Smallville comes close to being a great show but has yet to ever break to fully achieve the greatness of shows that have inspired it. I really want to like Smallville more than I do. Here is what bother me the most: Smallville has shown signs of greatness over the years and occasionally there are strings of great episodes that make me believe that Smalliville will turn into one of the great TV shows. But alas after three or four good episodes a string of mediocre episodes will follow, killing all momentum that had been building before them.
On the whole, the cast of Smallville is very strong. Michael Rosenbaum, Erica Durance, John Schneider, and John Glover are exceptional in their roles. The cinematography is top notch for a TV show. I always how nice the color palate is and how well the shots are put together. So many shows look dull in comparison. Smallville is a very nice show to look at.
The main detriment of Smallville is the writing. In my opinion, writing is the most important aspect for any TV show. Without good writing a TV show can never excel and Smallville is an example of this. The early years of the show had a countless amount of "Villain of the Week" episodes which added almost nothing to the greater arc of the show. These episodes became the base of what the show was built on. I think this was a great error that the writers made in the early years of the show. There was no central theme. There were no big arcs that carried a season of the show. No long-term villains, only ones who lasted for an episode or maybe coming back for a second of third. When a main character of the show exited in season 5 it could have been a major arc that the season should have changed greatly after that. It didn't. Smallville never seems to have long-term goals and arcs in mind and it drives me crazy! I like Smallville, really I do, but after six seasons it has never reached a level that it could/should have. I like to watch it but don't need to watch it.
10% of the episodes are great, 50% are good, 40% are forgettable in my opinion.
On the whole, the cast of Smallville is very strong. Michael Rosenbaum, Erica Durance, John Schneider, and John Glover are exceptional in their roles. The cinematography is top notch for a TV show. I always how nice the color palate is and how well the shots are put together. So many shows look dull in comparison. Smallville is a very nice show to look at.
The main detriment of Smallville is the writing. In my opinion, writing is the most important aspect for any TV show. Without good writing a TV show can never excel and Smallville is an example of this. The early years of the show had a countless amount of "Villain of the Week" episodes which added almost nothing to the greater arc of the show. These episodes became the base of what the show was built on. I think this was a great error that the writers made in the early years of the show. There was no central theme. There were no big arcs that carried a season of the show. No long-term villains, only ones who lasted for an episode or maybe coming back for a second of third. When a main character of the show exited in season 5 it could have been a major arc that the season should have changed greatly after that. It didn't. Smallville never seems to have long-term goals and arcs in mind and it drives me crazy! I like Smallville, really I do, but after six seasons it has never reached a level that it could/should have. I like to watch it but don't need to watch it.
10% of the episodes are great, 50% are good, 40% are forgettable in my opinion.