which leads to Det. Lilly Rush (Kathryn Morris) and her team uncovering the fact that Mike was allegedly a serial rapist who was on the receiving end of revenge and street justice after his many victims couldn’t find help through the proper channels. 

Smallville (2006 - 2011)

Though the Aquaman TV show, which would have seen Justin Hartley play Arthur Curry, never came to fruition after a failed pilot, the actor would appear in a major capacity on another DC Comics series. From 2006 to 2011, Hartley portrayed Oliver Queen, aka, Green Arrow, on the longrunning Superman prequel series on The WB/The CW. The introduction of Oliver Queen in the show’s sixth season was well-received by fans of the series, and Hartley himself had a blast playing the iconic DC superhero.

Hartley ended up remaining on the series through its conclusion and was part of some of the major storylines throughout his time hanging out with Tom Welling's Clark Kent and the rest of the large ensemble cast of DC characters. It’s just a bummer that a planned spinoff never happened because Hartley made it sound awesome. 

Chuck (2011) 

Justin Hartley had several one-off performances throughout the 2000s and 2010s, including a wild turn as Wesley Sneijder on the NBC action-comedy series Chuck. In this 2011 episode titled “Chuck Versus the Bearded Bandit”, Wesley fakes his own kidnapping so that he can work with the federal government to put his brother away. But no one let Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi) or the rest of his team know of the situation, which makes the situation even more of a mess.

Hart Of Dixie (2012)

Remember Hart of Dixie, the medical drama series following heart surgeon Zoe Hart (Rachel Bilson) as she moves to Alabama to take over a doctor’s office? Well, the show, which ran on The CW for four seasons before being cancelled in 2015, featured another one of Justin Hartley’s great one-off roles. In the 2012 episode titled “Bachelorettes & Bullets,” Hartley played Jesse Kinsella, the brother of Zoe’s future husband, Wade (Wilson Bethel). 

Emily Owens, M.D. (2012 - 2013)

Justin Hartley continued his run on The CW in 2012 when he joined the Emily Owens, M.D. cast as Will Collins, a first-year surgical intern and former friend of Mami Gummer’s titular character. Throughout the show’s first and only season, Will fails time and time again to realize that Emily has a crush on him, which causes some major tension between the two doctors and pretty much everyone else at Denver Memorial Hospital.

Revenge (2013 - 2014)

Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ iconic novel The Count of Monte Cristo, Revenge spent four seasons following Emily Thorne (Emily VanCamp) as she set out to get back at the families from the Hamptons beach community that harmed her years earlier. A lot of characters came and went during the show’s 89-episode run, including Justin Hartley’s Patrick Osbourne, the long-lost son of antagonist Victoria Grayson (Madeleine Stowe), who showed up during the show’s third season.

Mistresses (2014 - 2016)

In 2014, Justin Hartley joined the cast of Mistresses, an ABC drama series about four female friends navigating life, love, and their respective professions in Los Angeles. Hartley entered the picture as Scott Trosman, a successful plastic surgeon who meets and falls for Josslyn "Joss" Carver (Jes Macallan), resulting in an intense and long-running relationship where the pair learn a great deal about themselves and each other (especially the doctor’s obsession with shoes). Hartley would stick around until the show was cancelled by ABC in 2016.

The Young And The Restless (2014 - 2016)

Justin Hartley got his start in soap operas and so it wasn’t all that surprising in 2014 when the in-demand actor took his talents to The Young and the Restless. During his time on the show, Hartley played Adam Newman, the son of series mainstays Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) and Hope Wilson (Signy Coleman), and was given a tremendous amount of screentime and major arcs. Hartley left the long-running soap in September 2016 when he joined the cast of This Is Us, per TheWrap.

These are just a few of Justin Hartley’s TV appearances and we didn’t even get into all his movie roles from over the years. But hey, maybe we’ll revisit Hartley’s film efforts if Tracker is a success on CBS and with Paramount+ subscribers.

Smallville, which premiered on The WB in 2001, centered around the adventures of Clark Kent in the eponymous town, years before he would take to the skies as Superman. Series creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar told a number of stories on the show that fell in line with what was established within DC Comics lore. However, the pair did switch up elements here and there. Apparently, at one point, they even considered a bonkers twist involving Lois Lane. Interestingly, the pair once discussed one of the young adult drama’s major characters gradually becoming Lane herself. 

Those who watched the series likely know that Erica Durance was introduced as Lois Lane at the beginning of Season 4. It was established early on that this incarnation of the future Daily Planet reporter was the cousin of Clark’s longtime friend and aspiring journalist, Allison Mack’s Chloe Sullivan. However, it seems there was a point early on when the creators considered having Chloe herself become Lois. Some may remember that fan speculation about such a development erupted due to the Season 3 episode, “Delete,” which saw Sullivan use Lane’s moniker as a byline.

Both Al Gough and Miles Millar recently appeared on Smallville cast members Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling’s rewatch podcast, Talkville. It was during the installment that the longtime writing duo addressed the speculation. Millar explained during the chat that they did “talk about” having Chloe become a “proto-Lois” and eventually being forced to change her identity. As Gough went on to discuss, that idea mostly stemmed from their initial inability to use Kal-El’s famous love interest on the show:

It’s interesting to hear that the two producers (who currently serve as the EPs of Wednesday) once considered going down the “Chlois” route. However, Alfred Gough did provide some additional context on the matter. Sometime after the Talkville interview, he shared a statement with KryptonSite, clarifying exactly when the idea was discussed: 

So despite that brief moment in “Delete,” it sounds like by that point, the producers had already decided that “Chlois” was out. It might’ve been interesting to see such a development but, as a fan of the series, I’m glad everything played out as it did. Erica Durance ultimately proved to be an incredible Lois and a great foil to Tom Welling’s “perfect” Clark Kent. The two had strong chemistry, which made the slow-burn romance between their characters feel organic and satisfying. They also reprised their roles in 2020 for the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, which gave Kent a very surprising ending. Ahead of the episode’s debut, Durance shared a sweet photo from their reunion.

It should also be mentioned that Chloe Sullivan ended up becoming an impactful figure in her own right. And thanks to the work of Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Allison Mack and the writers, Chloe was able to leave her own mark on DC Comics lore. It may ultimately be best that the wild proposed twist didn’t come to be, as fans wouldn't have gotten one less badass woman on the show. 

All 10 seasons of Smallville are available to stream with a Hulu subscription, and check out the 2023 TV schedule for information on currently airing shows.

There have been many Superman actors over the years, but the one who actually played the Kryptonian the longest has never once worn the superhero’s suit. That’s right, I’m talking about Smallville’s Tom Welling. The actor played a young Clark Kent on the CW series for ten seasons, all without donning those blue tights, but could he continue his hero’s journey one day? A recent piece of fan art is having us imagining the possibilities. 

One photoshop artist took to Instagram to share an edit he did of Tom Welling wearing the iconic costume on the Kent farm alongside Smallville’s own Lois Lane, Erica Durance. Take a look: 

Tom Welling looks incredible as Superman in a suit that is a gorgeous shade of blue and features a bright red “S” and cape. The artist imagined a suit unique to other versions of the hero we’ve seen in movies and TV shows. Like Henry Cavill before him, the artist imagined Tom Welling might ditch the red underwear, and instead have a red belt around his waist. 

This costume doesn’t actually exist, and the image is fan art that implemented the return of Welling and Durance reuniting during the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” special that happened on an episode of Batwoman in 2019. In the huge crossover event of the CW’s DC characters, Tom Welling played a version of Clark Kent who had hung up the cape after losing his powers following the events of the Smallville Season 11 tie-in comic. 

Between Welling’s return to the DC character a few years ago and his 2021 announcement of an animated revival of Smallville, the actor has shown an openness to return to the role over the years. Could he ever become Superman in another series or movie? Tons of Smallville fans would absolutely love to see it, but then there’s the fact that a new DC universe is currently under construction with a new Superman actor. 

In 2022, James Gunn and Peter Safran became the co-chairmen and CEOs of DC Studios and have mapped out a new direction for the comic book universe that includes an upcoming movie starring the Man of Steel called Superman: Legacy. David Corenswet is set to play Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan will be Lois Lane. The Superman: Legacy cast is packed with talent, including Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi and Anthony Carrigan. 

Superman: Legacy is expected to be written and directed by James Gunn after the filmmaker put his mark on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and 2021’s The Suicide Squad. Though as we’ve seen with Batman, the possibilities are there for multiple versions of the same superhero to exist at the same time. So why not give Tom Welling his superhero suit moment… finally? 

While many grew up hearing Michael Rosenbaum as the voice of The Flash on Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, the actor is arguably more well known on the DC block for his run as Lex Luthor on Smallville. Among his costars on the WB-turned-CW series was John Glover, who played Lex’s father, Lionel Luthor, whose parenting skills left much to be desired. In real life though, Rosenbaum and Glover are on great terms with one another, as evidenced by the former leaving the latter a sweet birthday message, which in turn prompted Glover to share the birthday love with a fellow DC legend.

Let’s start off with the first message, with Rosenbaum taking to Twitter to wish Glover a happy 79th birthday by using a still of their two Smallville characters together. Take a look!

Ironically, Lex and Lionel Luthor’s respective narrative arcs unfolded oppositely of one another, with Lex starting out as Clark’s best friend and Lionel initially serving as the show’s main antagonist by trying to uncover Clark’s secrets. As Smallville got deeper into its run, those positions changed, with Lex embracing his destiny of becoming Clark’s arch-nemesis and Lionel becoming one of Clark’s allies. While Lionel was killed off at the end of Season 7 and Lex seemingly met the same fate that season too, both Rosenbaum and Glover returned for Smallville’s 10th and final season, with Lex being revealed to still being barely alive, and Glover instead playing a Lionel from another universe. At least we can take comfort knowing Rosenbaum and Glover’s relationship is a lot less complicated compared to this father/son duo.

Of course, anyone familiar with John Glover’s body of work knows that Smallville is far from his only DC Comics media-related credit, and I’m not just talking about his appearance in Shazam! a few years back. Prior to Smallville’s airing, along with being seen as Dr. Jason Woodrue in Batman & Robin, he also voiced Edward Nygma, a.k.a. The Riddler, in three episodes of Batman: The Animated Series, followed by an episode each of Superman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures. As it turns out, Paul Dini, one of Batman: The Animated Serie’ co-creators, shares the same birthday as Glover, so the actor shared his own social media most to commemorate the writer turning 66.

That’s a lot of DC love to throw around, though I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that all three of these men also have various Marvel credits on their resume. Dini worked on animated shows like Ultimate Spider-Man and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H., Glover guest-starred in an episode of Agent Carter, and Rosenbaum played Martinex in the latter two Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Still, as far as Glover and Rosenbaum are concerned, Smallville remains one of their most popular projects more than two decades later, and if you’d like to revisit their versions of Lex and Lionel Luthor, the show can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.

For those of you with your eyes to the future, you look through our guides of upcoming DC movies and upcoming DC TV shows, and we’ll let you know if either Michael Rosenbaum or John Glover end up being recruited for any of these projects. For a wider look at the small screen side of things this year, our 2023 TV schedule is available for perusal.

Arguably best known on TV for portraying Clark Kent's much-beloved BFF Chloe Sullivan on DC's Smallville, actress Allison Mack became far more notorious for her actions off-screen as tied to the cult-like organization NXIVM and its use of forced labor and racketeering/sex trafficking. Following a fairly lengthy trial, Mack was sentenced in June 2021 to three years of prison, among other major penalties, and she first went behind bars in September of that same year. Now, less than two full years after going to prison, Mack has been released.

Allison Mack was let loose from the Federal Correctional Institution in Dublin, California, on July 3, 2023, having served 21 months of her initial three-year sentence, according to the Alberta Times Union. The 40-year-old actress was in danger of facing up to 14 years in prison during the trial, but her legal team requested for the judge to show her leniency given how remorseful she was, as well as how cooperative she was when it came to sharing information about NXIVM leader Keith Raniere and the group's operation director (and Seagram's heiress) Clare Bronfman.

At this time, it's not clear why Mack was released 15 months earlier than expected, and whether it had anything to do with further cooperation with authorities will behind bars. She is currently the first person of those sentenced in connection with the NXIVM group to be released from custody. 

In 2019, Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering and racketeering conspiracy, and copped to playing a part in the extortion and fored labor that plagued NXIVM. At the time of the 2021 sentencing, which itself was delayed due to COVID reasons, Mack was also given three years of probation, 1,000 hours of community service, and a fine of $20,000. 

Leader Keith Raniere, 62, was convicted of sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and racketeering charges, along with with other embedded crimes such as identity theft, possession of child pornography, and extortion. He is currently serving time in a Tuscon, Arizona federal prison, with a sentence of 120 years. 

Former NXIVM president Nancy Salzman, 68, was slapped with a three-and-a-half year sentence for racketeering conspiracy conviction, and is expected to be released from custody in July 2024. The aforementioned Clare Bronfman was convicted of conspiracy to harbor illegal immigrants for financial gain, and fraudulant use of identification, is currently serving an 81-month sentence, with a release expected in June 2025. The group's education director Lauren Salzman and its bookkeeper Kathy Russell both received probation. 

The first big news to shine a spotlight on the NXIVM cult came in the fall of 2017, when a New York Times exposé shared tales of women who were tattooed and branded as part of initiation techniques that also included new recruits to share nude photos of themselves to be used as collateral in case of future transgressions. Mack was revealed to be one of the higher-ranking "slaves" in the group that worked directly below Rainiere, and were partly responsible for coercing women into the group, hyping it up as a secret society for female empowerment.

The scandal was dramatized for at least one TV movie so far in the 2019 Lifetime original Escaping the NXIVM Cult: A Mother's Fight to Save Her Daughter. In the project, Secret Girlfriend star Sara Fletcher starred as Allison Mack. 

Can you believe it’s been more than 21 years since Smallville first premiered on the CW, way back when it was still called The WB? The small-screen Superman prequel was considered comfort TV from the start, with its premiere airing around a month after the 9/11 attacks. While now may seem to be a great time to develop a Smallville reboot, its creators don’t believe the concept would work as well if it were made today.

Smallville was a coming-of-age series about Kryptonian Clark Kent growing up in Smallville, Kansas after arriving in the small town via a meteor shower that had devastating effects on the residents. Would this oft-reshashed origin story work in the 2020s? While speaking to THR, Smallville creator Alfred Gough shared why he doesn’t believe a reboot would work as well with audiences today as the O.G. series did back in the early 2000s, saying:

It’s true that Alfred Gough’s Superman prequel series took on many deviations from comic book canon. For example, Clark’s best friend Chloe was written into the series for a love triangle story with Clark and Lana, with the latter pairing's love story being expanded across seven seasons as opposed to being a short-lived first love. Clark and to-be-archnemesis Lex Luthor also grew up together as friends, rather than them hashing their issues out as adults. Not to mention, Clark was not without flaws in Smallville, as he entered fights that he couldn’t win and made terrible decisions along the way. James Gunn will probably also make some unique choices for his Superman prequel movie, perhaps by making it more like Matt Reeves’ The Batman, which could mean we'll be watching a moody, if optimistic, teenager lurking around in dark settings.

Creators today aren't quite as free to play around with DC characters as they were back in the early 2000s, though Smallville's entire hook rests on the fact that they couldn't make a straightforward Superman show. Now, especially after the Warner Bros. Paramount merger, show creators have even more fine print to wade through in order to bring such beloved characters to the screen. Smallville creator Miles Miller continued to share more on what would be considered controversial in the WB’s Superman origin story. 

These two creators have also shared what they would change about their series if they were able to do it all over again. One alteration would be that the Clark-Lana love story would not have gone on as long as it did. I stand by that being a winning suggestion, as well their idea that Clark and Lana's subplot should have taken place a few seasons in, to represent Clark’s first love with more emphasis on the legendary love story he would later have with Lois Lane. Plus, the Lana-Clark-Chloe love triangle was pretty cringeworthy to watch, but still fairly typical in any teen series.

Millar also pointed out that the character of Lana Lane would have been a much stronger one instead of constantly being put in damsel-in-distress situations. I second that one as well. If we're voicing ideas for changes, how about flipping that one Smallville death we wish didn’t happen when Chloe’s husband Jimmy Olsen was murdered. And one would assume if the show was made today, it would likely embrace a more diverse group of cast and crew members. 

So, there’s a good chance that Smallville would not work today, least of all as a CW series, given the network's content culling following the Nexstar Media buyout. The pilot episode of Smallville will always stay true in our hearts, though, as it gave audiences an origin story of Superman they have never seen before, and it can be streamed now with a Hulu subscription. 

The Arrowverse and its related shows have experienced many shakeups as of late, as fans recently said goodbye to Stargirl and will bid farewell to The Flash in 2023. Superman & Lois will be the last remaining show in the franchise, even if it established that it exists outside the world of the main programs. With that separation comes a downside for fans, as it seems that the series, despite already casting one Season 3 villain, is searching for a new Lex Luthor rather than having Jon Cryer reprise the role he played on Supergirl. Not long after confirming he wouldn’t return as Luthor, Cryer received a message from Smallville alum Michael Rosenbaum. 

Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor for seven seasons on Smallville, sent some honest sentiments to Jon Cryer after the latter crafted a semi-sad Twitter post about Henry Cavill’s dismissal as Superman. Rosenbaum chased the tweet with some words of encouragement, which you can see for yourself down below: 

Prior to this tweet, Jon Cryer took to Twitter to confirm that he won’t be considered for Lex Luthor on Superman & Lois. The Two and a Half Men alum explained in his tweets that he’d be filming his new TV series in February. But even if that weren't the case, he wouldn't return, as he’d already been informed by DC of their intentions and that they wished to take the character in another direction. 

Fortunately, it seems like Jon Cryer isn’t all that broken up about it, since he had a humorous response to throw back at Michael Rosenbaum. Cryer joked about a secret ritual known only to actors who play Lex Luthor and how they’ll have to initiate the next person to portray the iconic bad guy:

I know that Jon Cryer is most likely joking here but, if there is a ritual, I really want to know what it is and when it’s happening for the actor who will allegedly play Lex next. While a casting decision hasn’t been announced just yet, it seems like said person can expect some light-hearted ribbing from Cryer and Michael Rosenbaum when they’re announced. 

Michael Rosenbaum reached out to a fellow Lex Luthor actor at a time at which he himself has signaled some interest in reprising his role as the character for James Gunn’s reimagined DC Universe. It seems unlikely that the director and newly installed co-pilot behind DC Studios' creative direction would tap Rosenbaum for the role (even if they are close friends). But in a world where Henry Cavill is no longer Superman, who knows what other decisions might be made?

Superman & Lois will return to The CW in March as part of the 2023 TV schedule. With all the changes happening at DC, it’s hard to say exactly what the future holds for one of the only remaining DC television shows, but this upcoming season should be exciting all the same. 

When author Lee Child’s popular literary badass was first adapted for screen in the 2012 action thriller, Jack Reacher, fans of the ongoing book series were just a bit disappointed to see the famously large-sized title character played by Tom Cruise. Well, 10 years later, the fans have certainly gotten what they asked for in the 6’2” Alan Ritchson, who is a perfect match for the former Army major emotionally and, especially, physically on the Amazon Prime original series, Reacher.

You almost cannot help but wonder how things might have turned out if the actor had been cast in the role earlier. However, at the end of the day, it is just really cool to see him play the lead in a hit series after spending most of his career in smaller roles, or even hiding under CGI performance capture. If you have already made it to the Reacher Season 1 ending and are curious to check out the Alan Ritchson movies and TV shows I am referring to on streaming, allow us to point you in the right direction, starting with a role that is nothing like Jack Reacher… mentally, that is.

Blue Mountain State And Blue Mountain State: The Rise Of Thadland (Tubi, PlutoTV, IMDb TV)

An underachieving college student (Darin Brooks) initially joins the football team for female attention, but takes it more seriously by his senior year when, in an effort to save the team’s beloved campus boarding house, he must throw the ultimate party in honor of his now-professional former teammate (Alan Ritchson).

Why they are worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: For three seasons, Alan Ritchson gave a thoroughly hilarious performance on Blue Mountain State as the brawny, but not very brainy, quarterback, Thad Castle, whom the actor would reprise in 2016 for the cult comedy series’ feature-length spin-off, Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland - an even more brazenly raunchy celebration of the college life without any class (and not just in the academic sense).

Stream Blue Mountain State on Tubi.
Stream Blue Mountain State on Pluto TV.
Stream Blue Mountain State on IMDb TV.
Buy Blue Mountain State on Amazon.

Stream Blue Mountain State: The Rise Of Thadland on Tubi.
Stream Blue Mountain State: The Rise Of Thadland on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy Blue Mountain State: The Rise Of Thadland on Amazon.

The Wedding Ringer (Amazon Rental)

Realizing that he has no male friend to be his Best Man just two weeks before his marriage, a socially awkward man (Josh Gad) enlists the help of a business owner (Kevin Hart) who poses as the best friend and Best Man for socially awkward grooms for a living.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: In 2015, Alan Ritchson steals the show once again in one of the best Kevin Hart movies,The Wedding Ringer, as Kip Loyola - a stammering, absent-minded former soap opera actor who becomes one of many hired by Hart’s character, Jimmy Callahan, to pose as the wedding party groomsmen for Josh Gad’s character, Doug Harris.

Rent/Buy The Wedding Ringer on Amazon.

Titans (HBO Max)

In the midst of his fallout with Bruce Wayne, former Batman sidekick Dick “Robin” Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) attempts to fight crime on his own, only to end up joining a team of other young, costumed vigilantes who become his new family.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: After Blue Mountain State and before becoming the lead of the Reacher cast, Alan Ritchson played another character with a background in football named Hank Hall, otherwise known as Hawk from the romantically-linked crimefighting duo Hawk and Dove, on the HBO Max show, Titans, for three seasons.

Stream Titans on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Titans on Amazon.

Smallville (Hulu)

High school student Clark Kent (Tom Welling) discovers his extra-terrestrial origins, comes to terms with his extraordinary abilities, and uses them to protect his loved ones or strangers in need while growing up in a small Kansas town.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: Years before joining Titans, Alan Ritchson made his acting debut in 2005 on another popular DC show, the Superman prequel, Smallville, as Arthur Curry (otherwise known as Aquaman) and would return to plan the Atlantean in three more episodes.

Stream Smallville on Hulu.
Buy Smallville on Amazon.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movies (Amazon Prime, Paramount Plus)

An ambitious reporter (Megan Fox) discovers that four young, anthropomorphic reptiles with impressive martial skills are living in the sewers of New York and becomes their aid in an ongoing battle against a ruthless crime organization.

Why they are worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: Between his DC superhero roles, Alan Ritchson leant his voice (and best Brooklyn accent) to and performed the motion capture for a whole different kind of comic book role: a beefier depiction of the red-masked Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2014, and in the sequel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, two years later.

Stream Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Amazon Prime.
Stream Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Paramount Plus.
Rent/Buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Amazon.

Stream Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows on Paramount Plus.
Rent/Buy Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows on Amazon.

Above The Shadows (Hulu)

A young woman (Olivia Thirlby) who is now inexplicably forgotten and invisible to everyone else seeks help from a club bouncer (Alan Ritchson) who is, somehow, the only person able to see her, in exchange for helping him get his professional fighting career back on track.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: In 2019, Alan Ritchson would reunite with Megan Fox as former lovers broken apart by his declining mixed martial arts career in Above the Shadows - a unique urban fairy tale from writer and director Claudia Myers that sees Ritchson duke out some impressive fight choreography in the ring before he learned how to fight with his elbows on the set of Reacher.

Stream Above The Shadows on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Above The Shadows on Amazon.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (Hulu)

A year after surviving the futuristic nation of Panem’s annual deadly tournament for minors, District 12 victors Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) are forced to enter the arena once more as part of a conspiracy by the Capital to prevent a rebellion.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: Ironically enough, you do not actually get to see very much fighting from Alan Ritchson in his role as District 1 victor and returning career tribute, Gloss, in the 2013 adaptation of Catching Fire - the second book in the dystopian YA novel trilogy - but he is involved in one of the most devastating death scenes from what might be the best of the Hunger Games movies, arguably.

Stream The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Hulu.
Rent/Buy The Hunger Games: Catching Fire on Amazon.

Office Uprising (Crackle)

An aimless office worker (Brenton Thwaites), his best friend (Deadpool's Karan Soni), and the woman he has a crush on (former Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist star Jane Levy) become each other’s last hopes for survival when the majority of their weapons manufacturing company are turned into homicidal maniacs by a bad batch of an experimental energy drink.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: Alan Ritchson is actually quite active (not to mention creepy and hilariously manic) as an angry marketing associate in the more comically brutal fight to the death that takes place in the Crackle exclusive, Office Uprising - a fun, albeit gory, 2018 horror-comedy that also stars Ritchson’s Titans co-star, Brenton Thwaites.

Stream Office Uprising on Crackle.

Blood Drive (Amazon Purchase)

In an alternate 1999, a cop trying to do the right thing in a broken world (Alan Ritchson) and a reckless street racer (Christine Ochoa) team-up in a high stakes cross-country race from Los Angeles to Phoenix with automobiles that use human blood as fuel.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: Alan Ritchson participated in a race to the death as the lead role of the short-lived, but much-loved, Syfy original horror-comedy TV show Blood Drive - creator James Roland’s wild, action-packed love letter to the grindhouse movie era.

Buy Blood Drive on Amazon.

Dark Web: Cicada 3301 (Hulu)

A computer hacker (Jake Kesy), his best friend (Ron Funches), and a librarian (Conor Leslie) become reluctant participants in a competitive recruitment challenge orchestrated by an elusive online society.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Alan Ritchson: In 2021, Alan Ritchson made his directorial debut with Dark Web: Cicada 3301 - a comedy/thriller inspired by a real, mysterious online phenomenon that he also co-wrote and stars in, along with his Titans co-star, Conor Leslie.

Stream Dark Web: Cicada 3301 on Hulu.
Rent/Buy Dark Web: Cicada 3301 on Amazon.

Alan Ritchson will be returning to the director’s chair for a more serious horror film called Bad Seeds of Loving Spring. Be sure to keep him eye out for him in the second season of Reacher, which was confirmed by Amazon Prime quickly after Season 1 premiered.

There have been a lot of conversations had regarding safety on sets in Hollywood since the pandemic hit. These days, though, film sets are more increasingly concerned with firearm safety. This is due to the tragic loss of life on the set of Alec Baldwin’s Rust. Smallville actor John Schneider has now explained in depth how a gun, and more specifically, a colt, can’t fire itself in a video seemingly disputing Baldwin’s previous claim. 

The actor who played Superman’s adoptive father in Smallville has recently created a video showcasing the ins and outs of gun safety and how to handle a gun once handed one. John Schneider posted the video to his Youtube account in order to really show that everything to do with a colt, from shooting to loading, is an intentional act. You can check out the full 7 minute video below:

This explanation of the colt needing intention to be loaded and fired seems to dispute Alec Baldwin’s claim that he never pulled the trigger. While John Schneider is not claiming Baldwin is being untruthful, he is explaining why that would be unlikely. However, he does go through a couple situations that could have happened without a traditional trigger pull, like a finger already being on the trigger when the gun is cocked.

A trigger pull isn’t the only issue with the Rust tragedy that doesn’t seem to sit right with people, John Schneider included. Many people handled the gun that ended the life of director of photography Halyna Hutchins with live ammo being introduced somewhere along the way, which should never be the case. While there is speculation of an intentional tragedy, lack of gun safety knowledge is certainly at play here at the very least. 

In the video, you can see John Schneider dismantle the gun in a way that he says everyone should once they are handed a gun. This way, the person handling the gun knows exactly what is inside the gun and has several points in which they can make sure the gun is empty. Schneider says that, yes, this process is a “pain in the butt”, but it is what is necessary to make sure everyone around the gun is safe.

The person behind the camera, who seems to be the owner of the gun, does mention that he has never had the gun apart. It’s possible the gun has never been fired or thoroughly handle. But going off the person’s statement, it’s reasonable to believe that because he has never been as thorough with the gun as John Schneider is being, that it’s not as common as Schneider believes it should be to be that thorough in checking a gun.

In fact, it can be hard to imagine every single person who handles a prop gun to take it apart and spend the time to check a gun that was already supposed to be deemed safe. This would seem to be an issue where John Schneider is concerned, and there are plenty of people in the comments of his video in agreement. 

Blame for the tragedy is being thrown in many directions, but it would seem as though John Schneider is trying to claim misconceptions of how a colt would work and whether it could simply misfire. The only crystal clear thing about this case, though, is how loved Halyna Hutchins was and that her loss is one that will be felt for some time.

There’s a lot to love about Smallville, from Tom Welling’s winning performance as a teenage Clark Kent to its various references to the larger DC Universe. Michael Rosenbaum’s turn as a younger Lex Luthor also earned praise from comic book fans and casual viewers alike. The actor ultimately defined the iconic supervillain for a generation, so many were understandably saddened when he departed the show after seven seasons. At the time, there were a number of rumors circulating about the move and, now, the actor is setting the record straight on his exit and his eventual return for the show’s final episode.

The actor and podcast host left a serious void when he left the seminal superhero series in 2008. When the news broke, some were quick to assume that contract disputes with The CW were to blame for his decision. Others may have even had wilder ideas. However, when I recently spoke with the star, he explained the real reason why he walked away from the Superman prequel: 

In Michael Rosenbaum’s final episode as a series regular, Lex discovered the Fortress of Solitude and confronted his frenemy, Clark Kent. Using the Kryptonian pentagon he had acquired, he brought down the entire fortress on both him and Kent. By Season 8, Luthor was missing and ultimately declared dead, though the character eventually resurfaced, without Rosenbaum in the role. A badly scarred Lex appeared throughout the season, only to meet his ultimate fate in a truck explosion.

Fans, of course, know that wasn’t the end of the villain’s story, as he (a perfect clone, to be exact) returned in the series finale, marking the hoped-for return of Michael Rosenbaum. From the moment Season 10 was confirmed to be Smallville’s last, many wondered whether Rosenbaum would return. Throughout the year, various reports claimed he wasn’t too keen on reprising his famous role. Things looked grim for a little while so, when his return was officially confirmed, people like myself were delighted by the news. And as the actor further explained, it didn’t take too long for the producers to land him:

The actor’s final appearance put a firm stamp on his tenure as Lex Luthor. Since he mostly played a version of the character that hadn’t descended into full-on villany, the star was able to add even more layers to the role. Some fans may still find it hard to believe that the man who voiced the DC Animated Universe’s Flash could also play the intense and manipulative Luthor. Speaking of animation, even his Justice League co-star, Clancy Brown (who is iconic for playing Lex in his own right), found it somewhat intimidating to discuss their takes on the role.

Today, Michael Rosenbaum’s work as the famed Superman villain is still enjoyed by many who either watched Smallville or are now starting to discover the show. A decade has passed since the series finale aired, but there’s still much that can be done with the character. And if reports are to be believed, Rosenbaum could very well be stepping into those villainous shoes again sometime soon.

Those looking to revisit the coming-of-age drama, or check it out for the first time, can do so by picking up Smallville: The Complete Series on Blu-ray now!

It’s been 20 years since Smallville first made its television debut, but the love for the show seems to be stronger than ever. The Tom Welling-led series helped to usher in a new age for comic book storytelling on the small screen, as it delivered intricate story arcs and impressive action sequences. The drama established an interesting mythology for itself, though longtime fans may be equally intrigued by some off-camera information. A lot went into making the Superman prequel, and you may be surprised by some of the secrets that await behind the scenes. 

The DC Comics series has been off the air for over a decade and, in that time, fans have gotten more insight into its inner workings. And, even during its run, a number of significant tidbits were made known. So without further ado, let’s check out some behind the scenes facts you may not know about Smallville.

Smallville Creators Alfred Gough And Miles Millar Originally Pitched A Lois Lane Prequel Series

Creative duo Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, who’d contributed to films like Lethal Weapon 4 and Shanghai Noon by the early 2000s, were the minds behind the hit superhero show. Like many people, the two scribes were fans of the Man of Steel and as a result, wanted to do a show connected to his world. However, their first idea actually centered on his iconic love interest, Lois Lane. 

The two revealed this in a featurette on the making of the show’s first season. The idea was to create a series that followed the would-be journalist during her college years. According to Gough, the project was envisioned as a mixture of Ally McBeal and Nancy Drew. Meanwhile, her heroic lover would’ve been an unseen character, and would’ve theoretically been a mysterious internet pen pal known only as “CK.” The idea is intriguing, but it’s safe to say the writing pair struck gold with their eventual story. Plus, with the proposed project, fans may not have gotten Erica Durance as Lois Lane.

Superman Returns’ Brandon Routh Auditioned For The Role Of Clark Kent

As you can imagine, the producers auditioned plenty of young actors for Clark Kent. Some, like Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles, were experienced, while others were a bit green, like Tom Welling himself. Another who fell into that latter category was none other than Brandon Routh, who, today, has a firm place within the DC Universe. The actor reflected on his audition during an appearance at Motor City Comic Con in 2019:

The disappointment might have been sharp at that point, but the actor would eventually find his way to the iconic role when he was cast as the lead in 2006’s Superman Returns. Of course, today, Brandon Routh is known to many as Ray Palmer/The Atom in the Arrowverse, though he did get to don his cape once more during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover.

Three Of Smallville’s Main Sets Were Housed In A Former Meat-Packing Building

Smallville, like many other TV shows, made heavy use of sets, especially during the later seasons. Nevertheless, many of them were quite impressive given the constraints of network television. There was the crystal-clad Fortress of Solitude introduced in Season 5 as well as the large Daily Planet set that would be a mainstay in the last stretch of the show. But, what you may not know is that three major sets were actually housed in an unusual location. 

The interior sets for the Kent house, the family barn and the Luthor mansion were all located in a Vancouver building that used to house a meat-packing operation. In an early 2000s special, titled Superman: The Early Years, journalist Andi Peters explored the making of the show, which included checking out the building and the sets it housed. It may seem unconventional, but it was ultimately believable.

The Exterior Location For Luther Mansion Was Also Used For A Major Marvel Franchise

The program also featured a number of visually striking exterior locations, such as the Kent farm, which actually stands in Vancouver. But, it’s hard to top the beautiful place that served as the Luthor household. The actual location is Hatley Park National Historic Site, which is located in British Columbia. According to Alfred Gough and Miles Millar in a Season 1 featurette, they wanted the Luthors to live in a place that resembled a castle. It’s a cool place, and one that was later used in the X-Men franchise as well. 

That’s right, Hatley was also used for the exterior shots in the Marvel movie series, starting with 2003’s X2: X-Men United, and would later appear in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, as well as 2016’s Deadpool and it’s 2018 sequel. The building also influenced the alternate versions of the school that existed in other installments in the series. Needless to say, this place has deep ties to comic book lore.

John Schneider Drew From His Relationship With His Son To Form The Bond Between Clark And Jonathan Kent

The role of the stern, but loving, Jonathan Kent needed a very specific actor, and John Schneider rose to the occasion in a big way. Finding the motivation to be the parent to such an extraordinary person could be difficult for many actors. But, as explained during a Season 2 featurette, Schneider actually drew on his relationship with his own son, Chasen, to inform his character’s parenting style:

It’s certainly an interesting perspective, and one that does seem to have helped him play the role. The father-son relationship was incredibly important to the series, which made it all the more tragic when Jonathan Kent passed on in Season 5.

A Smallville Season 3 Character Is Rumored To Have Originally Been Bruce Wayne

Numerous DC Comics characters appeared on Smallville over the course of its run, especially during its later seasons. However, one that ultimately eluded the show is the eventual protector of Gotham City -- Batman. Though Bruce Wayne never popped into the show, one of the show’s “urban legends” asserts that resurrected teen Adam Knight, played by Ian Somerhalder in Season 3, was originally meant to be Bruce Wayne before plans change at the last minute. 

While the show’s creatives have never confirmed this, there are a few elements of the character that imply that he was, at the very least, a tribute to Bruce. For starters, like Wayne, Adam was an orphan. He was also fluent in martial arts and was a capable computer hacker. Many also believed his name was a combination of late Batman actor Adam West and the character’s nickname, the Dark Knight. Even Ian Somerhalder stated in an archived interview that his character’s arc was changed close to filming. We’ll probably never know for sure what the exact plans were, but there’s certainly evidence to support the theory.

Lois Lane’s Introduction In Season 4 Shot Down A Wild Fan Theory About Chloe Sullivan

Many were undoubtedly excited when it was confirmed that Lois Lane would be entering Clark Kent’s life in Season 4, and Erica Durance ultimately knocked the role out of the park. The character was established as the cousin of Clark’s longtime friend, Chloe Sullivan and, as it so happens, Lane’s introduction did one major thing. According to Alfred Gough in a Season 4 featurette, it shut down the idea that budding journalist Chloe would somehow become Lane:

It was definitely an odd theory, one that would’ve been weird had it panned out. But if anything, it shows just how beloved and popular Lois is among fans.

Superman Icon Margot Kidder Quit The Show After Christopher Reeves’ Death

Smallville welcomed a number of notable guest stars over the years, such as Wonder Woman icon Lynda Carter and Supergirl actress Helen Slater. Beloved Superman actor Christopher Reeve also appeared as Dr. Virgil Swann, a scientist who helps Clark learn more about his Kryptonian heritage. And, in a sweet twist, he was joined by his former Lois Lane, the great Margot Kidder, who was being set up for a major role before she left. 

The actress played Virgil Swann’s assistant, Bridgette Crosby, who appeared in Season 4. Following the death of Christopher Reeve, the producers opted to kill off Swann and wanted Crosby to deliver the news to Clark. Kidder reportedly found this to be a “tacky” way to approach the character’s fate and felt it was disrespectful to Reeves’ memory. With this, she departed and her character was later killed off screen. Some fans likely still wish they could’ve gotten more of the actress on the show.

Laura Vandervoort’s Supergirl Was Originally Going to Be Similar To Paris Hilton

After a misdirect in Season 3, fans were finally treated to the real Kara of Krypton in the seventh season. Laura Vandervoort’s Girl of Steel quickly became a fan favorite on the show and received her fair share of heroic moments. However, had the producers gone with their original plans, her trajectory would’ve been quite different. 

Craig Byrne, the author of the Smallville official companion books, revealed in an interview for a Season 7 featurette that the show’s version of Kara was initially going to be a bit more shallow. The creative team envisioned her as a “Paris Hilton type,” who was likely deeply interested in pop culture. Ultimately, Laura Vandervoort’s delivery encouraged them to change their minds, and I think we can all be grateful for that.

A Metropolis-Centric Spinoff Starring Green Arrow And Lois Lane Was Once Being Developed

The Superman prequel series introduced a number of characters who could hold their own, so there was plenty of spinoff potential. One series regular that seemed more than set for his own series was Justin Hartley’s Oliver Queen/Green Arrow. And Hartley actually revealed a few years ago that the producers proposed a spinoff called Metropolis, which would have centered on Oliver and Lois Lane. 

However, the project didn’t gain any momentum, and the two characters remained on the series. I’m glad that the two ultimately stuck around on the parent show, but it’s hard to deny that the spinoff idea sounds intriguing. 

There’s so much to love about this show, and the cast and crew all deserve credit for making a complex and compelling show that still holds up two decades after its debut. You can revisit the superhero series, and check out the aforementioned featurettes by picking up Smallville: The Complete Series on DVD and Blu-ray now.

On October 16, 2001, the now-defunct channel known as The WB welcomed a new show called Smallville. The show centered on the formative years of Clark Kent, the young man who would one day be known as Superman. In time, the project would gain a massive fanbase, one that included superhero, science fiction and teen drama fans alike. The show, which ran for 10 seasons, is currently regarded as a seminal superhero production that many still revisit today. Now, fans will be able to do so in glorious fashion, as the complete series is headed to Blu-ray for the first time ever. And to mark the occasion, lead stars Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum shared their memories of filming the pilot.

It’s honestly hard to believe it’s been two decades since Smallville first landed on our TV screens. Many viewers can likely still remember some of that first installment’s biggest moments. But what still stands out for the cast themselves years later? Well, Michael Rosenbaum and Tom Welling have positive thoughts on shooting that initial episode. Rosenbaum remembered being in awe of the scope and incredibly excited to have landed a major TV gig:

The series, overseen by the creative duo of Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, was truly ahead of its time, as it provided some of the most impressive visual effects on TV at that time. That, paired with the fact that it was a new iteration of one of the world’s most beloved comic book characters, was surely daunting for the cast. When discussing his first time on the set, Tom Welling recalled his naïveté while joking about that of his co-star:

Most are sure to agree with the actor’s sentiments, as his colleague would go on to define the iconic character for a generation of viewers. Likewise, the Clark Kent actor would also become the Man of Steel audiences needed in a post-9/11 world. When discussing his personal favorite moments from the pilot, Tom Welling named some of the episode’s signature scenes: 

But while the experience was unforgettable, it was also filled with hard work. The two stars were honest about some of the rougher days on set. Michael Rosenbaum, while stressing how grateful they were for the jobs, talked a bit about just how much effort went into making the series what it was:

Considering the fact that we’re still talking about the show today, I’d say they did a pretty good job. Their efforts, along with those of their castmates and crew, allowed Smallville to become a well-rounded show filled with action, humor, heart, tragedy and pure comic book goodness. Superman fans are certainly grateful for the iconic series, and I think I speak for many when I say we’d love to see Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum and their co-stars add even more to this canon someday. 

In the meantime, you can revisit the show by picking up Smallville: The Complete Series when it soars onto Blu-ray on Tuesday, October 19.

As an actor, Tom Welling is not known for being hyper-prolific, since he is not one to blindly dive into any ol' project that crosses his path. Even if he was, though, there's a good chance fans will forever know him best as the mild-mannered Clark Kent on the Superman origin tale Smallville. He returned to the role, so to speak, a couple of years ago for the Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths," and Welling will once again return to his former home at The CW with his latest project. Though it might not be exactly what fans are craving.

The CW announced it has acquired Tom Welling's latest TV series Professionals, which features his first starring role since Lucifer, and co-stars the always great Brendan Fraser, who'll soon be seen in Season 3 of Doom Patrol, and Wonder Woman's Elena Anaya. The thing is, though, this isn't exactly a brand new series. Professionals was created a few years ago as an international series by LEONINE Studios, was filmed in 2019, and was released in certain countries in 2020. And unfortunately, it wasn't exactly well-received by all.

An action drama, Professionals stars Tom Welling as the kinda-cool-named Vincent Corbo, whose A+ security skills are put to use by keeping high-profile clients safe for top-dollar fees, even if it means sidestepping the law. Brendan Fraser plays futurist and billionaire Peter Swann, who becomes suspicious after the expensive and fancy medical satellite he designed exploded soon after launching, and hires Corbo. Swann's fiancée Dr. Grace Davila, as played by Elena Anaya, is a medical genius trying to thwart a worldwide disaster. Naturally, Dr. Davila was previously in a relationship with Welling's character, which only complicates an already complex situation filled with shady corporate leaders, dirty government heads, and more waves of corrupt criminals.

It certainly sounds like a solid time, with filming taking place across locations in Ireland and South Africa. And it was created by Jeff Most, who was a producer on 1994's The Crow, as well as some of its less-than-stellar sequels. But it doesn't take much time looking at reviews for the show to get an understanding of why it may not have been automatically secured and released by any U.S. distributors last year ahead of its global premiere. It doesn't quite sound Superman-worthy. Or even Lex Luthor-worthy. Though everyone's mileage will obviously vary.

Professionals marks the latest outside-the-box acquirement for The CW, which has been bolstering its primetime schedule with content from other countries ever since the COVID pandemic first started causing filming delays in 2020. Even though most productions are as back to normal as one could hope during a health crisis, The CW is clearly game with playing it safe just in case other setbacks come up. Since last August, the network has acquired such series as Canada's Coroner, the UK's Dead Pixels, Italy's Devils and New Zealand's Wellington Paranormal, which is in the midst of airing its second season.

For those who do want more from the Smallville universe, though, Tom Welling did confirm in June 2021 that he and former co-star Michael Rosenbaum are working on bringing an animated TV follow-up to fans. But at this point, things are still in development, so we'll have to wait and see if that pans out.

What say ye, TV viewers? Will you check out Tom Welling and Brendan Fraser's Professionals when it hits The CW whenever its yet-to-be-announced premiere date arrives? While waiting to learn those details, be sure to check out all the other big shows hitting the 2021 Fall TV schedule.

In addition to its output of live-action movies, DC Comics continues to release a steady supply of direct-to-video animated movies. Batman: The Long Halloween, Part One is the latest of this bunch, and Part Two will follow next week. Following that, the next installment in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line will be an adaptation of the popular Injustice: Gods Among Us video game, and it’s been announced that a Smallville alum, Star Trek: Discovery star and many more will comprise the animated feature’s main cast.

Justin Hartley, who played Green Arrow on Smallville and currently stars as Kevin Pearson on This Is Us, will voice Superman in the animated Injustice movie, while Anson Mount, who starred as Black Bolt in the short-lived Inhumans series and appeared in Star Trek: Discovery as Christopher Pike (who he’s reprising for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) will voice Batman. Like in the original video game, Injustice is set in a version of the DC universe where Superman goes rogue and takes control of Earth after he was tricked by The Joker into killing Lois Lane and destroying Metropolis. With the Man of Steel collecting a group of loyal followers to enforce his will, Batman recruits his own allies to help him resist Superman’s tyrannical regime.

Per THR, Injustice’s voice cast also includes Laura Bailey as Lois Lane and Rama Kushna, Zach Callison as Damian and Jimmy Olsen, Brian T. Delaney as Green Lantern, Brandon Michael Hall as Cyborg, Edwin Hodge as Mr. Terrific and Killer Croc, Oliver Hudson as Plastic Man, Gillian Jacobs as Harley Quinn, Yuri Lowenthal as Mirror Master, Flash and Shazam, Derek Phillips as Nightwing and Aquaman, Kevin Pollak as Joker and Jonathan Kent, Anika Noni Rose as Catwoman, Reid Scott as Green Arrow and Victor Zsasz, Faran Tahir as Ra’s al Ghul, Fred Tatasciore as Captain Atom, Janet Varney as Wonder Woman, and Andrew Morgado as Mirror Master Soldier. Matt Peters, who directed the Justice League Dark animated movie, helmed in Injustice off a script written by Batman: Hush’s Ernie Altbacker.

Released in 2013, Injustice: Gods Among Us was created by NeatherRealm Studios, the same company behind the Mortal Kombat games. The fighting game, which was launched on both consoles and mobile platforms, was met with a lot of positive reception and spawned Injustice 2, which was released in 2016. There was also an Injustice: Gods Among Us comic book series published by DC Comics from 2013 to 2016 that was set in the five years leading up to the game’s main events. That was then followed by Injustice 2’s own comic book series, which was set between the first two games.

Given all the source material to work with, this animated Injustice movie could easily be the first of a new film series to accompany the shared continuity that launched last year with Superman: Man of Tomorrow. For now though, this looks like this will be a standalone offering, and it’ll be interesting to see how the movie differentiates itself from the video game. For instance, I’m curious if, like in the video game, heroes from an alternate DC universe are pulled into the Injustice reality to aid Batman’s insurgency, or if this adaptation will solely rely on characters who live in the Injustice universe.

In any case, Injustice is expected to arrive this fall. While you’re here, feel free to explore a now-concluded era of DC animation by looking through our DC Animated Movie Universe timeline.

It’s been over three years since Smallville actress Allison Mack was arrested for her reported part in training and grooming women for Keith Raniere’s now-infamous NXIVM sex cult. In the time since, more details have emerged and Mack herself pled guilty for “racketeering and racketeering conspiracy charges related to her role in the group.” Now, she’s speaking out about role in the sex cult and has apologized ahead of her upcoming sentencing in court.

Allison Mack Has Apologized For Her Role In Sex Cult NXIVM

Allison Mack’s attorneys recently put together sentencing recommendations ahead of her ultimate sentencing. As part of those documents, she also wrote a letter apologizing and explaining what she feels her mindset was while involved in the NXIVM cult. Part of the letter (via THR) reads thusly:

Currently, Allison Mack’s lawyers are asking for no jail time in the NXIVM case following her trial. Mack has reportedly helped with the investigation into NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere following his arrest. She complied with investigators and even provided an audio tape detailing the branding ceremony that Mack herself had taken part in -- and allegedly was responsible for creating.

How Much Time Could Allison Mack Spend in Jail?

Normally, a person facing the same charges as the former Smallville star would be sentenced to 169-210 months in prison. That would be an average of 14-17.5 years, according to Law and Crime. However, as noted prior, due to Allison Mack's cooperation with authorities, her lawyers are asking for no jail time. The argument? That the former TV star has suffered enough at the hands of Keith Raniere.

Keith Raniere himself has already been sentenced to 120 years in prison. The former cult leader was sentenced in the fall of 2020 and is already 60 years of age at the time of this writing. Another involved member Clare Bronfman was given a nearly 7-year sentence and if she serves the full amount, will be in prison for six years and nine months. As for Allison Mack, her court case has dragged on following her pleading guilty way back in 2019. She has stated she was "lost" during her years with NXIVM for quite some time now and her most recently apology also reflects that attitude:

It's unclear if Allison Mack will be able to avoid jail time. The actress is due for sentencing on June 30. Last year, HBO released a documentary about NXIVM and the events surround the arrests of various members. That documentary, The Vow, can be streamed on HBO Max.

It’s been ten years since Smallville came to an end and Tom Welling’s Clark Kent flew to the skies for the first time as Superman. While most of the cast has gotten together since then for different occasions, there has not been a single Smallville spinoff. However, thanks to a recent Cameo, it looks like that could soon be changing.

Tom Welling has been responding to Cameo requests as fans have been asking for personalized videos, no matter the occasion. And in a recent one that a fan shared on Twitter, the actor spilled the beans on a project that he’s working on that he may or may not should have kept secret. But it’s already getting fans hyped up about the possibility of seeing him and Michael Rosenbaum, who portrayed Superman’s foe Lex Luthor, reprising the iconic roles in a different way:

An animated series with original Smallville cast members would be a dream, considering it’s been a long time coming for a Smallville reboot. Although it does raise the question on what it would look like and whether or not it would continue the story that was only just beginning when Smallville ended in 2011. Tom Welling and Erica Durance, who played Clark’s better half Lois Lane, reprised their roles for the big Arrowverse crossover on The CW's “Crisis on Infinite Earths.” It was revealed that Clark had given up his powers so he and Lois could focus on their children. It would be interesting if the new series could connect to that storyline, and take place after the events of Smallville but leading up to “Crisis.”

Rumors of an animated Smallville series first started swirling around last year. While it wasn’t confirmed or denied at the time, the rumored series would be based on the Season 11 graphic novel series which takes place about six months after the series finale. However, it’s still unknown when in the timeline it would take place if it is going to be based on the comics still. Even though this isn’t the first time there have been talks of a Smallville reunion series of some type, it is interesting to note that Tom Welling seems confident in the series with Michael Rosenbaum.

Considering much of the cast are still close to this day, it would be hard to believe that most of them wouldn’t be on board, even if it is for an episode or two. While hopefully waiting on more news on the Smallville animated series, all ten seasons of the Superman prequel series are streaming on Hulu.

It’s hard to believe that Clark Kent’s story as Superman on Smallville was only just beginning a decade ago when the show came to an end and Tom Welling's Clark was ready to become the Man of Steel. Of course, Welling isn't the only actor ever to play Superman, but the Smallville executive producers have explained why Tom Welling was the perfect Clark Kent.

In an oral history for the June 2011 issue of CBS’ Watch! Magazine republished by TVLine, David Nutter, director of the pilot episode of Smallville, knew almost instantly that he had found his Clark Kent in Tom Welling after a screen test he did with the future Lana Lang, Kristin Kreuk. During the scene, which would become a memorable one for fans over the years, Nutter realized Welling was perfect:

Watching ten seasons of Smallville, it’s not hard to tell why Tom Welling was chosen to be Clark Kent, since he is Clark Kent. He’s got the charm, the honesty, sensitivity, kindness, and more, as well as the looks. Executive producer Kelly Souders could see that Clark was Welling and Welling was Clark. And while there were some differences, there were obvious similarities between the two as well:

Although fans said goodbye to Clark Kent, Lois Lane and the remainder of Smallville a decade ago, the famous couple appeared in the Arrowverse's “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover event in 2019, with Tom Welling and Erica Durance reprising their roles. While the cameo provided some much-needed closure with the fans and provided insight on what Clark’s been up to since he first donned the Superman suit in the final seconds of the finale, it was a treat for fans to finally see him back on their televisions again after so long, and reiterate why Welling was so perfect as Clark as he seamlessly stepped back into the role with no trouble.

Even though there have been plenty of Supermen, Tom Welling is one of those where the role was perfect for him. It may seem like a reboot, or sequel series, won’t be happening, but maybe Welling's Clark will return once again somehow in a future Arrowverse crossover.

Before Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman and Lois or even Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns, many of our associations with the Last Son of Krypton came through Tom Welling’s Smallville. So the iconic theme song “Save Me” rings in our ears as the 44-year-old actor shares his current thoughts on returning to the red and blue for an upcoming project.

In late 2019, Tom Welling reprised his beloved role on The CW for the crossover event "Crisis on Infinite Earths," but what about a feature length film? While speaking to Ernesto de Cuadros, Welling was asked about returning to Kal-El for the DCEU, perhaps for a role in 2022’s The Flash. Here’s what he said:

Apparently Tom Welling is pals with the DCEU’s newest Dark Knight, Robert Pattinson, and he’d be ready to sign on for a role alongside him any day, especially of the superhero variety. Of course, we’ve already seen Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice play out on the big screen, but we’re not opposed to another team up between DC’s World’s Finest.

From what we know about The Batman, Robert Pattinson’s character lives in a different universe than Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman, so there’d be room for a different Clark Kent to appear without cancelling out the versions stemming from the DCEU. There’s already two Batman actors reportedly showing up in The Flash during its multiverse storyline, with Michael Keaton and Affleck on board, so why not add in an extra Supes?

Tom Welling starred in Smallville for 10 seasons on The CW, initially beginning its run in 2001 when the network was called The WB. The series followed Clark Kent as a high school student coming to terms with his powers as his peers become altered due to the city being exposed to a meteor shower from Krypton that brought him to Earth. The series tracks Clark’s rise into a reporter for the Daily Planet, his romance with Lana Lang, Lois Lang and his ultimate rivalry with childhood friend Lex Luthor.

Unlike The CW’s current show Superman and Lois, which focuses largely on Tyler Hoechlin in the iconic red and blue suit, Smallville never quite became a Superman show. That’s why it would be awesome to see Tom Welling finally take up the mantle in a larger capacity. He sure has the resume to pull it off if Warner Bros is looking for an additional Kal-El.

Personally, as a fan of Smallville and the DCEU, I’d rather see Henry Cavill back as the DC hero first. Tom Welling had a decade to flesh out his character, yet Cavill has only had one solo movie and two team-up films. He’s a perfect Superman and he deserves a more defined arc! Back on the Tom Welling front, would you like to see the actor return to his Smallville role on the big screen? Vote in our poll below and get ready for Robert Pattinson’s The Batman on March 4th, 2022.

We have all the details about what movies are next for the DCEU here on CinemaBlend.

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The CW is all about Superman right now, thanks to the recent premiere of Superman & Lois, and everyone knows there's nothing that makes supervillains madder than heroes in the spotlight. Perhaps that's why Michael Rosenbaum, who played Lex Luthor on Smallville, took to social media and decided to playfully troll a guy who played Lex Luthor on television more recently: Jon Cryer.

Michael Rosenbaum wasn't willing to return as Lex Luthor for the mega "Crisis on Infinite Earths" Arrowverse crossover, but it seems he's down to troll the guy that did. Check out Rosenbaum's goofy video below, and continue reading for how the Supergirl actor reacted to it.

It's a weird video that didn't make much sense to me at first until I had a chance to soak it in. Michael Rosenbaum is essentially saying that with his "shaved head" (which is actually the work of a social media filter) and full beard, he resembles Jon Cryer's Lex Luthor look. It's notable to mention here that Cryer did appear as a bearded Lex Luthor in his Arrowverse appearances, while Rosenbaum did his role on Smallville clean-shaven.

Of course, Jon Cryer took the whole thing in stride, and how could he not with the hashtag "sexylexys" attached to it? The actor responded to one of the few men he can relate to when it comes to playing Lex Luthor on television, though he didn't quite deliver the playful jab back Rosenbaum may have deserved.

The two had a brief exchange afterward in which Michael Rosenbaum lamented that he didn't have perfect facial hair like Jon Cryer, where Cryer was jealous Rosenbaum could actually grow a full head of hair. Clearly, it's all fun and games between these two, and not just two celebrities taking random shots over each other on the internet. It's worth mentioning Cryer has appeared on Rosenbaum's podcast Inside Of You, so I can only imagine the two have further bonded since then.

Of course, since Michael Rosenbaum welcomed the comparison, I now have to wonder if the actor isn't intentionally trying to look like Jon Cryer for some specific reason. To say I'm skeptical that he would reprise his Smallville role in the Arrowverse after the actor sat out "Crisis On Infinite Earths" when so many other notable names didn't is an understatement, but I still have a sliver of hope holding out within me he'll return to play Lex or another Luthor like Cryer did someday.

That opportunity could come sooner than later with Superman & Lois on The CW currently, but we can only wait and see. It's all hope and speculation at this point. Catch that series Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET, and read up on the surprising reveal that may show a Lex reveal isn't that far off.

Smallville introduced a number of characters during its 10-season run, some who hailed from the pages of DC Comics and others who were created specifically for the show. One character who was an amalgamation of both was Sam Witwer’s Davis Bloome, the human alter ego of infamous DC Comics villain Doomsday. The character received mixed reviews from fans, and some fans could argue that his storyline ended in a pretty controversial manner. Witwer tends to agree, and he even believes that a major death associated with his character should not have taken place.

Sam Witwer’s Davis Bloome was a starring character during Smallville’s eighth season and was introduced as medic who was initially unaware of his true extraterrestrial origins. Over time, he learned of Doomsday but discovered that he can suppress him by killing. So he did this by murdering criminals. In time, he also fell in love with Chloe Sullivan and, in the finale, she managed to separate Davis and Doomsday using black kryptonite. But immediately after, Davis murdered Chloe’s husband, Jimmy Olsen, with a metal pipe when he discovered that Chloe doesn’t love him.

At this year’s virtual Smallville panel at New York City Comic Con (which has now been deleted from YouTube), Sam Witwer takes issue with Jimmy’s death. Not only did Witwer express displeasure with it because he’s good friends with Jimmy Olsen actor Aaron Ashmore, but the way in which the death plays out also made him a bit uncomfortable:

Of all the characters on Smallville, Aaron Ashmore’s Jimmy Olsen was definitely one of the more upbeat presences on the show, though he did go through his fair share of struggles during Season 8. That still didn’t keep his death and subsequent funeral from being any less heartbreaking. I guess if there’s any consolation, the dying Olsen was able to save Chloe by killing Davis right after being attacked.

Sam Witwer does make some interesting points, and some would definitely agree with him. While some Smallville characters didn’t quite get happy endings, fans can at least take comfort in the fact that Clark Kent and Lois Lane did, as seen in the Arrowverse’s “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover.

Jimmy Olsen’s death will likely continue to be a sticking point for Witwer and Smallville fans into the future. Thankfully, the Olsen name did prove to live on through Jimmy’s younger brother, as shown in the series finale.

Smallville is now available to stream on Hulu.

Of all the unpredictable news that has come out of 2020 so far, the universe has finally aligned itself in such a way where something absolutely natural has occurred: Tim Burton is heading to television for the first time in decades for an Addams Family series. Burton is an obviously solid fit to bring the creepiest and kookiest family back to the small screen after multiple live-action movies and animated features, but don't expect it to be an exact retread of what we've seen before.

While the details at this point are pretty scarce, it sounds like this new take on The Addams Family will be set in the present day, as opposed to being a period piece. As well, Deadline reports that the going idea is for the show to actually center on Wednesday Addams, the elder offspring with a penchant for bringing pain to her brother Pugsley. The idea is for the show to view modern day living through Wednesday's eyes; presumably just the ones in her head and not the ones she's keeping in jars.

Tim Burton will be executive producing this new Addams Family TV show, and it's possible that he will be taking on directorial duties for all episodes in the potential first season. He isn't the only creative talent involved, however. Smallville co-creators Miles Millar and Alfred Gough have been tapped to craft The Addams Family from the screenwriting perspective, and the duo will serve as co-showrunners, as well as executive producers.

TV shows following teenage girls aren't exactly a new thing, but fans can probably expect this new Addams Family project to be the exact opposite of Hannah Montana and other Disney Channel fare. (Though probably don't expect any hardcore horror, either.) It will be interesting to see how this change in direction affects the well-established dynamic that this franchise has stuck with over the decades. Will we see more of her school and social life? Will audiences get to see one of the most uncomfortable puberty stories since Carrie? The possibilities are plentiful, assuming the writers maintain that angle throughout the creative process.

In the original TV series, arguably the most adorable version Wednesday was played quite successfully by actress Lisa Loring, with Cindy Henderson providing the voicework for the '70s animated series. For most fans of a certain age, though, the most iconic portrayal belongs to Christina Ricci, who played a deliciously malicious Wednesday in both the self-titled film and its Addams Family Values sequel. Former model Nicole Fugere took over the role for the straight-to-video Addams Family Reunion movie in the late '90s, as well as the short-lived Fox Family reboot The New Addams Family. Most recently, Chloe Moretz supplied Wednesday's voice for 2019's self-titled animated feature. (Not to mention those who portrayed Wednesday on stage and in other animated versions.)

It sounds like Tim Burton's Addams Family is already a highly sought-after project around Hollywood, too. Financed by MGM TV, the show reportedly has multiple studios bidding for control, and Netflix is said to have risen to become a potential favorite in that bunch. Which might not be great news for anyone hoping the show lasts for many seasons, but Tim Burton could certainly make an endless amount of interesting looking shit to haunt viewers with if he had a Netflix budget behind him.

Tim Burton was previously attached to an Addams Family project back in 2010, when it was reported that he was in line to direct a 3D animated movie based on the property. However, those plans had fallen through a few years later. Burton's previous TV wins include an episode of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents reboot, the still-hilarious Beetlejuice animated series that barely had anything to do with the movie, as well as the animated Amazing Stories quasi-spinoff Family Dog, which only lasted a single season.

It's obviously unclear where The Addams Family will end up, but stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more updates on the new show, as well as on the big screen sequel that is still apparently happening. Check out our Fall TV 2020 premiere schedule to see what other reboots and new shows are debuting soon.

Even if you were never a fan of the DC Comics-based sorta superhero show Smallville, it's pretty hard to argue that the long-running series didn't walk so that the Arrowverse could run. While there had been other shows on TV based on Superman and other popular characters from the comics, Smallville became an immediate hit on The WB (and later on The CW), and ran for 10 seasons, which is impressive for any show, especially one focused on the origin story of a superhero. Now, though, there are rumors that we might get to see a sequel series of some kind.

Before you get too excited, know that this is still very much a rumor, as it hasn't been confirmed by The CW or any potential producers or stars of a possible sequel series. All that we actually know right now, is that, according to We Got This Covered, talks have started to see if a Smallville sequel can get off of the ground at its former home or someplace similar (which I'll get to in a minute). This potential idea looks to be based on some pretty solid source material, as the Season 11 graphic novel series is supposedly being mulled as the basis for new episodes.

Apparently, it's being said that this new Smallville series will also be animated, which makes a lot of sense, considering that the Season 11 comics picked up only six months after Clark Kent finally, officially, took on his superhero identity of Superman, while the show has been off screen since 2011. Of course, fans who've kept their ears to the ground will realize that this is not the first or only time there have been rumblings of a Smallville revival, but the idea of one happening relatively soon is particularly apropos right now.

As mentioned above, Smallville was a super (See what I did there?) successful series, and any time a beloved show leaves the airwaves fans will want more. This basic love for Tom Welling's Clark Kent, Erica Durance's Lois Lane, Justin Hartley's Oliver Queen and more of the portrayals of classic (and new) characters who populated the drama only increased when the Arrowverse quickly became its own force to be reckoned with. Arrow took over the DC on The CW mantle in 2012, eventually spinning off into a shared universe of shows which now include The Flash, Supergirl, Legends of Tomorrow, Black Lightning, Batwoman and the upcoming series Superman & Lois.

There had been many crossovers in the Arrowverse, which had taken place on a variety of Earths throughout the multiverse, but when the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event began in early December 2019, it led to something that fans have been hoping for ever since the beginning of Arrow: more time with Welling and Durance, as they both reprised their Smallville roles on the second part of the crossover. Now, their characters are fresh in the minds of Arrowverse viewers everywhere, even with new actors having already taken over the roles of Clark / Superman and Lois Lane for the now mostly-combined TV universe.

Of course, if this possible series really will be animated, another good spot for it would be CW Seed, the network's online-only streamer, which also played host to short-form, animated Arrowverse series Vixen, Constantine: City of Demons, and Freedom Fighters: The Ray. So, while it may still be a long shot that we'll see a Smallville sequel with some of the original cast providing voices for their characters, at least we know that there are potential storylines and two possible homes for a new show, should it become a real boy at some point.

You can revisit all of Smallville right now on Hulu, but if you'd like to have other viewing options while we wait to hear word on the potential revival, be sure to check out our guide to fall TV!

The latest iteration of Superman’s live-action costume, as worn by David Corenswet in James Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie, has officially taken flight in the mindblowing first trailer. The question is, how does the new DC Universe’s official outfit for the Man of Steel in the upcoming DC movie – hitting theaters July 11, 2025 – measure up against what we have seen before?

Taking into account the definitive essentials of what Superman should look like, as first envisioned by artist Joseph Shuster’s original design in Action Comics #1, I have some opinions on the new Clark Kent’s look and that of all the live-action Superman costumes we have seen in great superhero movies and TV shows alike over the years. Based on comic book accuracy, practicality, believability, and overall badass appearance, these are my picks for the best of the ol’ red-and-blues (or blacks) so far, ranked in ascending order.

12. Tom Welling - Red Leather Jacket (Smallville)

To me, this clearly well-meaning design has a bit of an awkward “flashy biker” vibe. Still, at least it's more unique than digitally projecting the Superman Returns costume onto Tom Welling, which is the “official reveal” we got at the very end of the Smallville series finale.

The red leather jacket bearing the classic “S” emblem debuted in Season 10 of the popular prequel series and was actually Clark Kent’s second attempt at a pre-Superman costume. We will get to the first (and much cooler, I believe) design soon enough.

11. George Reeves (Superman And The Mole Men)

While I described the last entry as giving “flashy biker” vibes, I think of homemade pajamas when I see the costume donned by George Reeves. The actor wore this suit when he made his debut in the role in the 1951 feature-length film Superman and the Mole Men before becoming a staple of the Adventures of Superman series the following year.

Now, before you denounce me for what may have sounded like ridicule of this iconic design, I do notice and admire its comic book accuracy, even if it does pale in comparison to more modern costumes. Furthermore, I have no doubt these red and blues (or, more accurately, black and whites at the time) sparked a moment of unforgettable excitement for any young fans of the Man of Steel.

10. Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman)

Speaking of “homemade,” this costume was literally homemade by Clark Kent’s mother (K Callan) in the pilot of this Emmy-nominated 1990s series. Dean Cain played the lead, alongside Teri Hatcher’s Lois Lane, of ABC’s Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which reimagined the Man of Steel’s story as a cheesy romantic dramedy of sorts with a costume to match the tone perfectly.

Fortunately, the suit saw some improvements as the series continued, such as swapping out the velcro-attached cape for one tucked under the blue tights. I also would regret not giving Cain extra points for having one of the largest chest emblems of any live-action design.

9. Tom Welling - Black (Smallville)

I understand the irony of where I rank this costume despite my praises of comic book accuracy and how the previously mentioned outfit worn by Tom Welling’s Clark Kent is clearly more faithful. However, I prefer the black trench coat approach of this costume, which showed up in Season 9 of Smallville

I like that it invokes a unique, noirish detective quality and, practically speaking, blends in during nightly adventures far more effectively than a red leather jacket. Furthermore, and once again, it is better than a CGI Superman Returns suit.

8. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)

Speaking of, if there is one thing Bryan Singer’s polarizing continuation of 1980’s Superman II did right, it would have to be the suit worn by Brandon Routh. It does bear darker shades of blue and red, and a smaller, but more raised, chest emblem than Christopher Reeve’s costume (which, despite a breach in continuity, I almost find more cinematically appealing).

Plus, take a closer look at that emblem and you will see a collage of tiny House of El crests. That small, but very intriguing detail (along with the “S” on his belt buckle, too) is enough to convince me that Routh deserved his Superman reprisal… which we will get to soon.

7. Tyler Hoechlin (Supergirl)

One thing that I do not particularly admire about Brandon Routh’s suit is the red undies worn over the blue tights. I realize that Joseph Shuster’s illustration pretty much made that a tradition that has applied to many other superhero costume designs but I have always found it unnecessary and believe it does not translate as well to live-action.

That is a genuinely essential reason why I put it below Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman outfit, which he first appeared in on Supergirl in Season 2. I cannot say I care much for the way his cape is attached or the four golden etchings that surround the chest emblem for whatever reason, but everything else about this is A+ in my book.

6. Henry Cavill - Black (DC Extended Universe)

I suppose I have always had a bias toward superhero outfits that trade in their traditionally bright, colorful design for something darkly monochromatic. That is why my ranking of live-action Spider-Man movie outfits places Tobey Maguire’s black tights from Spider-Man 3 so high and why I admire the suit Henry Cavill dons in Zach Snyder’s Justice League following his resurrection.

After the actor teased the iconic design’s live-action debut in 2017’s Justice League on Instagram, fans were disappointed to see him back in the red-and-blues instead, which is why its long-awaited emergence in the Max-exclusive Snyder Cut was so appreciated and admired. For the same reasons most photos tend to look better in grayscale, redesigning the DCEU’s costume in solid black with a shining silver House of El crest makes Cavill’s Superman look great. Yet, this particular design – which is really not much more than his original outfit with the color drained – does leave some things to be desired, such as a shining, fully silver cape similar to McFarlane Toys’ Superman Black Suit Variant action figure.

5. David Corenswet (Superman)

Someone who shares my feelings about Clark Kent’s red undies is James Gunn, who was against the idea of bringing back the “trunks” for his upcoming superhero movie until star David Corenswet convinced him otherwise. After seeing what the first Superman poster and trailer have shown of the costume, I must admit that, somehow, the trunks might be one of my preferred aspects of the outfit. Frannkly, I still find the design a little busy and believe the chest emblem veers a bit too far from its classic “S” design, even if it does make a more believable House of El crest.

Luckily, I think the strengths outweigh the weaknesses here, overall. While I do tend to side with darker costumes (as some of my higher-ranked iterations will show), I applaud the more traditional and brighter color scheme – especially as a match for the tone Gunn seems to be going for with Superman – and I really dig the return of the yellow emblem on the cape. By combining classic elements with some from DC Comics' New 52 design, I think this new film has chosen a suit that promises a hopeful future for the Man of Steel on the big screen.

4. Tyler Hoechlin (Superman & Lois)

I gave Tyler Hoechlin’s suit from Supergirl an A+ but would give an A++ to his more recent and more “badass” Supersuit. The later, (technically) Arrowverse-canon outfit made its debut when the actor and his Lois, Elizabeth Tulloch, became the stars of their own solo TV show, Superman & Lois, which ended after four seasons in December 2024.

It probably goes without saying that I admire the removal of the emblem’s gold etchings and the previous cape attachments in lieu of tucking it under his collar, which also fits admirably tighter around his neck. Not to mention, his belt is much sleeker and I like the addition of a second House of El crest as the buckle, like on Routh’s Superman Returns costume. For these reasons, I think the new suit makes Hoechlin look better as the Man of Steel than ever and makes me thankful for the redesign.

3. Brandon Routh - Kingdom Come (Crisis On Infinite Earths)

While it is prone to put comic book fans up in arms, sometimes breaking tradition can be good. No, I am not talking about the outside undies again since this suit actually does incorporate that. I am specifically referring to how Alex Ross reimagined the Superman costume for one of the best DC Elseworlds stories, Kingdom Come.

With a less defined “S” on a black background in the chest emblem and darker belt, too, this was such a simple, yet astonishing change of pace that demanded a live-action translation. It finally did in the Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, as worn by Legends of Tomorrow star Brandon Routh, who has never looked better in the role.

2. Christopher Reeve (Superman: The Movie)

Despite my personal reservations over the trunks and brighter color schemes, those elements were used to perfection in 1978 when the late Christopher Reeve brought the Man of Steel to life in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie. Appearing in four solo movies total (more than any so far), the outfit authentically captured that era’s comic book design, with some credit due to Reeve’s mirror image resemblance to the character.

As a result, decades later, this Superman costume remains the definitive style in the eyes of many die-hard fans of the character. I would proudly justify that claim, even if my preferences lean toward what more recent years have seen.

1. Henry Cavill (DC Extended Universe)

Ranking one of the more recent cinematic iterations this high sounds like the obvious choice but I truly believe the DCEU’s original Supersuit deserves it for much more than recency. Just look at the way the color shades match the character’s darker interpretation, the subtle and rightfully more otherworldly look of the crest, the thankful lack of red underwear, and the way it all fits on Henry Cavill’s angelic frame.

These elements are key to why this Superman is the most imposing and cinematically rich iteration yet, which is also how I felt about Batfleck’s costume design in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. There has always been something cheesy or cartoonish to note about the previous live-action suits but not at all on this one.

There may come a day, after I finally see the upcoming 2025 movie, Superman, that David Corenswet’s costume earns a higher place on my list. Until then, Cavill remains king in my eyes but which live-action Man of Steel do you believe looks best?

Smallville helped pave the way for The CW’s slate of superhero shows collectively known as the Arrowverse, with the latest addition to the ever-growing lineup being Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as the titular characters. After seeing the announcement that Emmanuelle Chriqui is joining The CW show's cast as Lana Lang, Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk reacted to the exciting news about her former character officially  joining the Arrowverse.

Kristin Kreuk has since moved on from her Smallville days, but she played Lana Lang for seven seasons before leaving the show for good. She and Clark were a major "will they?/won’t they?" couple for a long time, though she eventually and went on to start the Isis Foundation, which helps those infected by kryptonite. She also used it to spy on Lex Luthor after discovering how he’d manipulated her. There’s a lot of history there and there’s no telling what Lana’s new backstory will be. However, Kreuk is pleased that Lana’s legacy would live on in Superman & Lois. Here’s what she told TVLine:

Now, Emmanuelle Chriqui will be taking up the mantle of Lana Lang. Chriqui will actually be playing an older version of Lana, who’s now married to Erik Valdez’s Kyle Cushing and has settled in Smallville as a loan officer. Clark’s arrival in Smallville will rekindle his friendship with Lana during a turbulent time in her life.

Superman & Lois hasn’t premiered yet, so it’s hard to gauge what Emmanuelle Chriqui’s Lana will be like. That said, Kristin Kreuk thinks Chriqui is “wonderful and very nice.” That’s good to hear! Kreuk is also looking forward to seeing how Lana will evolve in the Arrowverse. Here’s how she puts it:

Kristin Kreuk added that it’s “so fun” that Smallville gets to live on in some ways within the Arrowverse, and also stated that she’d be down to guest star on Superman & Lois. Depending on what the role entailed, of course. If Kreuk ever does drop in on the Arrowverse, she’d potentially be joining former co-stars Tom Welling and Erica Durance, both of whom reprised their Smallville roles during the “Crisis on Infinite Earths” crossover. Durance pulled double duty and also played Supergirl’s mother.

Superman & Lois is scheduled to premiere in January 2021 and will air Tuesday nights after The Flash. For more on what to watch in the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 summer TV premiere guide.

In the last ten or so years, Amy Adams has become one of the most talented and recognizable figures in Hollywood thanks to her undeniable charm and the boundless talent. With roles like Lois Lane in Man Of Steel and the rest of the DCEU, Camille Preaker in Sharp Objects, and Dr. Louise Banks in Arrival, the six-time Academy Award nominee has been just about everywhere.

But just like her character Julie Powell in Nora Ephron's 2009 film Julie And Julia, Amy Adams didn't become a worldwide sensation overnight. No, it took a lot of bit roles in popular TV shows, direct to video sequels, and a few box office juggernauts for Amy Adams to get where she is today. And along the way there are probably some performances that many of you may have forgotten (don't worry, I'm in your numbers). So, let's take a look at some of Amy Adam's forgotten appearances on television and movies.

Katy - The Office

Although she only appeared in three episodes in the first two seasons of The Office, Amy Adams gave an incredible albeit brief performance as Katy, the handbag saleswoman who became Jim Halpert's girlfriend. The relationship would come crashing down during the iconic "Booze Cruise" episode in Season 2 thus ending Adams' involvement in the NBC comedy series. The actress had yet to become the star we know her as today when she first appeared in the early runnings of The Office, but she would become a household name in a few short years.

Brenda Strong - Catch Me If You Can

I didn't realize Amy Adams was in Steven Spielberg's 2002 biographical film thriller Catch Me If You Can until years after the film's release, but yeah, she's there. Portraying Brenda Strong, the one-time love interest of Leonardo DiCaprio's Frank Abagnale, Adams is almost unrecognizable at times due to makeup and a mouth full of braces made to make the actress look much younger. But through the braces and naivety, you see flashes of what was to come for the talented actress in the near future. And she pulls off the performance of the young and innocent nurse quite well even when she betrays Abagnale at the Miami airport.

Leslie Miller - Drop Dead Gorgeous

Drop Dead Gorgeous was Amy Adams' first on-screen appearance, though her portrayal of the beautiful yet ditzy cheerleader Leslie Miller in 1999 mockumentary about a beauty pageant and its contestants makes it seem like she's a seasoned pro. In a cast that includes the likes of Kirsten Dunst, Allison Janney, Brittany Murphy, Denise Richards, and Kirstie Alley, it would be easy to get lost in the shuffle. But not Adams, who steals every scene in which she is featured, especially when she thinks the interviewer is asking about her possible pregnancy and not pre-pageant jitters.

Beth Maclay - Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Everyone from Nathan Fillon to John Ritter appeared on Joss Whedon's groundbreaking teenage paranormal series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, but did you know that even Amy Adams appeared on the show. In the Season 5 episode "Family," Adams portrayed Tara Maclay's (Amber Benson) cousin Beth, who tries to get the witch to leave the Scooby Gang and come back home with her family. And shortly after her appearance on the show, Adams would go on to take on a role popularized by Buffy herself, Sarah Michelle Gellar in the direct to video Cruel Intentions 2...

Kathryn Merteuil - Cruel Intentions 2

Originally filmed as a Fox television series that was re-edited into a feature film in 2001, Cruel Intentions 2 is more of a prequel than a sequel of the late-90s teenage drama about the rich and powerful students of a New York City prep school. With none of the original cast returning for this direct-to-video affair, director Roger Kumble turned to a young, relatively unknown Amy Adams to take on the role of the cruel and devious Kathryn Merteuil, the character made famous two years earlier by Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Jodi Melville - Smallville

Amy Adams' portrayal of Lois Lane in the DCEU is probably one of the best things about the franchise, but Man Of Steel wasn't the first time the actress showed up in a Superman property. Way back in 2001, more than a decade before she'd play Daily Planet reporter and Superman's love interest, Adams appeared on Smallville where she played Jodi Melville, a teenager who inherited some pretty crazy powers from kryptonite-laced shakes. Covered in terrible and a bodysuit for much of her one episode, Adams has some pretty unintentionally funny scenes like the one where she devours an entire deer and the one where she tries to suck someone's fat out of their body.

Kat Peterson - That '70s Show

You have to start somewhere, and for Amy Adams, that place was That '70s Show (as far as television appearances are concerned). In the episode "Burning Down The House," Adams plays Kat Peterson, one of the popular girls and friends of Mila Kunis' Jackie Burkhart who changes her tune concerning Danny Masterson's Steven Hyde at one of Jackie's parties. And despite this being a one-and-done role for the character, this was just the beginning of a great career for the six-time Oscar nominee.

Susan - Talladega Nights

Amy Adams was nominated for yet another Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynne Cheney in the 2018 biographical drama Vice, but this wasn't the first time she and director Adam McKay had worked together. The two first crossed paths in McKay's 2006 Will Ferrell comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby, in which Adams played Susan, the assistant-turned-lover of the embattled NASCAR driver. Showing that she had the chops for comedy, Adams is great in her role of the shy and nervous personal assistant with an edgy side.

Maggie Murphy - Charmed

I guess we can go ahead and add Charmed to the list of one-off appearances by Amy Adams in the early 2000s. Appearing in an episode in the show's second season, Adams portrayed Maggie Murphy, a down-on-her-luck woman almost driven to suicide after falling under the control of Spirit Killer. The character, like many Adams has played over the years, was kind and thoughtful despite her bad luck.

Cathy - The West Wing

Aaron Sorkin's groundbreaking political drama series The West Wing featured some of the biggest names in film and television during its seven-season run, but did you know that even Amy Adams appeared on the show at one point? In the Season 4 two-part episode "20 Hours In America," Adams played Cathy, the daughter of a farm family helping President Josiah Bartlet's reelection campaign in rural Indiana. Although not as remembered as some of her later roles, Adams gives a convincing performance as a farmer's daughter in this 2002 episode.

Those are just 10 of Amy Adams' forgotten film and television appearances. What crazy to me is that she didn't follow the same path as so many other A-list actors and actresses by making a brief guest appearance on an episode of Law & Order over the years. But if you're looking to see who did just that, check out this piece on some of the biggest names to appear on the show here on CinemaBlend.