Fans of Smallville know that it's a seminal part of the CW universe (previously the WB). The story of an angsty, teenage Superman captured the hearts and minds of young superhero fans of the new millennium. The show arguably inspired other DC-based superhero shows such as The Flash and Arrow and may have inspired campy teen dramas such as Riverdale.
Despite its popularity, the show did come with some criticism for sub-par acting. But what's overlooked is that the cast did have seasoned actors sprinkled in with fresh faces. What's also overlooked is that some of the greener actors stepped up to the plate.
5 Nailed: Tom Welling Is The Perfect Prototype For Superman
Tom Welling goes to the bottom of the list because he just toes the line between nailing his role and falling short. A construction worker-turned-model, Welling in the earlier seasons was very clunky in terms of his acting abilities.
Welling's good looks and fit stature matched the image of a teenage Superman so well that it's hard to picture anyone else as a young Clark Kent. Welling's look alone nailed the role perfectly. He also reached legitimate acting skills as the series progressed. Even with a shaky start acting-wise, Tom Welling nailed it as the youthful Man of Steel.
4 Nailed: Erica Durance Saved The Day As Lois Lane
When anyone on Planet Earth hears the name Superman, the next name that automatically comes to mind next is Lois Lane. This made it important for Smallville to get the casting down perfectly for a teenage Lois. Producers knew when Durance auditioned for the role of Lois that she would nail it.
Executive Producer Kelly Souders said that when they watched Durance's audition tape, there was "no question" she was Lois Lane. Not only was she a hit with the producers but she also proved a hit with fans after her Season 4 debut.
3 Nailed: Annette O'Toole & John Schneider Were Perfectly Cast As Martha & Jonathan Kent
Superman writers agree that Smallville's depiction of the Kent family hits the nail on the head. Both John Schneider and Annette O'Toole were veteran actors that arrived on the show (O'Toole played Lana Lang in Superman III). Schneider and O'Toole had a natural rapport with each other and brought a folksy blue-collar attitude to life as Clark's parents.
It's hard to nail down how Superman's parents would've behaved in a movie version, let alone several seasons of a series (no disrespect to Kevin Costner in Man of Steel). As it currently stands, there's still no one that can rival O'Toole and Schneider as the Kents.
2 Nailed: Michael Rosenbaum Brought A New Depth To The Character of Lex Luthor
Michael Rosenbaum as a young Lex Luthor was arguably the best addition to the show. Not only did Rosenbaum nail the look of Lex, but he brought depth to the character as an early friend of Clark Kent. Lex could convey empathy but also struggle with the pride the iconic villain was known to have.
Despite being as critically acclaimed as the conflicted young Luthor, Rosenbaum left the show because of his desire to, in his own words, branch out into more comedic roles. Rosenbaum came back as Lex for the series finale because, for better or worse, Rosenbaum absolutely nailed the part as Lex Luthor.
1 Nailed: John Glover Consistently Stole The Show As Lionel Luthor
There were plenty of supernatural villains in Smallville. The most intriguing villain was Lionel Luthor, father of Lex Luthor, played by John Glover. Glover brought a subtle evil to the role of Lex's dad and brought interesting chemistry with Michael Rosenbaum's Lex.
Viewers empathized with young Lex as he was consistently torn between pleasing his father and doing the right thing. Thanks to Glover, there wasn't a more intriguing father-son relationship for comic book fans in the early 2000s besides Norman and Harry Osbourne in the early Spider-Man films. The portrayal of Lionel also made up for Glover's embarrassing role in Batman and Robin.