Amac Productions

The end of an era has arrived.

One I actually believed to have ended in 2011, but 2012 proved me wrong.

In October of 2001 a TV dropped on the WB, not only did it decide to do something no superhero TV show had attempted before, but it was the start of something no one could have seen coming.

Because let’s be honest, any superhero TV show has its success because Smallville started the thread of moving heroes to the small screen.

Yes, there was Lois & Clark, Flash, and whole host of animated series on TV for many superheroes, but Smallville made it to ten years!

Unlike the original Flash series, which was arguably awful, and didn’t make it past season one.

Or Lois & Clark which only had four seasons.

Smallville outlived both of them. Then showed up any and all superhero series following it by lasting a record ten seasons.

Only Flash from the Arrowverse starring Grant Gustin managed to come close with nine seasons of his own series.

I honestly don’t think there was a single soul in 2001 that thought that Smallville would last for ten years, never mind spark such a trend. To make the origin a true part of the superhero series, not just one episode.

As both Flash of the 90s and Lois & Clark did. They became the heroes in the comics within an episode.

Meanwhile, Smallville took ten seasons for him to become Superman and finally don some form of the cape. Arrow made Oliver Queen change his name several times over the series until season four when he finally declared himself Green Arrow.

Everyone’s origin was longer and more complicated throughout the years of the Arrowverse.

Even outside the Arrowverse, Marvel took note.

How long did it take for Charlie Cox to wear the right suit as Daredevil? Or the Punisher started on his show before moving to his own.

For the last 23 years, if you flipped to the WB/CW, there was a superhero series for you to tune into.

Legends, Batwoman, Flash, Arrow, Smallville, Superman and Lois, Black Lightning, and more. There was a hero for everyone.

It was so massive and well built, they managed yearly crossovers with the shows for a while. Even bringing Smallville and several other shows into the multiverse they had created. There’s nothing else like it on TV. And there probably won’t be again.

Because it was special.

And it started with Clark Kent.

And ended with Clark Kent.

I think that’s poetic as hell.

Someone pointed it out on Tumblr, and I wasn’t able to stop thinking about it. Especially when you consider his story was told over so many years throughout these shoes. It started with a 15-year-old Clark Kent trying to figure his life out.

Ending in Clark Kent having lived a full and happy life with his kids, his wife, and dying peacefully in his bed.

I will definitely do a more in depth Superhero Sunday on the final season of Superman & Lois, but first I wanted to say a proper goodbye to the Arrowverse and 23 years of television history.

Because I literally grew up with superheroes on the WB/CW.

I watched Smallville as a little kid all the way to high school and the Arrowverse has been with me as an adult trying to find my own way in the world. These were my comfort shows.

And sometimes, I hated them.

Others, I loved them to bits.

For all the ups and downs of those 23 years, I wouldn’t trade any of the shows away.

Superman is my go to hero when I don’t feel good. Usually if I’m sick or under the weather, you’ll know because I’ll start a random binge of Superman TV. For most of my childhood that was Smallville.

I used to save my allowance to buy the seasons each year when they came out.

For all the highs or lows of Smallville I’ve loved it.

And I’ve been under the weather a few times lately and decided to watch a few episodes. Mind you, I haven’t watched this series since I hit the random year they jumped to in the finale. I felt an urge to rewatch the series and haven’t since.

Not really.

But I watched the Christmas special from season five recently and Lana and Lex’s wedding episode Promise.

And I was reminded of why this show was so good back then.

Lexmas and Promise are two examples of the series at it’s finest.

Showing us both the light and dark side of Lex. Making us root for him. He’s the villain of the story, we all know it. But Smallville humanized him and made him friends with Clark. He fell in love with Lana and somehow we wished every time he would get out of his own way and be a better person.

But then we have Lionel in the background reminding us why Lex will never be good.

He wasn’t raised that way.

And it was too late by the time he and Clark met.

There is no saving him anymore.

But we still hope. And wish.

And how is that not compelling? To be given a story where you actually find yourself wishing for the bad guy to make better choices? Even though you know, he won’t. He can’t. It’s his destiny to be Superman’s greatest enemy.

But Smallville also poses an interesting question about Lex – how much of it, is his fault?

He still has choices to make, sure. But his father, the loss of his mother, brother, and his doomed relationships with Lana and Clark. How much of that factors into him becoming the bad guy?

Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum often discuss this at panels, their podcasts, and so on. Did Clark have a hand in making his greatest enemy?

I love that.

But also, at the same time, I hated Smallville sometimes.

Like the literal never-ending love story between Clark and Lana! It was doomed, why did it manage to carry on for eight seasons? Four of which, Lois Lane is right there!

My goodness that was tedious.

Chloe’s actress leaves a stain on the show that I can never forgive. It was the show of my very childhood and to learn that she was using it to do terrible things, makes me sick. It’s hard to root or like Chloe as I rewatch it.

Though I try to remind myself that Chloe would hate her actress too.

Season seven of the show was the absolute worst. It was like they suddenly had no clue what to do since they had made it this far into the series.

But the highs of Lois Lane portrayed by the stunning Erica Durance makes the lows worth it at times.

The death of Jonathan Kent never fails to make me weepy.

The Doomsday plot left little to be desired, it was way too easily done.

Losing Lana and Lex was a hit to the show, but one it sort of needed, and there should have been no trace of them in season eight. Instead, we had a weird wrap-up plot that felt jammed in for no reason.

Smallville had it’s up and downs. But it’s actually aged better than I thought it had. It’s an impressive show.

Then it came to an end in 2011.

I watched it live with Chinese food.

And then I thought there would be no other superhero shows, and it was weird as hell for the next year or so. Because it ended in spring 2011 and in fall of 2012, we were a year away from the ending.

The CW announced it’s newest series – Arrow.

Based on the Green Arrow comics.

And I didn’t know what to think. A new superhero show? To fill the void Smallville left in my TV watching nights?

Okay. I’ll give it a whirl.

And it was good.

Solid.

For a while.

At least until the end of season two, because the writers, and everyone attached to the show lost their minds in season three.

Arrow was never an amazing show, it was just good. Solid outing in the beginning and is now kind of remembered as the basis for the Arrowverse. The Arrowverse is literally named after it.

But for me, I got to be honest, Oliver Queen often needed some slaps. Like the amount of wake-up calls that man needed was unreal. He thought he was right all the time and was arrogant and entitled and not a good friend to most people. He often betrayed his people for his own purposes.

There’s a literal fight between Diggle and Oliver about it in season one.

Then there’s season three and it’s just plain awful. Just terrible.

Like forcing a known lesbian character to marry a straight dude. Her father hating her because she loved a woman. And then when it’s over, they continue to treat her character like garbage.

Or killing a bisexual character for no good reason.

Keeping Laurel around.

Having Ras Al Ghul be the bad guy. It made no sense. Working with the bad guy of season one who Oliver had such difficulty defeating to defeat a guy he believes Oliver can beat but he cannot. Like that just makes no effing sense.

Sigh.

Okay, let’s stop there. Because Arrow gave me two of the greatest things I could have asked for – Sara Lance and Barry Allen.

Sara Lance makes a return in season two, shockingly not as dead as everyone believed. She rapidly became my favorite character. Just a badass all around. Her episode where Nyssa comes to retrieve her is one of my favorites. Except for the ending, her and Oliver are a terrible match.

A conclusion Sara comes to and sticks to. Though she does continue to love Oliver as a good friend and family which I also love.

Because she’s unflinchingly loyal to people she cares about.

We see it as she returns to Oliver’s funeral in Arrow. We see it to Nyssa even after all these years passed between them. And we for sure see it on the Legends.

Which leads me to Legends of Tomorrow. Quite possibly the greatest Arrowverse show of them all once it gave into it’s absolute crazy.

Season one and a bit of two, Legends tries to follow the formula of the other shows. But ultimately by season three, it accepts that it’s the black sheep of the family and goes all in. Even resorting to the making fun of the crossovers and being left out from time to time.

I loved this show and it’s lowest points were the first two seasons, but they have their bright points as well. Like Sara Lance becoming captain. A role she was born for.

Because she manages what no one else ever could, keeping the Legends on a loose leash no matter who they are or what they bring to the table. She always manages to get through to them.

And the only thing I ever wished to be different was that Nyssa had joined the series.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Ava Sharpe and she and Sara are good together. I just always hoped from the moment I saw Nyssa and Sara on screen together that they would find their happily ever after together.

After all, how could you not root for someone like Nyssa who says things like, “I took Sara into my heart and loved her with all of my soul.” Like damn. That’s swoon worthy right there.

Then there’s Flash!

Flash had more high moments than low ones. It was a solid series and never failed to be entertaining to me. Even it’s flattest moments, like the Savitar storyline or after Cisco left were never as bad as Arrow’s worst moments.

Flash remained watchable throughout the nine years.

And I’m never more grateful to Candice Patton for sticking it out for nine years after all the abuse she faced as a black woman playing a normally white character. Honestly, it never bothered me and the seasons passed I came to love Iris more and more as she became an equal to Flash.

And I love that. So many little girls need to see things like that.

That Iris was every bit the hero Barry was, if not more.

Candice Patton is the ultimate Iris West. Fight me.

Joe West, Caitlyn, Cisco, and the entire cast was a special one that was amazing throughout the run. I loved ongoing weird gag of a new Harrison Wells every season. I loved that Barry was the best mentor out of the Arrowverse. He was such a patient and kind teacher.

Sara was an amazing leader.

Barry a great teacher.

And Oliver was the thing that tied everyone together. Which worked, weirdly enough.

Then there’s the mess that is Supergirl, which like Arrow had two good seasons before it lost its mind. There was no saving it. I have no idea what that show was anymore.

But good things came of it as well!

Like Melissa Benoist as Supergirl. She is absolutely amazing as the Girl of Steel! But aside from her amazing talents as an actress, I truly think becoming Supergirl was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Somewhere along the way in the series, she found the courage to leave her abuser and then tell her story to help others.

I watched her video as she recounted the events to the world. Her shaking but determined tone. And somehow, somewhere, you could feel that she had the love and support she needed to tell the world the truth.

She is a true hero. I stand with Melissa Benoist.

Also, she met her current husband Chris Wood, and they have a child together now. I truly hope she has nothing but happiness in her life after everything she endured. I admire her courage and bravery so much.

Out of Supergirl we also got Tyler Hoechlin as Superman. And Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane.

Those right there are worth everything Supergirl may have put us through.

It led to some of my favorite moments in the crossovers.

And brought us Superman & Lois. Which like every series here, has it’s highs and lows.

But I don’t care.

For one reason, Tyler and Bitsie are my favorite Superman and Lois.

An amazing feat, because Christopher Reeve was the golden standard for me as Superman. But Tyler Hoechlin has won me over with not only his series but with his appearances as the Arrowverse Superman.

He is Clark Kent.

And Bitsie is Lois Lane.

Before it was Christopher Reeve and Erica Durance as my ultimate Clark and Lois.

But Superman and Lois has pushed them to new heights and amazed me like no one else. Congratulations to each of them. And for me, their time as these characters ended far too soon.

23 years of highs and lows with these shows. With amazing runs like Smallville, Arrow, and Flash and ones cut too short like Legends, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Superman & Lois, and so on.

With devastating news like Ruby Rose leaving Batwoman.

Or Allison Mack.

There’s bad, but a lot of good too.

Tom Welling returned as Clark Kent. Endless stories to go back and rewatch. LGBTQ plus characters as completely normal. People finding their happy endings together. Having families and lives and careers. Talkville and countless actors I’ve come to love.

I’m endlessly grateful for the last 23 years of superheroes on WB/CW. I’m grateful for all the actors who poured their time into these shows. All the writers. All the directors. The crew and casts from each and every one of these shows.

For all the good things. For all the bad things. For being a constant companion for 23 years of my life.

I will never forget you. I will enjoy these shows time and time again for years to come.

This is an epic era of TV and an amazing legacy and all those who were part of it one way or another as a creator or viewer will always have some fond memories attached to these shows.

Thank you!

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