SUPERMAN & LOIS Season One
Married… With Children
UK BBC One, Saturdays/all on iplayer US The CW, finished airing Showrunner Todd Helbing
Cast Elizabeth Tulloch, Tyler Hoechlin, Jordan Elsass, Alex Garfin
Having hung around the Arrowverse as guest stars for a few years (Tyler Hoechlin first played Superman in Supergirl back in 2016, while Elizabeth Tulloch debuted as Lois on the same show two seasons later) Superman and Lois have finally spun off into their own series, which has belatedly made it to Blighty. It might not be what you’re expecting.
While it certainly looks impressive – with cinematic production values and sumptuous cinematography that take their aesthetic cues from the Snyderverse (you won’t believe how often a man can be backlit by the sun) – Superman & Lois isn’t just Lois & Clark with better effects. Spiritually, it’s more of a sequel to Smallville – and not just because that show’s logo Eastereggs its way in on occasion.
While Smallville showed how smalltown America helped craft the Superman psyche, Superman & Lois sees the two returning to Clark’s adoptive home at another pivotal moment in their lives. Now a parent to twin teenage sons, Jonathan and Jordan – one of whom may be developing superpowers of his own – Clark is increasingly concerned that his duties as Superman mean he’s neglecting his duties as a father. So when his mother dies, leaving him the farm, and the new owner of the Daily Planet sacks him, he and Lois decide to move back to Smallville to try and work out how to balance saving the world with saving their family.
All of which may sound dreadfully soapy, and, sure, there’s a lot of the high school teen angst that The CW is famous for. It’s not even particularly original high school teen angst. About the only interesting angle is that it’s the nerdy bro who gets the girl, while the jock bro loses his. Oh, and that one bro (we won’t spoil which) has to learn how to not toast or freeze his classmates with his laser eyes and icy breath.